Death at a Distance: The Loss of the Legendary USS Harder [Hardcover]

Michael Sturma (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2006

Only seven U.S. submariners earned the Medal of Honor in World War II. Sam Dealey, the USS Harder's commander, was one of them. His honor was awarded posthumously after the entire crew was lost off Bataan during a depth-charge attack in August 1944 by a Japanese convoy. The Harder's fighting spirit is legendary, and its record of sinking a total of eighteen enemy ships (with a tonnage in excess of 55,000) made Dealey one of the top five submarine skippers in the war. During a single patrol his crew sank five enemy destroyers in five short-range torpedo attacks - an unprecedented feat. In addition, the Harder played important roles in rescue missions, extracting secret operatives deep in enemy territory and saving downed pilots. Drawing on previously untapped sources, Michael Sturma, an Australian teaching at Murdoch University, details several daring missions, one that involved the heroic Australian commando Bill Jinkins, and puts the Harder's action in the context of the overall Pacific campaign. In do so, the author adds not only significant information to the Harder's story but also provides a fresh perspective on the submarine war.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Michael Sturma is chair of the history program at Murdoch University in Western Australia. He is the author of several books, including Western Fantasy and Sexual Politics in the South Pacific.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 246 pages
• Publisher: US Naval Institute Press (May 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591148456
• ISBN-13: 978-1591148456
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #835,659 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Supurb Story of a Supurb Boat, June 10, 2006

By 

John Matlock "Gunny" (Winnemucca, NV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Death at a Distance: The Loss of the Legendary USS Harder (Hardcover)

The USS Harder (SS-257) was a Gato class American submarine that became one of the legends of the silent service. He career lasted less than 15 months from the beginning of her first war patrol 7 June 1943 to being sunk by the Japanese on 24 August 1944. During those months she sank a sixteen enemy ships, with a certain fondness for sinking Japanese destroyers -- five of the sixteen ships.

Her skipper, Sam Dealey was known for his agressiveness and a penchant for attacking at very short ranges. He was one of seven submariners awarded the Medal of Honor, and as with many of these medals it was awarded poshumously after he and all of his crew were lost.

Written by the chair of the history program at Murdoch University, in Australia, this is a supurbly researched and written book that serves as a fitting tribute to one of the most significant American submarines.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Death at a Distance, August 9, 2006

By 

Tom J. Baer (Rockford, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Death at a Distance: The Loss of the Legendary USS Harder (Hardcover)

Well written,the deeds performed by the Harder were very well put together which makes reading easy to understand. My only gripe is the absence of maps to show where events took place.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars DEFINITIVE WORK!, November 30, 2006

By 

Mike Miner (Tennessee) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Death at a Distance: The Loss of the Legendary USS Harder (Hardcover)

Well written and researched. Flowed very well. I was surprised to see that this is the only book of its type by Michael Sturma. Compliments to his writing ability. The chapter "Medal of Honor" had information that I've never encountered elsewhere concerning the process that Dealey's award went through. I would consider this the definitive work on the USS Harder, and an excellent insight into the submarine service, and its pressures during the war.