Take Her Deep!: A Submarine Against Japan in World War II [Paperback]

I. J. Galantin (Author), I. J. Galatin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1992

On August 12, 1943, 32-year-old Pete Galantin took command of the U.S.S. Halibut at Midway Island. Armed with torpedos and a 50 caliber deck gun, Halibut roamed from Pearl Harbor to Saipan, the Phillippines and the coast of Japan, sinking 13 enemy vessels - including a 10,000 ton heavy cruiser - until, on November 14, 1944, the longest, most ferocious attack ever survived by a U.S. submarine knocked Halibut out of commision.

It was a career that earned both ship and crew the Navy Unit Commendation. Now pigboat skipper Pete Galantin tells Halibut's remarkable story. Here are the men who lived and fought from cramped, close quarters, the excitement and drama of on-target hits, and the frustration and peril of all too frequent near-misses caused by malfunctioning torpedos. And here is the final, legendary battle near Luzon Strait. After sinking two enemy vessels, Halibut took depth charges that drove her under to 420 feet, wrecked her conning tower, and bent her hull inward - and survived.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

During the 15-month period when the author commanded the Halibut, nearly everything that could happen to an American sub in action against the Japanese did occur; the vessel was almost sent to the bottom more than once. The climax of this nail-biting narrative is Galantin's account of a depth-charge attack near Luzon Strait in November 1944 and the frantic but choreographed repair work that saved all hands from a one-way trip to Davey Jones's locker. This gripping narrative provides an intimate look at what it was like to fight the submarine war in the Pacific. Readers become familiar not only with the sub's machinery and its workings but with many members of the crew in full dimension. Galantin has a novelist's sense of telling detail, an eye for human quirk and enormous compassion for his loyal, efficient and often terrified crew. Photos.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Galatin, commanding officer of the USS Halibut and one of the few submariners to reach four-star rank, has written an outstanding analytical, self-critical history. Beginning with the early war patrols, he recounts the sub's problems with defective torpedoes and primitive radar and electronic systems. He analyzes every attack made by the Halibut and does not hesitate to take the blame for his own failures. Although the Halibut sunk only 13 vessels, it probably holds the record for surviving the longest anti-submarine attack on a U.S. submarine. The recipient of 250 depth charges, the ship was so badly damaged that its hull was bent inward; yet it managed to surface and reach safety. The Halibut never sailed again. A book for all submarine buffs. Stanley Itkin, Hillside P.L., New Hyde Park, N.Y.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Pocket Books (Mm); Reissue edition (November 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671736515
• ISBN-13: 978-0671736514
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #536,806 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GOOD WORLD WAR II SUBMARINE NARRATIVE, February 22, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Take Her Deep!: A Submarine Against Japan in World War II (Paperback)

This work doesn't challenge "Run Silent, Run Deep" as the classic of submarine warfare even though Commander Beach writes the book's foreward, but it makes a good attempt. Cdr. Gallantin deserves five stars not only for his account of battle but also for all the other contemporary background information he provides about U.S. submarines in general, about Navy personnel (both officers and enlisted men), about submarine customs, about submarine tracking equipment, submariners' family life as well as onboard life, and so on. For those readers interested in World War II submarine action, this is a very good book, probably the best currently in print. The only problem I had was the size of the book, which is one of those economy pocketbooks which snaps shut on you if you loosen your grip, and also makes you stretch the tight book open to read to the end of lines on the left page; I would have much preferred reading it in a larger format, say a softbound 6x9" on quality paper. But, despite all this, the Commander wrote a good story backed up by some post-war analysis/information which fortunately is now declassified and available to Gallantin and other World War II authors.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A submarine commander's view., January 20, 2007

By 

Lewis "Henry" (Indiana, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Take Her Deep!: A Submarine Against Japan in World War II (Paperback)

This book by I.J. Galantin was a great book to read! I am an avid reader of WW II books - especially Navy and submarine history. This is an excellent account of what it was like to skipper a submarine in the Pacific in WW II. He begins with a brief account of his training, then launches right into details of his experiences aboard the submarine USS Halibut. Especially riveting are the accounts of being depth charged during several battles.

Galantin's book also provides an insight into things that were going wrong with various weapons and systems in submarines. These details give the reader some insight into why the U.S. submarine service did not fare well in the aspect of casualties! His writing on these elements are not overly detailed, so the reader can easily understand them. He says he wrote this book for all the sailors who served on the Halibut and did not know anything about what went on in other areas of the ship during battle. What he also does is give readers who weren't there a great narrative of WW II submarine warfare!

I recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in submarines, World War II, or naval history. Once I started reading it I couldn't stop!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific Inside Look At A WWII Submarine, November 10, 2004

By 

Keith A. Meacham (Marshfield, WI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Take Her Deep!: A Submarine Against Japan in World War II (Paperback)

I've read TAKE HER DEEP! three times. I knew after I read it the first time I wanted it in my personal Library. Galatin is not your typical dry military author; his book is well written and easy for a non-nyphyte Navy person to understand. This book should have been turned into a movie, without embellishments. HALIBUT's adventures under Galatin's command were all one could ask for in a movie, and make for a great book to read. Hard to put down once you start reading it. Worth adding to one's personal Library. The book keeps you on the edge of your seat for most of it's length.