Bowfin: The True Story of a Fabled Fleet Submarine in World War II

One of the other reviewers made a good observation about lack of primary sources from the author Edwin Hoyt. Author Hoyt does say in the into that the book is based on Naval records of WW2 and personal interviews. The maps and small but sufficient, the photos are hard to see. Having said that, there are several things that make this a very good read. The US submarine Bowfin operated in the "south Pacific Theater" meaning General Douglas McAruther's back yard. In fact, the navy called ships that operated there "McArthur's Navy". So this book gives you a different aspect of the Pacific War that is often overlooked. The naval war on the Central Pacific got more coverage and glamor - the Carrier Wars were fought there. The book was very open and honest about US Submarine flaws (mostly torpedo problems), good Officers, bad Officers - some were aggressive, some were not. It realy gives an accurate idea of what life was like for the sailors who went out on the "pig boats" and many times did not return. There are some photos, which in the paperback version are small, grainy - mostly of the crew. I would have liked to see more of the Sub, but this is not a technical book on subs, it's an account of one pretty successful Submarine in WW2. I would not call it the most entertaining of all history books, but the facts alone are pretty gripping. The author does not need to embelish. The US Navy made Japanese merchant shipping a priority. That lack of supplies and the ability to stop Japanese reinforcements getting places helped win the war. Sometimes it was exciting, and sometimes it was not. But this is a good addition to your library and certainly worth the time to read.

Author Edwin Hoyt makes you feel like a crewmember as he desribes the USS Bowfin ranging the Pacific in search of Japanese warships and supply carft. The Bowfin made nine World War II missions, ranging from the Central Pacific to the Japanese coast. Readers see how the Bowfin successfully stalked, attacked, dived, and evaded - always returning safely in a silent service where one in seven U.S. submarines never made it home. Readers learn about the stressful life of crewmen in the engine room, torpedo room, etc., sleeping in tight quarters, breathing underwater air, and alternately shivering and sweating in the intense heat - which varied from room to room. We also see how U.S. Mark XIV torpedoes often failed to explode. In the 1980's we knew a former crewmember named Cliff who often wore his Bowfin T-Shirt and aptly described the photo's when we presented this book to him. Cliff autographed the title page and added a few details to a story written in tense and readables fashion.

Through this work, Edwin Hoyt has provided a straight forward analysis of the submarine war in the Pacific Theater through the war patrol of a single submarine. However, his lack of notes and his his limited number of primary sources would make this work less attractive to scholars or history students. Never the less, it does serve well as a primer for those who wish to learn more about submarine operations in the PTO and USN's submarine developement. It's well worth the money. SL. Arthur Kansas

I've read many sub books from WW2 to present and this one stands out. It takes you from one end of the Pacific all the way to the Sea of Japan on nine patrols. I especially liked the detailed accounts of what went wrong during the sub war. The author is not shy to admit that we weren't perfect especially with the mark XIV torpedoes that most of which never hit the targets! Easy to read and understand making the story flow smoothly. I highly recommend this one.