I found this book difficult to put down. It reads like "Pacific War Diary" in that it provides an evolving picture of daily life aboard ship. Mendenhall manages to convey the early difficulties with a reluctant and cautious skipper, naval bureaucracy, accounts of all his patrols, shipboard humor, and personal insights. Unlike the aggressive boats such as Wahoo, Tang, Bowfin and others, Mendenhall's service aboard Sculpin and Pintado were probably more typical of sub duty in the Pacific, which was hardly typical of navy duty in general. I wasn't there, so I can't say what this era was like for our sailors, but I certainly enjoy reading about this time and space, and very much enjoyed this book. The author has a smooth and easy style, there is no wandering off his subject, and someone did a fine job editing (grammar, spelling, etc). If you enjoy reading about the Silent Service, this is a good addition to your war library.
fwiw: visiting the floating museums (for instance, USS Bowfin in Hawaii) and USS Pampanito in San Francisco) helps put the duty aboard these fleet boats into perspective when you reflect on the accomplishments of the Silent Service.
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