Flip to back Flip to front

Listen Playing... Paused You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition.
Learn more

See this image

SEA ASSAULT: The Sinking of Japan's Secret Supership Paperback – October 1, 2000

by Captain Joseph F. Enright (Author), James W. Ryan (Author)

7 ratings

See all formats and editions

Price

New from

Used from

Paperback

"Please retry"

$5.28

—

$0.33

Paperback
$5.28

23 Used from $0.33

During the Pacific leg of World War II, the U.S. Navy struck an astounding blow to the Japanese-a defeat which would become one of the greatest David and Goliath stories in the history of warfare. Japan's Shinano was a mammoth 72,000-ton aircraft carrier, equipped with a huge arsenal of guns, and carrying some 4,000 men. Yet, a small U.S. submarine, the Archer-Fish, less than a thirtieth the size of Shinano and carrying just 82 men, managed to sink the gargantuan vessel into the embattled Pacific with just four strategically placed torpedoes. Here, vividly told by the Commander of the Archer-Fish, is the incredible true story of this crushing victory-and a fascinating account of heroism, history, and warfare.

Print length

299 pages
Language

English
Publisher

St. Martin's Paperbacks
Publication date

October 1, 2000
Dimensions

4.24 x 0.86 x 6.62 inches
ISBN-10

0312977468
ISBN-13

978-0312977467
See all details

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

Joseph F. Enright
50
Paperback
14 offers from $5.00

Get everything you need

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

Joseph F. Enright
50
Paperback
14 offers from $5.00

Special offers and product promotions

Amazon Business: Make the most of your Amazon Business account with exclusive tools and savings. Login now

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ St. Martin's Paperbacks; 1st edition (October 1, 2000)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 299 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0312977468
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0312977467
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 6.4 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.24 x 0.86 x 6.62 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #3,218,359 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #7,689 in Naval Military History
- #30,671 in World War II History (Books)

Customer Reviews:
7 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		77%
4 star		23%
3 star 0% (0%)		0%
2 star 0% (0%)		0%
1 star 0% (0%)		0%

How are ratings calculated?

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Kindle Customer

Sinking of Japanese Super Ship

Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2012

Verified Purchase

Excellent Book. Amazing marksmanship of a submarine skipper. Perfectly placed, spaced and depth setting of torpedos.

Understand why the B-29 intelligence did not differenti
ate this ship in the ways of Yokosuka naval base. It would look like any other hull from the air at 50,000 +/- altitude.

Book not too great as far as writing concerned but quite good because of the history.

I was there at the time of the armistice, tied up at Yokosuka naval yard. Wonder what the big battleship burned out hull there in the harbor. We all wondered. I have found nothing about it in my reading of the WWII history.

Enjoy.

Leon Emerson QM 1/c
WW II.

Helpful

Corky

Terrific book!

Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2021

Verified Purchase

The best World War II submarine adventure that I have ever read. Couldn’t put it down!

Helpful

Kindle Customer

War writing at its finest

Reviewed in the United States on September 8, 2003

Sea Assault is war writing at its finest. In this World War II tale we follow the American sub Archer-Fischer and her tentative skipper, Captain Joseph F. Enright, on her hunt and discovery of Japan's new secret weapon, a 72,000-ton aircraft carrier. What ensues is likened to a high stakes chess game scattered across the throes of the south Pacific.
The book alternates point of view every other chapter. One chapter is written in the first person by its author, Captain Enright. The other point of view is told using Japanese sources and follows the carrier's skipper, Japanese Captain Abe.
As the Archer-Fish tracks, then closes in and subsequently engages the huge carrier, the Shinano, you vicariously experience this all from the vantage point of your chair.
For example:
"All of us could now hear the sharp sounds of the destroyer's propellers as she headed our way. When dropped to a keel depth of 62-feet, we would have about 10 feet between Archer-Fish's upper periscope support and the destroyer's keel. The Japanese war ship churned closer. The noise of its propellers increased in volume as she whipped through the water ... The destroyer rolling the water right above us. The beat of the big propellers so close was breathtaking. She thundered overhead like a locomotive. The whole submarine vibrated and rolled from the shock waves..."
Not only was the sinking of the carrier, the Shining, an epic event, but its telling her makes it an epic read. Highly recommended.

9 people found this helpful

Helpful

R. Shirley

Top notch submarine tale

Reviewed in the United States on November 23, 2001

Originally published under the title "Shinano"
For my money, this is the very best book about US submarines in World War II.
Well researched, it tells the story of the sinking of the Japanese super-carrier Shinano from the viewpoints of both the attacking submarine (USS Archer-fish) and its huge prey, which is desperately trying to avoid any conflict at all during its maiden/shake down voyage.
You are put on the bridges of both vessels - and inside the minds of both commanders - in alternating chapters as the time line of the engagement unfolds. This unique perspective allows the reader to clearly see each move and counter move in a deadly chess match carried out in the ocean south of Tokyo Bay.
Although not delving too deeply into the technical aspects of each vessel's capabilities and tactics, Enright and Ryan are able to give the reader understandable insight into how these capabilities and associated weaknesses constrain and affect the outcome of this contest at each stage of its progress.
But it is the intellectual and emotional aspects of the two combatants that ultimately determines the success and failure on each side. Critical decisions by both parties, which seem logical based upon the assumptions made from their individual perspectives, are seen in the narrative to sometimes be, perceptually and in reality, costly errors of judgement. Some are fatal, some are correctable.
Captain Enright, being the submarine commander, opens his soul to the reader, showing how his previous experiences and failures provided him with the determination to persevere and overcome his doubts and tactical errors while stalking his opponent. It is this perseverence that allows the Archer-fish to doggedly stay on the very ragged edge of pursuit, until finally the Shinao makes a combination of moves that just barely allows Enright to get into the perfect position to make an attack.
On the Japanese side, the authors were able to utilize their extensive research to also "get into the head" of the Shinano's commander (Captain Toshio Abe). Here the pressures of being responsible for the care of Japan's crowning naval achievement, the largest aircraft carrier built during the war, combined with the stress of over three years of continuous tough naval conflict , took their toll. Captain Abe's judgement was understandably clouded by these pressures, and the book clearly describes how key assumptions made by him led to the tactical mistakes that provided the slender opening through which the Archer-fish was able to slip into an attack position. Most critical of these was his steadfast belief that he was beset by an entire "wolfpack" of U.S. submarines. In Abe's haste to escape the dangers he perceived coming from many fronts, he stumbled right into the path of the single Archer-fish.
Neat stuff ! The details make for fascinating reading.
In addition, the book also does an excellent job of addressing the interesting background information concerning the decision to convert the Shinano from a "Yamato" class battle ship to a carrier, and the many hurdles and extreme secrecy associated with her construction.
Also well done is the heart rendering personal accounts of the survivors of the sinking of the Shinano. These sailors exhibit the extreme bravery and concern for humanity in times of disaster that one comes to expect of sailors from any nation.
This book is truly an equisite jewel hidden under an avalanch of submarine related WWII novels and personal accounts. This one is special.

9 people found this helpful

Helpful

Amazon Customer

Submarine hunt from both sides

Reviewed in the United States on February 6, 2001

This is an easy-to-read account of the sinking of the supership Shinano, just out of the Tokyo Bay shipyards, in the final days of WWII, by a U.S. submarine. The action goes back-and-forth between the U.S. captain who authored the book, and the Japanese officers, whose accounts he later researched. Learn about the cat-and-mouse game of the submariners' war in this book. Not overly technical, I read it in three days of light reading. Worth your time and your money!

Helpful

believer111

Great seller!

Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2020

Verified Purchase

Awesome- exactly as advertised!

Also care provided in the shipping!

Appreciate this seller!

Helpful

SEA ASSAULT: The Sinking of Japan's Secret Supership Paperback – October 1, 2000

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Customers also viewed these products

Get everything you need

Special offers and product promotions

Product details

Customer reviews

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.