Find 'Em, Chase 'Em, Sink 'Em: The Mysterious Loss of the WWII Submarine USS Gudgeon [Hardcover]

Mike Ostlund (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2006

Now in paperback, revised and updated, the stirring and authoritative account of one of World War II's most highly decorated submarines

 

Find ’Em, Chase ’Em, Sink ’Em is the first book to recount the tragic and mysterious loss of the World War II submarine USS Gudgeon. In April 1944, the highly decorated submarine USS Gudgeon slipped beneath the waves in one of the most treacherous patrol areas in the most dangerous military service during World War II. Neither the Gudgeon nor the crew was ever seen again.

Author Mike Ostlund’s “Uncle Bill,” the operator of a farm implements business, was aboard that ship as a lieutenant junior grade. Through extensive research of patrol reports in U.S. and Japanese naval archives, interviews with veterans who had served aboard the Gudgeon before its final patrol, and the personal effects of the lost men’s relatives, Ostlund has assembled the most accurate account yet of this remarkably successful submarine’s exploits, of the men aboard from steward to captain, and of what we now know about her demise. Find ’Em, Chase ’Em, Sink ’Em details the memories and life lessons of the young men who went to sea aboard Gudgeon before its last patrol knowing hardly anything, and came home having seen too much.

 

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Find ’Em, Chase ’Em, Sink ’Em is the first book to recount the tragic and
mysterious loss of the World War II submarine USS Gudgeon.
In April 1944, the highly decorated submarine USS Gudgeon slipped beneath the waves in one of the most treacherous patrol areas in the most dangerous military service during World War II. Neither the Gudgeon nor the crew was ever seen again.
Author Mike Ostlund’s “Uncle Bill,” the operator of a farm implements business, was aboard that ship as a lieutenant junior grade. Through extensive research of patrol reports in U.S. and Japanese naval archives, interviews with veterans who had served aboard the Gudgeon before its final patrol, and the personal effects of the lost men’s relatives, Ostlund has assembled the most accurate account yet of this remarkably successful submarine’s exploits, of the men aboard from steward to captain, and of what we now know about her demise.
Find ’Em, Chase ’Em, Sink ’Em details the memories and life lessons of the young men who went to sea aboard Gudgeon before its last patrol knowing hardly anything, and coming home having seen too much.

About the Author

Mike Ostlund holds a masters degree from the University of Iowa. He is a member of the Naval Submarine League, an associate member of the United States Submarine Veterans, and an honorary research affiliate of NUMA Australia. He lives with his family in Iowa.

 

 

Product Details

• Hardcover: 512 pages
• Publisher: Lyons Press (August 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592288626
• ISBN-13: 978-1592288625
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.2 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #403,956 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I was born and raised in Webster City, Iowa, a few blocks from where my uncle, Bill Ostlund (who was lost on the USS Gudgeon) grew up. Bill's brother Bob was my father. He served in the quartermaster corps in Europe during the war. Their brother John was a bombardier in the Eighth Air Corps completing 35 missions over Europe before his discharge. My mother's brother, Sam Wilson served in the Navy. And yet another uncle, Randall Jones served in the Army.

The book, "Find 'Em Chase 'Em Sink 'Em: The Mysterious Loss of the WW II Submarine USS Gudgeon" is a book about the history of a long-forgotten submarine and her incredible crew. It is more than the exciting history of a submarine though, it is a book about people who performed above and beyond the call of duty during the war. The story is told about Gudgeon's presence and the attack at Pearl Harbor, the war's first submarine war patrol, the first sinking of an enemy combatant vessel by a submarine in U.S. naval history, guerilla landings, deck gun battles with destroyers, chasing aircraft carriers, pounding depth charge attacks and her infliction of large numbers of sinkings as one of the most successful Allied submarines during the war. Gudgeon was one of a handful of the many hundreds of submarines that was awarded a Presidential Unit Citation. Then, finally, the tragic loss of the submarine, whereabouts unknown, and well accepted and new findings and theories about her sinking.

When Gudgeon was lost, twenty-five year old Lt. jg. Bill Ostlund the weapons and gunnery officer aboard the Gudgeon was lost along with seventy-eight others.

The second edition of the book (released 11-8-11) is the paperback version of the original and has been thoroughly updated. It contains 50 more pages of the Gudgeon's story than the original, due primarily to information gained from the interviews of Chuck Ver Valin which occurred after the first book came out and before his death last year. The reader will find Chuck's rise from Depression Era poverty to sailor, to POW during the war, then command in Vietnam to be a compelling one. His stories of the shennigans of the Gudgeon submariners are sometimes out-and-out hilarious.

In addition, new photos have been added, including photos of 48 of the 81 men who lost their lives serving the Gudgeon, updates and a discussion of the sinking data for the submarine, commanding officers and Gudgeon officers who went on to command, using data from the comprehensive and updated material from "United States and Allied Submarine Successes in the Pacific and Far East During World War II' by John D. Alden and Craig R. McDonald.

I am hopeful that readers will really enjoy the Second Edition.

Mike Ostlund, Author


Also see: findchasesink.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Superior Research effort of a WWII submarine, November 27, 2006

By 

Ron Martini (Sheridan, WY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Find 'Em, Chase 'Em, Sink 'Em: The Mysterious Loss of the WWII Submarine USS Gudgeon (Hardcover)

Review: FIND `EM, CHASE `EM, SINK `EM
Author: Mike Ostlund
Reviewed copy: Hardback-471 pages-1st edition-Signed
Publisher: The Lyons Press of Guilford, Connecticut-2006
Reviewer: Ron Martini


....I approach most submarine works that deal with WWII with trepidation. I have been burned by too many self serving books written by those who seem to be writing for their Academy classmates. Then there are those written as strict history and really grind on your resolve to finish them. The exceptions, in the first case, are Admiral Fluckey's "Thunder Below," and the example of the strict history type is Silent Victory and Hitler's U-Boat War by Blair.


....So I approached "Find `Em" with caution. Wow! I was amazed at this work. The book Is so well researched (it took 5 years), that I am going to use it forever as a model for anyone asking me what or how a book and what is involved. I get about 2 requests per month from authors who are hoping to write the ultimate WWII book. This is not that book but its real close. It contains a huge human touch or pathos, humor, drama, history and that déjà vu feeling all submariners get when reading about the world we lived in.


....Most books have 3-4 interviews of principals who are discussed in the work. This book never ends with them. From nursing home beds to children and grandchildren, the work is amazing in its attention to detail and reliance on proof and interviews to fill in the period of this submarines eleven patrols.


....This story is about the USS Gudgeon SS 211. It tells in detail the events of each of the 11 patrols and the last 100 pages attempt to find the boat lost on it's 12 war patrol presumably west of Iwo Jima. But it just isn't about the patrols, the torpedoes fired, the 5" shells pounded into Japanese ships, but also about the return of the boats to port. The fun the crew forced themselves to have to forget the 300 depth charges the boat endured in the short three years of it's life. The times at the Royal Hawaiian and their Gilly stills to the thrills and funny stories emanating from Australia will not be forgotten by this reviewer.


....The book does not hold back in criticism of those men who did not live up to their oaths or who did not have the fortitude to charge forward at all costs. Even the couple of cooks who deserted and were never heard from again. I hope they find this book.


....The author's uncle was a lieutenant on board the Gudgeon for her last 3 patrols and one of many lost on the 12th patrol. This is the authors five year search to find the boat, find out as much as he could about the men who served with her and the search for its remains. Unfortunately, the boat probably lies in the canyons of the Marianna's Trench at over 4000 feet depth. The author has done a great job in bringing some measure of finality to the families of those lost in that war.


....A great read and highly recommended to all readers of submarine lore and history. My copy is being donated to the USSVI National Library at North Little Rock, Arkansas near where another great WWII submarine now is on display.

Ron Martini

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Captivating research book, November 18, 2006

By 

RMR-WW2buff (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Find 'Em, Chase 'Em, Sink 'Em: The Mysterious Loss of the WWII Submarine USS Gudgeon (Hardcover)

Very well researched material for the book on WWII sub warfare. In-depth about the lives of those that served on the sub Gudgeon. Really surprised that the book was mostly about the lower ranks - their thoughts, emotions - when at war. Most books just care about the high-ranking people and forget about the ones under them. Very good description of the smells and the fear the sailors felt when being depth-charged. It was interesting to find out how torpedoes work and how the men found out how to make a drink out of the propellant. This is a must-read book for those interested in WWII history and many others.

Mike is masterful in weaving the lives of the men and their stories into a totally enjoyable, readable book about submarine warfare during WWII. His Uncle Bill would have been very proud of him.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating!, August 6, 2006

By 

SubBear (Midwest) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Find 'Em, Chase 'Em, Sink 'Em: The Mysterious Loss of the WWII Submarine USS Gudgeon (Hardcover)

This book reads like a novel, full of adventure and stories of individual young men who served on, and in some cases were lost on, this WWII submarine, yet it has all the military details that an avid submariner could possibly want. A hefty book, so it's worth the cost of hardback, and leaves haunting images and memories of what war time service was like for men who were basically still children on a war-duty submarine. Unlike some submarine books, this one is interesting to not just the military literature audience, but to anyone who might pick it up. Perhaps it is the author's personal link to his "Uncle Bill", who was lost aboard the sub during it's last mission, but it is a story that pulls at every human emotion it is possible to feel--pride, grief, wonder, awe, terror, and joy, plus there are some tremendously funny reminiscences from men who served aboard the sub but were lucky enough to transfer off before the sub disappeared on it's last patrol. The author was also able to develop a well-researched and extremely viable theory of what actually happened on that last patrol and where the heroic sub and its crew may lie on the ocean floor, including the actual Japanese plane that sunk it. Great Read! Highly recommend!