Alex Kershaw - Escape from the Deep: A True Story of Courage and Survival During World War II

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Table of Contents

PRAISE FOR

Escape from the Deep

Alex Kershaws latest page-turner tells the riveting story of the maverick skipper, courageous crew, and destiny of the USS Tang, arguably the Navys most legendary WWII sub... A raconteur whose other WWII books include The Bedford Boys and The Few, Kershaw has a screenwriters style thats most intimate and spellbinding in portraying the trapped survivors nightmare inside the Tang 180 feet below, and their history-making escape that landed them in yet another nightmare as prisoners of war.

USA Today

[A] spellbinding saga.... Relying on interviews with survivors and oral histories, and writing with his customary verve, Kershaw delivers another memorable tale of uncommon courage.

Publishers Weekly

A gripping, novelistic account of the U.S. submarine Tangs tragic final patrol.... Kershaws action-packed, character-driven narrative of this extraordinary crews exploits concludes with a poignant wrap-up of the survivors later years. Reads like the best suspense fiction.

Kirkus

Writing purposefully about The War and showing the normalcy that preceded it... [Kershaw has] enriched our macro understanding of Armageddon by focusing on the micro, the particular, the individual. Kudos!

Washington Times

Kershaw has researched exhaustively... and written compactly the portrait of nine Americans who rose to heroism and of a ship that well deserved its statusit was the most successful combat sub in the Pacific theateras a legend in the naval history of World War II.

Booklist

[A] gripping submarine saga.... Told in action adventure prose... Escape from the Deep moves crisply from scene to scene, shifting points of view and time sequences to keep the survival narrative front and center.... Kershaw does a good job of honoring an interesting subsection of the Greatest Generation.

Portland Oregonian

An incredible survival story told in a fast-paced style. It has all the action of a Stephen Spielberg film.

Park City News

This harrowing story of one subs deadly fate is an eloquent tribute to the extraordinary courage of the sailors of the silent service.

Military.com

Kershaws meticulous work turns this piece of historical non-fiction into an adventure story of rare color and depth.

Richmond Times Dispatch

OTHER BOOKS BY ALEX KERSHAW

The Bedford Boys
The Longest Winter
The Few
Blood and Champagne
Jack London

For my mother,
in memory of her father, Neville Lee

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

There are sadly fewer and fewer survivors from the undersea war in the Pacific, one of the most astonishing success stories in military history. During the writing of this book, two unique American naval officers, who both served in the Tang, died. It was my great fortune to meet one of those two men, Murray Frazee. I will always remember his and his wifes hospitality and humor. Mr. Frazee provided extraordinary insight and helped direct my research. The other Tang veteran who died during the writing of this book, Larry Savadkin, was just as remarkable. I am indebted to him for talking to me about his harrowing escape from the deep.

Two living survivors of the Tangs final patrol were incredibly helpful. Bill Leibold, the very definition of an officer and a gentleman, was generous with his time. He replied to countless e-mails and spent many hours on the telephone patiently answering questions. His fellow survivor from the Tang, Floyd Caverly, was also a most gracious and humorous host, and I enjoyed a couple of afternoons in Oregon with him and his wife. Without the assistance of these two men, this book would have been impossible to write. I cannot thank them enough. It has been an honor to know them and to pay tribute to their fellow submariners of the legendary Tang.

I am indebted to a fellow Limey, Leslie Leaney of the Historical Diving Society, for his diligent fact-checking. I was lucky to benefit from Mr. Leaneys and his colleagues at the Historical Diving Societys interest in this book and eleventh hour assistance; Tom Burgess, in particular, read the manuscript with great care and made several key suggestions, as did Nyle Monday at San Jose State University.

The following relatives, veterans, and experts kindly provided help and in many cases spent hours answering my questions, rooting out information, and tracking down photographs and contacts: Joyce DaSilva, widow of Jesse DaSilva; her daughter Joyce Paul, who searched high and low for a great deal of vital documentation; Barbara Lane, sister of Larry Savadkin; Annie Decker, widow of Clay Decker; Marsha Allen, daughter of Dick OKane; Jim OKane, son of Dick OKane; Jackie Morris, daughter of Pete Narowanski; Robin Enos, relative of Mel Enos; Keith Merwin, an expert on Basil Pearce; Ken and Barbara Siegfried, relatives of George Zofcin; Dave Harnish of the U.S. Subvets Western Chapter; John Anderson; Paul Wittmer, a distinguished veteran; and Charles Hinman in Hawaii.

I must also mention the following, all of whom went out of their way to make my job easier: the inimitable broadcaster Rick Crandall in Denver; historian Thomas Saylor in Minnesota; Paul Tullis at Mens Journal; Wendy Gulley, archivist at the Submarine Force Museum in Groton, Connecticut; and George Rocek and Bill Cooper, of the Sculpin, who both experienced all the horrors of imprisonment. The following World War II submarine veterans also provided harrowing testimony about their time as POWs: Thomas Moore, Herbert Thomas, Charles Ver Valin, Kevin Harty, and Ernest Plantz.

The Indiana Historical Society unearthed wonderful material on Jesse DaSilva, including an oral history that I have quoted at length. Regis University in Colorado was just as generous in sending many hours of invaluable interview material with Clay Decker. The following institutions were also helpful: The Naval Historical Center; the New York Public Library; the University of Minnesota; the Minnesota Historical Society; the museum library at the New London submarine base; Lafayette College; and various chapters of U.S. submarine veterans associations across the country. I cannot thank the staff at the Sawyer Library at Williams College enough for all their help over the years. They have graciously provided me with a second home during the writing of several books.

The idea for this book was the result of discussions with my editor, Robert Pigeon, of Da Capo Press, and I must thank him yet again for his diligence and dedicated support on this, my fourth book for Da Capo Press. His instincts and loyalty are second to none. My publisher, John Radziewicz, and his colleague Kevin Hanover were just as encouraging. Kate Burke and the best cover designer in book publishing, Alex Camlin, have provided wonderful assistance yet again. Ashley St. Thomas aided me enormously during the editing process, and Christine Marra and Susan Pink did a wonderful job during editorial production and copy-editing. I am also grateful to Albert A. Nofi for reading the book and providing comments.

My agent, Derek Johns, and his colleague, Rob Kraitt, and the rest of the team at A. P. Watt in London were also wonderful. Liza Wachter in Los Angeles was an inspiration, as ever. My wife, Robin, and son, Felix, again tolerated my obsessions. I owe them more than I can ever say. My relatives in Britain and in America have also been great supporters.

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