Sea Assault: The Sinking of Japan's Secret Supership [Mass Market Paperback]

Captain Joseph F. Enright (Author), James W. Ryan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2000

During the Pacific leg of World War II, the U.S. Navy struck an astounding blow to the Japanese-a defeat which would become one of the greatest David and Goliath stories in the history of warfare. Japan's Shinano was a mammoth 72,000-ton aircraft carrier, equipped with a huge arsenal of guns, and carrying some 4,000 men. Yet, a small U.S. submarine, the Archer-Fish, less than a thirtieth the size of Shinano and carrying just 82 men, managed to sink the gargantuan vessel into the embattled Pacific with just four strategically placed torpedoes. Here, vividly told by the Commander of the Archer-Fish, is the incredible true story of this crushing victory-and a fascinating account of heroism, history, and warfare.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks (October 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312977468
• ISBN-13: 978-0312977467
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,622,439 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars War writing at its finest, September 8, 2003

By 

Timothy Daiss, M.A. (Metro-Manila, Philippines (Atlanta, GA USA)) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sea Assault: The Sinking of Japan's Secret Supership (Mass Market Paperback)

Sea Assault is war writing at its finest. In this World War II tale we follow the American sub Archer-Fischer and her tentative skipper, Captain Joseph F. Enright, on her hunt and discovery of Japan's new secret weapon, a 72,000-ton aircraft carrier. What ensues is likened to a high stakes chess game scattered across the throes of the south Pacific.
The book alternates point of view every other chapter. One chapter is written in the first person by its author, Captain Enright. The other point of view is told using Japanese sources and follows the carrier's skipper, Japanese Captain Abe.
As the Archer-Fish tracks, then closes in and subsequently engages the huge carrier, the Shinano, you vicariously experience this all from the vantage point of your chair.
For example:
"All of us could now hear the sharp sounds of the destroyer's propellers as she headed our way. When dropped to a keel depth of 62-feet, we would have about 10 feet between Archer-Fish's upper periscope support and the destroyer's keel. The Japanese war ship churned closer. The noise of its propellers increased in volume as she whipped through the water ... The destroyer rolling the water right above us. The beat of the big propellers so close was breathtaking. She thundered overhead like a locomotive. The whole submarine vibrated and rolled from the shock waves..."
Not only was the sinking of the carrier, the Shining, an epic event, but its telling her makes it an epic read. Highly recommended.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Sub book, March 18, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Sea Assault: The Sinking of Japan's Secret Supership (Mass Market Paperback)

This is a great story about the lucky fate of a U.S. Sub trying to "catch" its prize; a Jap Air Craft Carrier that was so big & secret it was not found in their ship's ID book. The book covers both sides of the story. For me, the book was hard to put down. I would buy this book again!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Top notch submarine tale, November 23, 2001

By 

R. Shirley (Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sea Assault: The Sinking of Japan's Secret Supership (Mass Market Paperback)

Originally published under the title "Shinano"

For my money, this is the very best book about US submarines in World War II.

Well researched, it tells the story of the sinking of the Japanese super-carrier Shinano from the viewpoints of both the attacking submarine (USS Archer-fish) and its huge prey, which is desperately trying to avoid any conflict at all during its maiden/shake down voyage.

You are put on the bridges of both vessels - and inside the minds of both commanders - in alternating chapters as the time line of the engagement unfolds. This unique perspective allows the reader to clearly see each move and counter move in a deadly chess match carried out in the ocean south of Tokyo Bay.

Although not delving too deeply into the technical aspects of each vessel's capabilities and tactics, Enright and Ryan are able to give the reader understandable insight into how these capabilities and associated weaknesses constrain and affect the outcome of this contest at each stage of its progress.

But it is the intellectual and emotional aspects of the two combatants that ultimately determines the success and failure on each side. Critical decisions by both parties, which seem logical based upon the assumptions made from their individual perspectives, are seen in the narrative to sometimes be, perceptually and in reality, costly errors of judgement. Some are fatal, some are correctable.

Captain Enright, being the submarine commander, opens his soul to the reader, showing how his previous experiences and failures provided him with the determination to persevere and overcome his doubts and tactical errors while stalking his opponent. It is this perseverence that allows the Archer-fish to doggedly stay on the very ragged edge of pursuit, until finally the Shinao makes a combination of moves that just barely allows Enright to get into the perfect position to make an attack.

On the Japanese side, the authors were able to utilize their extensive research to also "get into the head" of the Shinano's commander (Captain Toshio Abe). Here the pressures of being responsible for the care of Japan's crowning naval achievement, the largest aircraft carrier built during the war, combined with the stress of over three years of continuous tough naval conflict , took their toll. Captain Abe's judgement was understandably clouded by these pressures, and the book clearly describes how key assumptions made by him led to the tactical mistakes that provided the slender opening through which the Archer-fish was able to slip into an attack position. Most critical of these was his steadfast belief that he was beset by an entire "wolfpack" of U.S. submarines. In Abe's haste to escape the dangers he perceived coming from many fronts, he stumbled right into the path of the single Archer-fish.

Neat stuff ! The details make for fascinating reading.

In addition, the book also does an excellent job of addressing the interesting background information concerning the decision to convert the Shinano from a "Yamato" class battle ship to a carrier, and the many hurdles and extreme secrecy associated with her construction.

Also well done is the heart rendering personal accounts of the survivors of the sinking of the Shinano. These sailors exhibit the extreme bravery and concern for humanity in times of disaster that one comes to expect of sailors from any nation.

This book is truly an equisite jewel hidden under an avalanch of submarine related WWII novels and personal accounts. This one is special.