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The Bravest Man

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The title of The Bravest Man refers to Richard O'Kane, the most successful American submarine commander in the Second World War. While this book focuses on O'Kane's wartime career on the submarines USS Wahoo and USS Tang, it also examines the careers and exploits of other successful American submarine commanders in the Pacific War. A reader might wonder why another book on O'Kane's career is necessary, given the availability of O'Kane's own book, Clear the Bridge in 1977, as well as Clay Blair's Silent Victory and Theodore Roscoe's US Submarine Operations in World War II. The justification for a new book on O'Kane is provided both by the style and the manner in which the author chooses to deliver this story. Unlike other accounts, which tend to be rather meticulous but dry, the author succeeds in painting a wartime sea saga on a vivid canvas, with the protagonist contending not only against the enemy, but the sea itself, an interfering shore-based naval bureaucracy and even defective torpedoes. In these pages, O'Kane and his peers appear as human beings, not just ciphers in a tonnage-sunk chart.

O'Kane started his rise to prominence in the submarine community while serving as executive officer under the legendary "Mush" Morton in the USS Wahoo in 1943. Morton was one of the first sub skippers to break with the over-cautious, unimaginative pre-war US submarine doctrine and embrace a more freewheeling and aggressive combat style. Tenacity was Morton's trademark, and O'Kane later adopted this mindset when he was given his own command on USS Tang. The author effectively demonstrates the deadly efficiency of the Morton - O'Kane combat team on Wahoo; the real weapon system was the well-trained and aggressive crew, not the submarine itself. After O'Kane left Wahoo for his own command on Tang, Morton's efficiency declined and he began to take more chances. In October 1943, Wahoo was lost off Japan and O'Kane's mentor was gone. However, in five patrols on USS Tang in 1944, O'Kane more than avenged the loss of Morton by sinking 27 Japanese vessels. The author details how O'Kane was innovative as well as brave, introducing efficient tactics for recovering downed US pilots at sea and daring shallow-water attack tactics. At the conclusion of his fifth patrol in October 1944, Tang was sunk off Formosa by one of its own torpedoes. O'Kane and eight of his crewmen were the only survivors and spent ten months in Japanese captivity. The final patrol of Tang is probably the best part of this book and the author details the sinking and incredible underwater escape of several crewmen in riveting detail. The brutal details of O'Kane's interrogation and captivity, which are usually not provided in other accounts, are revealed here. Interestingly, the Marine fighter pilot "Pappy" Boyington was in the same POW camp as O'Kane.

This account also addresses the torpedo malfunctions, command problems and doctrinal deficiencies that plagued the US submarine force in the first eighteen months of the Pacific War. It still seems incredible that the US Ordnance Bureau ignored repeated evidence of torpedo malfunctions for so long, and the bureaucratic obtuseness that blocked technical improvements now appears almost criminal. A divided command structure, based partly in Australia and partly in Hawaii, also degraded US combat performance. US pre-war submarine doctrine, which focused on reconnaissance for the fleet rather than independent anti-commerce warfare, was another impediment to a successful submarine campaign. However, all the technical and bureaucratic hurdles had been overcome by 1944, which is when the US submarine force achieved its greatest results.

While focusing on O'Kane, the author also examines the exploits of other top US submarine commanders in this period. These men, mostly US Naval Academy graduates, are followed at sea and ashore to give a complete picture of the special type of independent leaders that were required for this most demanding form of warfare. Unlike their surface counterparts, the US submarine skippers usually fought alone and deep inside the Japanese Empire. The author notes that fully 30% of submarine commanders were relieved in 1942 and 15% in 1943. Even good skippers suffered "burn-out" from continuous combat patrols. Furthermore, more than 20% of US submariners were lost in action, which was the highest loss rate for any combat arm. However the leaders and crews that emerged from this crucible of war, like O'Kane, Morton and Ned Beach, were top-notch. While this book offers little new in terms of operational details about submarine operations in the Pacific, it adds a vital human dimension that is often ignored in more standard accounts.

I read this book as part of a History Day project I am doing on Dick O'Kane and the USS Tang. This book was extremely helpful. It tells the story of the Tang in a very thorough and easy to understand way. It's almost like you're there in the control room with the officers. Another great thing about this book is that it also gives you a good feel for the entire submarine force of WW2 by breifly telling many other stories about the best, worst, and most bizzare things that were happening, and explaining problems submariners had to face. All in all, if you want to get a great basic knowledge of WW2 Submarines, and read a gripping story about real heros and real drama, this book is for you.

"It's a big ocean," Dick O'Kane once told me. "You don't have to find the enemy if you don't want to."

O'Kane was 60 when we met. He was a compact man, straight as a ramrod, with a small smile and bushy eyebrows. He loved to talk, especially on technical matters, but he seldom spoke about what it was like to be a submariner in the Pacific, in a war that claimed the lives of 22% of the Americans who went to sea in the pig boats, as submarines were called. It was a pleasure to meet him again in "The Bravest Man" and to learn more about his remarkable accomplishments in World War II.

That a submariner need not find the enemy was brought home to O'Kane in 1942 on his first patrol in Wahoo, under an older captain who had learned caution in the peacetime Navy. The cautious skipper was replaced by Dudley "Mush" Morton, who with O'Kane's support made Wahoo the deadliest American boat in the Pacific, sinking nine ships on one ferocious patrol through the Yellow Sea, between China and Korea. "You can't afford to flinch," Morton said; "you can't afford to give up. You must constantly keep 'rassling, and keep shooting till you destroy him."

Wahoo was later lost with all hands, not including O'Kane, who by then -- the fall of 1943 -- had command of Tang. He soon proved that he too had a great desire to keep 'rassling and to sink Japanese ships, despite the second-rate torpedoes supplied to American submarines. On its first patrol, Tang sank five ships; on its second, it rescued 22 American airmen, shot down in the battle for Truk at the center of the Pacific's Caroline Islands. On its fourth patrol, it set a U.S. record by sending 10 enemy ships to the bottom, despite new torpedoes that were sometimes as balky as the old.

As a skipper, Richard O'Kane was audacious, persistent and inventive. He was willing to go up against the shore, if that's where the enemy was to be found. Yet he always had an escape route in mind -- and he took care of his people. Sailors clamored to join Tang, despite its record of going in harm's way.

Alas, having a good captain is never enough. On Tang's fifth patrol, the odds caught up with O'Kane, and he had the unhappy experience of watching his 24th and last torpedo circle back to explode on the boat's stern. The men on the bridge were thrown into the water, but their troubles were scarcely over. It was the middle of the night, and they had no flotation gear.

When morning came, 9 of the 87 crewmen were still alive, including some who had made the first-ever escape from a submarine sunk in combat. They were picked up by a Japanese destroyer, whose captain treated them decently but delivered them to starvation, torture and slave labor at Yokohama. Like aviators, submariners were classified as "special prisoners of Japan," imprisoned in the foulest camps with their existence unreported to the International Red Cross. Again O'Kane survived the impossible, to be reunited with his family and to receive the Medal of Honor from the hand of President Harry Truman.

The author of "The Bravest Man" is himself a U.S. Navy veteran, who in 1968 won the Pulitzer as a reporter in Vietnam. Mr. Tuohy takes a curious approach to his story, first writing about Wahoo, then O'Kane's earlier life, and finally Tang and later events, interrupted by chapters on what the rest of the American sub pack was doing. This can sometimes be confusing. And the line-editing in the book is sometimes careless. But "The Bravest Man" is well worth reading, especially in a year when the USS O'Kane is on watch in the Arabian Sea, carrying the bravest man's name and legacy into the 21st century.

The term "Ace" is usually reserved for fighter pilots who shoot down five or more enemy aircraft. But, Captain Richard O'Kane took the term to new levels as a submarine executive officer and later, Captain.

O'Kane's career began as fourth officer aboard the USS Argonaut. He was somewhat upset with the Captain's lack of aggressiveness. The problem continued after O'Kane joined the USS Wahoo. The Wahoo's original Captain suffered from the same lack of aggressiveness. However, that all changed when Captain Dudley "Mush" Morton took over the Wahoo. In the coming months, Morton and O'Kane formed one of the deadliest one-two punches in the submarine war. Under Morton's command, Wahoo became legendary, sinking enemy ships at an astounding rate. After five successful patrols aboard Wahoo, O'Kane was ordered to the U.S. for new construction; he was about to take command of the new submarine USS Tang.

After taking command of the Tang, O'Kane used many of Mush Morton's techniques. It wasn't long before O'Kane and the Tang had surpassed Wahoo's impressive record. The Tang was the preferred destination of many new submariners, as O'Kane showed no fear in the face of the enemy. On Tang's last patrol, O'Kane sank ten enemy vessels before a defective torpedo, the last aboard, malfunctioned and circled back upon Tang. The torpedo threw O'Kane from the bridge into the water. A few others managed to escape from the stricken vessel by using Momsen breathing devices. But, they were soon picked up by a Japanese patrol boat and spent the rest of the war as prisoners of the Japanese. O'Kane was later awarded the Medal of Honor. Over the course of the war, no other submarine commander sank more ships, rescued more downed aviators, or made more successful surface attacks than O'Kane.

This is a first-rate book. Author William Tuohy does a masterful job of describing O'Kane's brilliant career. Plus, he does a very good job of describing the entire submarine war in the Pacific by telling of other submarines' successful patrols and how a group of offensive-minded submarine captains virtually destroyed Japan's merchant shipping fleet..

I give this fine book my highest recommendation; submarine fans won't want to miss it.

This is an engrossing, often riveting, account of the life of an American naval hero of World War II, but much more than that. It gives fascinating insights into the history of U.S. submarine warfare in the Pacific, including the failures of nerve suffered by some commanders and the scandals of dud torpedoes, torpedoes that turned and sank the submarines that fired them, divided commands and bureaucratic inertia in dealing with problems that cost men's lives. Much of this may be known to naval specialists but much will come as an eye-opener to the general reader. William Tuohy's graphic descriptions of submarine warfare are enhanced by his authoritative grasp of how these boats were designed and operated, making the reader feel he is viewing the action through the eyes of the crew. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend it to anyone with an interest in warfare and in how people react under the stresses of military conflict.

Take a Pulitzer prize winning journalist at the top of his game, give him a story like this one --- the drama, heartbreak and triumphs of a World War II submarine on patrol in the Pacific --- and the result is an absolutely terrific book. Bill Tuohy and Richard O'Kane, skipper of "The Tang" --- a combination of master storyteller and war hero --- prove that non-fiction doesn't get better than this! JEFFREY ROBINSON

(...)this is one fine book. This book contains facts not covered in the other books I have found. Sure it covers the great history of U.S. submarines. But it also covers what went on behind the actions. It also uncovers some of the gross blunders made. If you are into WW II submare history this is one book to have.

It is also backed up by those that have been there and done that. That is in addition to the usual history found in the archives.

Unfortunatly this book is probably the last of it's kind.

Dispite the fact that the title is a slight bit misleading, this was most certainly a great read. To be clear, the book does indeed focus on Dick O'Kane, but there is also a great deal of information about other subs operating in the Pacific during the war. It provides a great history of the truly brave men who fought the war beneath the surface, and it's a great read for anyone who is interested in a thorough history of the submarine war in the Pacific.

This book is at least aptly titled. Richard O'Kane was one of our country's greatest and most audacious naval heros. O'Kane also authored his own, brilliantly written and unsurpassed account of the wartime patrols of the USS Tang in "Clear The Bridge!" "The Bravest Man" unfortunately pales in comparison in terms of style, readability, and suspense. Most annoying to me were the author's frequent and interruptive digressions and flashbacks from O'Kane's incredible carreer aboard Wahoo and Tang, back and forth to the more general history of the U.S. pacific submarine force, the politics of the admirals and their inept tactical mandates, other famous and not-so-famous boats and crews, O'Kane's years as a midshipman at Annapolis, etc. Most of this just distracted me from the book's central portrayal of O'Kane as "the bravest man." I also noticed that some sentences were copied and sprinkled throughout the book, making the same point, as if the author didn't remember having made them before. This is definitely not Pulitzer Prize material, in my opinion. My recomendation is to put this submarine book at the bottom of your list, and instead buy O'Kane's own "Clear The Bridge!", in my opinion the best written, most authentic, most audacious, most suspenseful, can't-put-it-down submarine book I have ever read.

I just finished reading this book on my Kindle. I enjoyed it very much. I used to read Tom Clancy books (when he still wrote books), and am a fan of military action/fiction. One of the things that makes this book so entertaining is that it isn't fiction. Some of the things these guys did in a submarine during WWII are almost unbelievable, and the fact that any of them survived to tell the tale is remarkable.

I would have given it 5 stars except for the authors habit of interjecting other captains/crews action into the general flow of the story. It is interesting to see the parallels between boats and historically it adds to the persepective, but it does get a little tedious trying to keep straight who was CO/XO when, and where and what boat did what. It's a minor flaw and certainly not worth avoiding the book over, and I wholeheartdly recommend it to anyone who is a military/history/action fan.

Enjoy!