Twenty Million Tons Under the Sea: The Daring Capture of the U-505 [Paperback]

Daniel V. Gallery (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2001

The gripping firsthand account of the extraordinary 1944 capture of U-505 off the coast of Africa.

Product Details

• Paperback: 360 pages
• Publisher: Bluejacket Books (March 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557508062
• ISBN-13: 978-1557508065
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,458,501 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Extremely readable, November 29, 2001

By 

c_leong73 "c_leong73" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Twenty Million Tons Under the Sea: The Daring Capture of the U-505 (Paperback)

This book would be a great addition to any submarine/naval history library. I've read quite a few WWII to the present submarine books, and this one did not disappoint at all.

Although not a submarine man himself, Captain (later Rear Admiral) Gallery commanded a hunter-killer force of surface ships and carriers in charge of tracking down German U-boats. Although the cover of the book makes it sound as if the focus of this work is on the capture of the U-505, it really is much more than that (in fact, the capture itself doesn't even begin until chapter 17!!). It talks about almost every aspect of WWII submarine warfare. I really appreciated the fact that he managed to inject a very human touch to sub operations, describing what life was like on submarines, their history, the commands etc. He described just enough technical details in order for you to understand the basic science in sub design. A number of submarine books, especially the more recent ones) have tended to get bogged down by excessive technical fineprint. If you're like me, and are more into the human/adventure/historical aspect of submarines, you'll really love this book.

Like a true sailor, Captain Gallery has a deep respect for all those who have served at sea, even when they happened to be wearing the enemy uniform. He gives credit where credit is due. There is no excessive jargon in this book. The author is very direct in his language, which added to the honesty of his words. The only parts that I didn't care too much for were when he gets a little "preachy" in professing his complete faith in the divine, but thankfully that's not a huge portion of the book at all.

I finished reading this book within 2 nights. You'll come away with a deeper appreciation of the brave men who served on submarines during WWII. You'll understand the reasons behind the decline of the U-boat campaigns as the war dragged on. It's a great read!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars u505 meets capt. dan & the us navy, March 8, 2002

By 

chas.costello (toms river nj) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Twenty Million Tons Under the Sea: The Daring Capture of the U-505 (Paperback)

The men of a Hunter-Killer task group keeping the sea lanes clear for the Allies in 1944 meet up with one of Hitler's dreaded
Uboats off Africa in this factual and entertaining read by the commander of said task force, Capt. Daniel V. Gallery. The Navy's version of a renaissance man, Gallery demonstrates by his own personal history during the war (as well as the history of the U505)that there are no accidents in wartime, merely opportunities lost or gained. I would heartily recommend Adm.Dan's book to those in high school or above who might not
know this bit of naval history, who enjoy the sea, and who honor
those (as Adm. Dan did) who "go down to the sea in ships". The Admiral was a "friend by correspondence" in the 1970's prior to his death...just as lively then as when on the bridge of his beloved USS GUADACANAL! Enjoy all ye landlubbers and real sailors!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars wonderful book, August 16, 2006

By 

Joe Garrett "retired sub sailor" (Groton, CT USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Twenty Million Tons Under the Sea: The Daring Capture of the U-505 (Paperback)

This is one of the best history books of an incident during WWII I have read. It is interesting to both the submarine sailor and non sailor alike. Admiral Gallery was one of the most under appreciated officers of the war. He and his people did their jobs in a professional manner that resulted in the capture of the ONLY WWII german submarine intact. I have read and reread it many times.