The USS Flier: Death and Survival on a World War II Submarine (Hardcover)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: submarine school, captain mayor, torpedo data computer, Pearl Harbor, Brooke's Point, Balabac Strait (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

""A detailed, beautifully written slice of the history of U.S. Navy submarine warfare. The important story of the hellish explosion of a Japanese mine against the American submarine Flier is the crucial incident in this insightful account. This is an example par excellence of combat history coupled with thoughtful analysis at the tactical and operational levels with an occasional strategic perspective and frame in the not too distant background. The reader can almost smell the stench of Second World War submarine diesel fuel while also gaining an appreciation for the importance of U.S. Navy undersea warfare in helping to bring about the collapse of the Empire of Japan in August 1945." -- Carl Boyd, author of American Command of the Sea through Carriers, Codes, and the Silent Service" -- Carl Boyd

""Michael Sturma has done an admirable job of compiling existing work and bringing it together in one place, applying it as necessary to enhance the understanding of the time, place, and events while he tells the story of one particular submarine and her crew. The work is a worthy contribution to World War II history in general and to scholarship on the submarine service in particular." -- Don Keith, author of Final Patrol: True Stories of World War II Submarines" -- Don Keith

""Readers will encounter lively essays about undersea tactics, the claustrophobic world of submariners, the history of mines and torpedoes, the American-supported Filipino guerrilla movement and the nasty politics of the U.S. submarine high command. Sturma tells an engrossing story of courage, suffering and survival."" -- Kirkus Reviews

""Michael Sturma has produced a first-class naval history that will delight general and specialist readers. It adds to what we know of Australian involvement in the American submarine operations and of their contribution to Japan's eventual defeat. The production values are superior, and the notes and bibliography are important guides for further inquiry."" -- Tom Frame, Australian Book Review

""A great read.... The author... carefully examines the sub's all-too-short service and the fate of her survivors."" -- Proceedings of the US Naval Institute

""This is an amazing story of survival during wartime."" -- Military Heritage

""There have been a substantial number of stories of U.S. submarines published during the past two decades. Michael Sturma's tale of the USS Flier is a quality addition to that list. The Flier's story has most of the elements of a classic adventure: impending fate, sudden disaster, escape, deprivation, rescue, recrimination, and remaining mystery."" -- Gregory F. Michno, Journal of Military History

""It is an enlightening addition to World War II Pacific Theater of Operations historiography."" -- Walter E. Kretchik, Military History of the West

""Sturma's familiarity with the breadth of his topic is simply amazing and his research, using many primary and secondary sources, is impeccable.... I highly recommend this work to naval history scholars and to those who are interested in learning more about the intricacies of how modern navies actually work."" -- World War II Quarterly

""Michael Sturma has done an effective job conveying the dramatic story of the loss of the USS Flier."" -- Richard F. Kehrberg, The Journal of America's Military Past

Product Description

The fate of the USS Flier is one of the most astonishing stories of the Second World War. On August 13, 1944, the submarine struck a mine and sank to the bottom of the Sulu Sea in less than one minute, leaving only fourteen of its crew of eighty-six hands alive. After enduring eighteen hours in the water, eight remaining survivors swam to a remote island controlled by the Japanese. Deep behind enemy lines and without food or drinking water, the crewmen realized that their struggle for survival had just begun. On its first war patrol, the unlucky Flier made it from Pearl Harbor to Midway where it ran aground on a reef. After extensive repairs and a formal military inquiry, the Flier set out once again, this time completing a distinguished patrol from Pearl Harbor to Fremantle, Western Australia. Though the Flier's next mission would be its final one, that mission is important for several reasons: the story of the Flier's sinking illuminates the nature of World War II underwater warfare and naval protocol and demonstrates the high degree of cooperation that existed among submariners, coast watchers, and guerrillas in the Philippines. The eight sailors who survived the disaster became the first Americans of the Pacific war to escape from a sunken submarine and return safely to the United States. Their story of persistence and survival has all the elements of a classic World War II tale: sudden disaster, physical deprivation, a ruthless enemy, and a dramatic escape from behind enemy lines. In The USS Flier: Death and Survival on a World War II Submarine, noted historian Michael Sturma vividly recounts a harrowing story of brave men who lived to return to the service of their country.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 232 pages
• Publisher: The University Press of Kentucky; 1 edition (February 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813124816
• ISBN-13: 978-0813124810
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #626,907 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars USS Flier Review, April 17, 2008

By	John Morgan (Glendora, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I bought this book with the expectation of an interesting tale of survival during war. What I got was a story of US Navy bureaucracy. The Flier story is an interesting adventure saga of men who survived the sinking of their submarine by a Japanese mine and eventually contact Phillipino Guerillas who arrange for their extraction to Australia. That part of the book is excellent. But the author proceeds to pad the book with the politics of deck bound navy brass. Those men in the subs are the heroes. They should have gotten more print time than some paper pushers in Honolulu and Australia.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping account of World War II submarine warfare, March 26, 2008

By	J. Rudy "Major, USAF" (Fairfax, VA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Submariners assert their's was the most dangerous duty posting in World War II. Unlike the thousands of Airmen shot down over Europe who had a chance to bail out, if submariners were forced to abandon ship, there was little chance of survival. "The USS Flier: Death and Survival on a World War II Submarine" retells the story of eight survivors who not only survived the sinking of their ship, but made their way back to allied lines to fight again.

Sturma researched War Patrol Reports and the 1944 transcripts of the ship's skipper, Commander John Crowley, along with numerous other applicable publications available from US Navy Archives. After reading the book, you may jump to the conclusion either Commander John Crowley was a hard luck skipper, or the USS Flier was a hard-luck ship. In January 1944, on its first outing in the Pacific, Commander Crowley brought the sub into Midway harbor for refueling. Sturma provides a detailed look into the circumstances that led to the stranding of the submarine and subsequent sinking of its rescue vessel, the USS Macaw.

The book briefly describes the board of inquiry into the accident which held Crowley accountable, but permitted him to retain command. After major repairs in California, Commander Crowley led the USS Flier on its second patrol where it came to an abrupt end in the Balabac Strait on August 13, 1944.

Sturma begins with survivor accounts ("there was a big explosion") and analyzes the possible causes for the explosion. Although never proven conclusively, Sturma establishes a credible argument for a Japanese naval mine as the probable cause of the explosion. The story continues with the incredible fourteen-hour swim to a nearby island. Two days later the survivors make contact with coast watchers in the Phillipines, who radioed US Seventh Fleet to coordinate a rescue during the night of August 29, 1944.

The balance of the book describes the subsequent inquiry into the loss of the USS Flier, and the careers of Crowley, the other survivors, and Admiral Christie, the commander of the submarine fleet based out of Freemantle, Australia.

Whether it's a description of the evolution of Midway Harbor; mine warfare tactics; or the personal rivalries between the American commanders of Australia-based submarines, Sturma provides detailed segues into many facets of Naval and submarine warfare during World War II. The book has numerous charts that enhance the reader's ability to understand the operations areas.

This enjoyable and readable book honoring the USS Flier would be a welcome addition to any maritime library.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Additional thoughts on the book: USS Flier: Death and Survival on a World War II Submarine by Michael Sturma, April 16, 2008

By	J. T. McNally (New York, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The previous reviewers have sufficiently pointed out all the positive (and negative) elements of the book USS Flier: Death and Survival on a World War II Submarine by Michael Sturma, so to add any more general critiques would be superfluous. Alas, there are two glaring points I must make, for they propelled me to write this truncated quasi-review.

First, why no mention of the USS Flier as a Gato-class submarine? The actual submarine designated USS Gato (SS-212) is mentioned twice. So, why is there no mention of the class of submarine? The repetition of this question is symptomatic of how puzzled I was. Also, a more detailed discussion about the R-class (which were WWI coastal defense boats) and the S - Class boats would have been welcomed.

Second, a more in-depth discussion should have been made about the total failure of the US Navy's Mark 14 torpedoes at the start of the Pacific campaign. It was a huge SNAFU on the part of the Navy and not a subject of debate today for history has shown the facts. The Navy even presented the problem to Albert Einstein! (They found his solutions a bit complicated!)
Here is a synopsis from the October 1996 issue of THE SUBMARINE REVIEW:
(Take a look at:http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/1592/ustorp2.htm)

THE GREAT TORPEDO SCANDAL

"The Great Torpedo Scandal emerged and peaked between December 1941 and August 1943, but some of its roots went back twenty five years. It involved primarily the Mk.14 and three distinct problems, depth control, the magnetic influence exploder and the contact exploder, whose effects collectively eroded the performance of the torpedoes. The scandal was not that there were problems in what was then a relatively new weapon, but rather the refusal by the ordnance establishment to verify the problems quickly and make appropriate alterations. The fact that after twenty five years of service the Mk.10 had newly discovered depth control problems adds weight to the characterization of the collection of problems and responses as a scandal. These comments should, however, be mitigated a little by the fact that each of the Mk.14 problems obscured the next. Although BuOrd did not identify the final problem, contact exploder malfunction when a torpedo running at high speed struck the target at ninety degrees, their response, once the difficulty had been identified, was notably prompt. In spite of the promptness of BuOrd's response, by the time it reached Pearl Harbor a number of relatively simple solutions to the problem had been proposed, and modifications had already been designed and implemented. This was, however, almost two years after the United States entered WW II."

One final point, a full list of submarines and their actions during WWII in a glossary format would have been an excellent addition. Thus, every follower of the Silent Service could look up their favorite boat.

These points should otherwise not detract from a decent book about the Silent Service and the men that sacrificed so much.