Book Review: Surface and Destroy: The Submarine Gun War in the Pacific

Archives

by Michael Sturma

Lexington: The University Press of Kentucky, 2011. Pp. x, 248. Illus., append., notes, biblio, index. $29.95. ISBN: 0813129966

Although not really what one thinks of when discussing submarine operations, surface gunnery actions are occasionally mentioned in naval histories, and in this work Prof. Sturma (Murdoch, Australia), demonstrates that they were in fact not at all uncommon. 

Calculating that there were literally hundreds of surface actions by Allied submarines during the Pacific War, Sturma, author of several earlier works on undersea warfare, examines a substantial number of them.  While some of these clashes occurred because a submarine found itself unable to submerge upon the sudden appearance of enemy warships, most involved attacks on small vessels such as trawlers, barges, and sampans, during blockade operations.  Other clashes took place because Allied submariners were engaged in rescuing downed airmen, or were trying to capture or inflict vengeance on Japanese seamen, several atrocities being committed by the crews of some of the most famous boats, such as the Wahoo (SS 238).  In addition to his narrative account of many surface fight by Allied submarines in the Pacific, Sturma ends the book with a very useful appendix listing all such actions that are known.

Surface and Destroy is a valuable contribution to the literature on the Pacific War and submarine operations.

---///---
Reviewer: A. A. Nofi, Review Editor   


Buy it at Amazon.com

X

ad

Help Keep Us From Drying Up

We need your help! Our subscription base has slowly been dwindling.

Each month we count on your contributions. You can support us in the following ways:

  1. Make sure you spread the word about us. Two ways to do that are to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
  2. Subscribe to our daily newsletter. We’ll send the news to your email box, and you don’t have to come to the site unless you want to read columns or see photos.
  3. You can contribute to the health of StrategyPage.
Subscribe   Contribute   Close