Silent Running: My Years on a World War II Attack Submarine (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "The cold wind whistled by my ears, and I was grateful for the heavy Navy watch cap I had snuggled down over them..." (more)
Key Phrases: tanker sweep, nine war patrols, prepatrol training, Pearl Harbor, New London, Tokyo Bay (more...)

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.

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.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (October 16, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471127787
• ISBN-13: 978-0471127789
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #578,325 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 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

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.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

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

By A Customer

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.

9 of 10 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 (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

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.