Thunder Below!

The USS Barb Revolutionizes Submarine Warfare in World War II

By: Eugene B. Fluckey

Narrated by: Corey Snow

The thunderous roar of exploding depth charges was a familiar and comforting sound to the crew members of the USS Barb, who frequently found themselves somewhere between enemy fire and Davy Jones's locker. Under the leadership of her fearless skipper, Captain Gene Fluckey, the Barb sank the greatest tonnage of any American sub in World War II. At the same time, the Barb did far more than merely sink ships-she changed forever the way submarines stalk and kill their prey.

This is a gripping adventure chock-full of "you-are-there" moments. Fluckey has drawn on logs, reports, letters, interviews, and a recently discovered illegal diary kept by one of his torpedomen. And in a fascinating twist, he uses archival documents from the Japanese Navy to give its version of events. The unique story of the Barb begins with its men, who had the confidence to become unbeatable. Each team helped develop innovative ideas, new tactics, and new strategies. All strove for personal excellence, and success became contagious. Instead of lying in wait under the waves, the USS Barb pursued enemy ships on the surface, attacking in the swift and precise style of torpedo boats. She was the first sub to use rocket missiles and to creep up on enemy convoys at night, joining the flank escort line from astern, darting in and out as she sank ships up the column. Surface-cruising, diving only to escape, "Luckey Fluckey" relentlessly patrolled the Pacific, driving his boat and crew to their limits. There can be no greater contrast to modern warfare's long-distance, video game style of battle than the exploits of the captain and crew of the USS Barb, where the sub, out of ammunition, actually rammed an enemy ship until it sank. Thunder Below! is a first-rate, true-life, inspirational story of the courage and heroism of ordinary men under fire.

©1992 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois (P)2013 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Fluckey is a fine writer with a lively, colorful style. His book is packed with action and suspense and is rich in details about the day-today operation of a submarine in combat." ( Publishers Weekly)

A must for WWII history buffs

An outstanding history of the most prolific and innovative of American Submarines and submariners. Well written; full of facts, humanity, and a feeling of being among these great men.

Amazing story of daring and innovation

Very good book about the modernization and innovation required by the changing tides of war in the pacific.

Fascinating. Truly fascinating.

Submariners are unique people. The sea is constantly trying to crush them. Enemies are constantly trying to locate and sink them. Amazing that no one was wounded or the boat lost. Highly recommended.

Riveting Story

It is amazing how one sub could have reaked such havoc on the Japanese Navy and lived to tell about. The crew had nerves of steel and ice in their blood. I was most impressed by the sinking of a train.

Captured!

I was thinking that this would be a very dry recounting of facts but was very pleasantly surprise with the author's style.

technical

this a really interesting account of a submarine's work during ww2. it is very technical at times, but we'll worth the listen.

Amazing and gripping account of incredible history

This is a fantastic work that documents an unbelievable piece of Naval history. I enjoyed every word, and loved the ballance of detailed log account and personal narrative.

Excting from start to finish

It was like being there! The history of Barb tells of the importance of submarines in the Pacific war. The stories show how important a crew that unified and the trust that had in each other.

recommend

excellent read, an enjoyable piece of history, recommended for anyone interested. will listen again

History that needs to be heard!

A piece of WWII history that I've never hard much about before. The ingenuity, heroism, and courage that the story contains is incredible.