Silent Running: My Years on a World War II Attack Submarine [Paperback]

James F. Calvert (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1997

"I am just one of many who experienced life on a submarine during World War II. Silent Running is a story sincerely told--free of any revisionism or cynicism--and I commend Vice Admiral Calvert for sharing this dramatic personal account of that difficult and exciting time." --President George Bush

"Hardened old sub vet that I am, I still felt the need for two weeks R&R after reliving Jim's only too realistic war patrolling adventures." --C. W. Nimitz, Jr., Rear Admiral, USN (Ret.)

"I believe it is the best personal account yet written on U.S. submarine operations in the Second World War. [Calvert] writes with lucidity and a rare candor. We get an extraordinary sense of what it was like, feeling the tensions and emotions, sharing the successes and disappointments, ... This is a true story with teal people, always gripping and sometimes tender. It is exciting to read and hard to put down. --J. L. Holloway, Admiral, USN (Ret.) President, Naval Historical Society, Chief of Naval Operations, 1974-1978.

"I knew Jim Calvert Throughout the war, and in this book he has told the submarine story in a way that catches the flavor and tang of the real thing. This is the way it really was." --Frederick B. Warder, Rear Admiral, USN (Ret.) Legendary W.W. II skipper of the Seawolf.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In nine war patrols, the USS Jack sank 15 Japanese ships and ranked ninth in tonnage sunk by the end of the war. The author of this exciting memoir served as Torpedo Data Computer operator aboard the Jack (he was the one who aimed the torpedoes) and later as its executive officer. Calvert's book ranks with Edward Beach's Run Silent, Run Deep as an accurate, detailed, suspenseful account of submarine operations in the Pacific: the tracking and sinking of tankers, ammunition ships and a transport with a regiment of Japanese troops on board. One convoy commander whose ships crossed paths with the Jack radioed his superiors in Tokyo that he was under attack by a "wolf pack." Calvert also recalls his experiences ashore between patrols, including an unconsummated romance-he was married-with an Australian woman. The memoir climaxes with an unusual account of his unauthorized tour of Tokyo immediately after the Japanese surrender, when he nearly scuttled his naval career by violating occupation rules. Calvert (Surface at the Pole) later served as superintendent of the Naval Academy, Annapolis. Photos.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

Another in the recent group of books dealing with wartime memoirs (Point Man, LJ 7/93; Tin Can Man, LJ 2/1/93; Code Name: Copperhead, LJ 6/1/94), this is the story of James Calvert, who was stationed aboard the U.S. Navy attack submarine USS Jack from 1943 to the end of World War II. In a page-turner as good as any war novel, Calvert recounts the history of the eight war patrols that the Jack completed. He also describes the training involved, as well as overcoming problems like faulty torpedoes that hampered early submarine operations against the Japanese. Finally, Calvert tells about an unauthorized sightseeing trip to Tokyo that almost cost him his career. He went on to command the nuclear submarine USS Skate and become superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis. Calvert's memoir should be at home in any type of library.
Terry L. Wirick, Erie Cty. Lib. System, Pa.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 282 pages
• Publisher: Wiley (October 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 047119705X
• ISBN-13: 978-0471197058
• Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 0.9 x 9.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #51,692 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #88 in Books > History > Military > Naval

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding, March 21, 2005

By 

Steve Dietrich (Santa Ynez Valley and Santa Monica CA, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Silent Running: My Years on a World War II Attack Submarine (Paperback)

Great read.

As the only prior reviewer who failed to give it five stars noted , it is written in a very straightforward style. Most of the discussions regarding emotions are off the boat. It is not Tom Clancey but rather an account of real heros, fighting an extremely dangerous war, 8,000 miles from home and often hundreds of miles from any friendly ship.

I found the book captivating but it does require the reader to put himself into the account rather than having the book reach out to the reader with pages of descriptions of fear soaked sweat dripping from frightened sailors.

It is a book about the true meaning of being a warrior at sea, combat leadership, life aboard one of the best attack submarines, wartime love and the emotional conflicts and the technology of the era.

The book is also about the endurance of the men who sailed on the submarines. Although the author does not dwell on the issue, due to the importance of their effort the subs were only allowed to remain in port for the few weeks it took to attend to the most critical reparis and replenishment. Then they returned to a very dangerous mission which began almost as they left port.

It's also a reminder of how much the strategy of submarine warfare has changed as our WW2 subs had very limited range and speed while submerged.

The author's story of their premature entry into Tokyo was great.

He only devotes a few words in the afterword to cover the balance of his distinguished military career which had seemed doomed by their prank trip to Tokyo.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WOW!!! This book is outstanding!, June 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Silent Running: My Years on a World War II Attack Submarine (Hardcover)

This book is excelent. Reading this, I really got a feeling as to what it was like on a submarine in World War II. It includes action sequences that really make it feel like you were there, on the sub. Calvert is a genius. I highly suggest this book for ANYONE who is interested in submarines, WWII history, or Naval History. I really think you will love this book as much as I did.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This one really stands out., January 25, 2005

By 

M. Strong (Milwaukee, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Silent Running: My Years on a World War II Attack Submarine (Paperback)

This memoir is particularly well-written. It accomplishes the expected by displaying day-to-day life on a US submarine in WWII, but it does more by really capturing the voice of an innocent young man who still has a lot to learn about the world.

Calvert went on to quite a distinguished career in the Navy, but this book never hints at that, instead it paints a portrait of a very specific period of time in the author's life and doesn't bog the reader down with too much 20/20 hindsight and reflections, instead relaying the feeling of being in your early 20s and being involved in one of the highest-stakes contests ever fought in human history.

If you like memoirs, history, or WWII, this is a very well-told story that will appeal to you.