Back from the Deep: The Strange Story of the Sister Subs Squalus and Sculpin [Hardcover]

Carl Lavo (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1994

This epic World War II submarine saga follows the extraordinary, intertwined destinies of the sister ships Squalus and Sculpin to their dramatic conclusion -- the tragic defeat of the Sculpin by a Japanese destroyer and the frenetic wrath of its sister sub that followed.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Many naval buffs know the outlines of this story. The submarine Squalus sank off the New England coast in 1939 but was found by her sister ship Sculpin. More than half the crew was rescued, and the ship herself salvaged and renamed Sailfish. In World War II, Sculpin was sunk by the Japanese, and her survivors sent as POWs to Japan aboard an escort carrier that was sunk en route by Sailfish. Half the American survivors were killed. Culling from an abundance of primary source materials, Lavo fleshes out this unusual story to produce a well-written narrative educing many new details; for example, the Sculpin survivors' captivity in the Ashio copper mines is here told for the first time. This is one of those World War II naval volumes that perhaps did not cry to be written yet is worthwhile and certainly profited from being written while living survivors remained to tell the tale. Roland Green

Product Details

• Hardcover: 226 pages
• Publisher: Naval Inst Pr (November 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557505071
• ISBN-13: 978-1557505071
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,172,294 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Story of the Squalus and Sculpin, June 13, 2002

By 

Jeffrey T. Munson (Dixon, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Back from the Deep: The Strange Story of the Sister Subs Squalus and Sculpin (Bluejacket Books) (Paperback)

This is one of the best submarine books I've read. Mr. LaVo writes with the style of a novelist and keeps the reader on edge throughout this exciting story of the Squalus and Sculpin. He starts his story with the ill-fated test dive of the Squalus. A valve is mistakenly left open, although it shows as being closed on the control panel. Thousands of gallons of sea water pour into the open hatch and the sub plunges to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. Thirty Three men survived the sinking, but they are trapped on the ocean floor. "Swede" Momsen, inventor of the submarine rescue chamber, and his crew are summoned to the sunken submarine. Thanks to incredible human effort, the thirty three crewmen are successfully rescued and the submarine is rasied and refitted.

Perhaps the best part of this book is the story of the war patrols of the Squalus (now re-named Sailfish) and Sculpin. Mr. LaVo does an excellent job telling about the numerous war cruises of each submarine. Both ran up an impressive list of enemy ships sunk or damaged. The testimonies of the crewmembers are skillfully blended into the author's narrative and they give the reader a sense of actually being on the submarine.

An ironic twist of fate will forever seal these submarines together in history. The Sculpin was sunk by a Japanese destroyer, who picked up the survivors from the submarine. They were taken to the Japanese naval base at Truk, where they were transferred to the aircraft carriers Chuyo and Unyo for transport to Japan. The Sailfish intercepted the Chuyo and sank her with torpedoes. All but one of the Sculpin survivors was killed. Twenty survivors were aboard the Unyo and made it safely to Japan, where they were interred, under horrible conditions, for the remainder of the war.

Written with great knowledge and a true sense of suspense, this book belongs on any World War II or submarine enthusiasts' bookshelf. I also recommend "The Terrible Hours" by Peter Maas for more reading about the Squalus.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Very Exciting and Interesting Read, June 16, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Laguna Niguel, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Back from the Deep: The Strange Story of the Sister Subs Squalus and Sculpin (Hardcover)

This very well written story of two sister submarines was hard to put down. As a former submariner, I had heard some of the story, but this book covered interesting aspects of the history of these boats that I had never before understood. Whether you have been in the service or not, this is a terrific read.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Diesel Boats Forever, October 26, 2001

By 

D. Gillcrist "Norm de Plume" (Santa Fe, NM United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Back from the Deep: The Strange Story of the Sister Subs Squalus and Sculpin (Bluejacket Books) (Paperback)

Historians normally get most of the facts and dates right - that is no great accomplishment and the easy part of history. But for this author to leave me with the idea that he MUST have been a diesel boat sailor to describe the selection, training and life aboard an old fleet boat is quite an accomplishment. In fact I am sure he was not a submariner at all! Life as a submariner is so unusual it is hard even for us to describe properly.
I served on a fleet boat (USS BARBERO SSG 317)for three years and I was stunned at Carl Lavo's insight and the knowledge of life on a diesel boat. He is up there with Ambrose in my opinion.