Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Strike of the Sailfish:
You will NEVER get me on a submarine.
Quick synopsis:
The story of sister submarines in World War II.
Fact for Non-History People:
Radar at this point could detect a small warship about 10 miles away and closer if it was a part of a convoy.
Fact for History Nerds:
52 American submarines were sunk in World War II.
My Take on Strike of the Sailfish:
For the life of me, I cannot understand people who take boats out into the middle of the ocean. I especially cannot understand choosing a boat which is created to go underwater on a regular basis. However, there are people much braver than I and you can read all about them in Stephen Moore’s Strike of the Sailfish.
The story is the stuff of nightmares. The Squalus was a submarine which sank (in a bad way, not the normal way) on a test run. Many men died. The navy brought it back up, made some fixes, and then sent it back out into service. Imagine going into that thing knowing full well its history is more than just a little checkered. There is also a sister submarine called the Sculpin. It did not sink on a training run. I probably would have picked that one if forced to choose between the two.
I will avoid spoilers and they are not needed because Moore’s book is straightforward in a wonderful way. This book is about submarine battles, survival, and POWs. Moore’s prose makes you feel the tension of a sub crew staying quiet in the middle of the ocean hoping a bomb is not about to be dropped on their head. This narrative has no frills. It is a story about heroic men in World War II and their battles to stay alive. Moore knows these men deserve all of his attention and he gives it. It’s a great read.
(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and Penguin Group Dutton.)
Verdict:
A fantastic read for any audience. Buy it here!
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