A Tale of Two Subs: An Untold Story of World War II, Two Sister Ships, and Extraordinary Heroism
by: Jonathan J. McCullough
List Price: $26.99
Prices subject to change.
Price: $17.81
You Save: $9.18 (34%)Prices subject to change.
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Product Description:
On November 19, 1943, the submarine USS Sculpin, under attack by the Japanese, slid below the waves for the last time in what would become one of the most remarkable stories in U.S. Naval history. Not only did several crewmembers survive the sinking - an extremely rare event in World War II submarine warfare - but several were aboard a Japanese aircraft carrier enroute to a POW camp when it was in turn torpedoed and sunk by the Sculpin's sister ship, the USS Sailfish.
At the end of World War II, several unlikely survivors would tell a tale of endurance against these amazing reversals of fortune. For one officer in particular, who knew that being captured could have meant losing the war for the allies, his struggle was not in surviving, but in sealing his own fate in a heartbreaking act of heroism which culminated in the nation's highest tribute, the Medal of Honor.
Sculpin Lt. Commander John Phillip Cromwell was one of the few who knew that American Naval Intelligence had succeeded in cracking Japan's top-secret codes.Cromwell also knew that if the Japanese confirmed this by torturing him, it would force Naval Intelligence to change their encryption, which would potentially change the course of the war. This is Cromwell's story as well.
The incredible interconnection of the Sculpin and the Sailfish has been thoroughly researched by Jonathan McCullough. Through access to the few living survivors, scores of oral histories, never-before translated Japanese war documents, and interviews with Navy veterans, McCullough delivers a gripping and, intimate account for the reader.
On November 19, 1943, the submarine USS Sculpin, under attack by the Japanese, slid below the waves for the last time in what would become one of the most remarkable stories in U.S. Naval history. Not only did several crewmembers survive the sinking - an extremely rare event in World War II submarine warfare - but several were aboard a Japanese aircraft carrier enroute to a POW camp when it was in turn torpedoed and sunk by the Sculpin's sister ship, the USS Sailfish.
At the end of World War II, several unlikely survivors would tell a tale of endurance against these amazing reversals of fortune. For one officer in particular, who knew that being captured could have meant losing the war for the allies, his struggle was not in surviving, but in sealing his own fate in a heartbreaking act of heroism which culminated in the nation's highest tribute, the Medal of Honor.
Sculpin Lt. Commander John Phillip Cromwell was one of the few who knew that American Naval Intelligence had succeeded in cracking Japan's top-secret codes.Cromwell also knew that if the Japanese confirmed this by torturing him, it would force Naval Intelligence to change their encryption, which would potentially change the course of the war. This is Cromwell's story as well.
The incredible interconnection of the Sculpin and the Sailfish has been thoroughly researched by Jonathan McCullough. Through access to the few living survivors, scores of oral histories, never-before translated Japanese war documents, and interviews with Navy veterans, McCullough delivers a gripping and, intimate account for the reader.
Alternate Versions:
Related Items:
- Escape from the Deep: A Legendary Submarine and Her Courageous Crew
- The USS Flier: Death and Survival on a World War II Submarine
- The Steel Wave: A Novel of World War II
- All Hands Down: The True Story of the Soviet Attack on the USS Scorpion
- Hell Hawks!: The Untold Story of the American Fliers Who Savaged Hitler's Wehrmacht
- see more
Browse for similar items by category:
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - Worth the Read
These stories about the heroics about ordinary men during wartime never cease to fascinate me. Just as you think you heard it all, another little-known tale crops up. These two U.S. submarines were launched in 1939 and one, the Sculpin, had almost immediately been involved in rescue effort for the other, the Sailfish.The Sculpin proceeded to have an illustrious career while the Sailfish became known as a hard-luck ship. However, in the end the Sculpin was attacked by a Japanese destroyer and sunk. ... Read More
Rating: 
- other sister ships
I will get this book,but lest not forget another set of sister ships built at Mare Island,The Wahoo and Whale!! My neighbor worked on both. The Wahoo is Mush Mortons sub,as Wahoo is still on patrol. Vati
Rating: 
- 5 STARS
Yes, A TALE OF TWO SUBS is about the Silent Service and codebreakers of World War II, but it's more about the Pentagon Bureaucrats who punish every genuine hero, or sabotage every good deed and good idea that comes down the pike during the war. It's about premeditated SNAFUs and Desk Commanders & Apple Polishers jealous of real warriors.
I personally enjoyed the diversity of topics in the book. I learned a lot about submarine service and codebreaking. And its all written in a dramatic style ... Read More
Rating: 
- Scattershot Account of Two Subs at War!
The intertwined histories of two USN WWII submarines - USS Sculpin and USS Sailfish - are supposedly the subject of this 2008 book from Grand Central Publishing. I say supposedly because the book is so poorly focused you wonder exactly what's in author Jonathan McCullough's periscope sights.
Sculpin (SS-191) and Sailfish (SS-192) had two tragic connections. In May 1939, SS-192, then named Squalus, sank; Sculpin aided in the rescue of her surviving crew. In November 1943 Sculpin was sunk by Japanese ... Read More
Rating: - World War IIsubmarine heroics
Entrance to the US navy's submarine service is entirely voluntary.Submariners were close, cramped, unhygienic and potential death traps.Those who served on submarines during World War II were at a higher risk than others in the Navy.Some of the crew of the USS Squalus barely escaped death when their sub was rescued from the depths by the USS Fulton after error flooded several compartments.The Japanese fleet was merciless in the Pacific and submarine after submarine fell.The torpedoes touted by the Navy ... Read More
- Worth the ReadThese stories about the heroics about ordinary men during wartime never cease to fascinate me. Just as you think you heard it all, another little-known tale crops up. These two U.S. submarines were launched in 1939 and one, the Sculpin, had almost immediately been involved in rescue effort for the other, the Sailfish.The Sculpin proceeded to have an illustrious career while the Sailfish became known as a hard-luck ship. However, in the end the Sculpin was attacked by a Japanese destroyer and sunk. ... Read More
- other sister shipsI will get this book,but lest not forget another set of sister ships built at Mare Island,The Wahoo and Whale!! My neighbor worked on both. The Wahoo is Mush Mortons sub,as Wahoo is still on patrol. Vati
- 5 STARSYes, A TALE OF TWO SUBS is about the Silent Service and codebreakers of World War II, but it's more about the Pentagon Bureaucrats who punish every genuine hero, or sabotage every good deed and good idea that comes down the pike during the war. It's about premeditated SNAFUs and Desk Commanders & Apple Polishers jealous of real warriors.
I personally enjoyed the diversity of topics in the book. I learned a lot about submarine service and codebreaking. And its all written in a dramatic style ... Read More
- Scattershot Account of Two Subs at War!The intertwined histories of two USN WWII submarines - USS Sculpin and USS Sailfish - are supposedly the subject of this 2008 book from Grand Central Publishing. I say supposedly because the book is so poorly focused you wonder exactly what's in author Jonathan McCullough's periscope sights.
Sculpin (SS-191) and Sailfish (SS-192) had two tragic connections. In May 1939, SS-192, then named Squalus, sank; Sculpin aided in the rescue of her surviving crew. In November 1943 Sculpin was sunk by Japanese ... Read More
- World War IIsubmarine heroicsEntrance to the US navy's submarine service is entirely voluntary.Submariners were close, cramped, unhygienic and potential death traps.Those who served on submarines during World War II were at a higher risk than others in the Navy.Some of the crew of the USS Squalus barely escaped death when their sub was rescued from the depths by the USS Fulton after error flooded several compartments.The Japanese fleet was merciless in the Pacific and submarine after submarine fell.The torpedoes touted by the Navy ... Read More
