Submarine Diary: The Silent Stalking of Japan

Rating:
Summary: Submarine Diary Review
Review: Corwin Mendenhall's book, "Submarine Diary: The Silent Stalking of Japan" gives the reader a unique look into the daily operations of a WWII Fleet submarine stalking Japanese ships in the Pacific. The insight is unique because although Mendenhall was an officer aboard the USS Sculpin and then the USS Pintado, he was "an enlisted man's officer" and he tells the story of his patrols aboard these submarines from that perspective. I enjoyed reading this book because at one moment it relates the daily grind of serving on a sub and the next moment, it explodes with action as an enemy ship is spotted and attacked. I recommend this book to anyone who is a WW II submarine junkie because it is an account of real men and real times.

Rating:
Summary: Words from the Silent Service
Review: From the inside of a submarine, the ocean passes you by. The input you have comes from sonar and the periscope. Rather than give us another tale of submarine exploits, Mendenhall provides us with a war perspective from the men in the machine. This is an interesting WWII narrative.

Rather than taking a retrospective look as an admiral (Mendenhall is a retired rear admiral), this narrative is taken from his diary from his submarine missions as a junior officer and an executive officer. He discusses the routines and the fighting, as well as gives the sailors' perspective. He also discusses the frustration felt by the crew as defective torpedoes missed easy targets.

Not only does he discuss the day-to-day life in the submarine, he also gives a tally of how the submarine did on each mission. This was enlightening. He also shares his concerns about his career and command in the Navy as the war was beginning to wind down.

I would recommend this book to WWII, Navy, and submarine buffs.

Rating:
Summary: Words from the Silent Service
Review: From the inside of a submarine, the ocean passes you by. The input you have comes from sonar and the periscope. Rather than give us another tale of submarine exploits, Mendenhall provides us with a war perspective from the men in the machine. This is an interesting WWII narrative.

Rather than taking a retrospective look as an admiral (Mendenhall is a retired rear admiral), this narrative is taken from his diary from his submarine missions as a junior officer and an executive officer. He discusses the routines and the fighting, as well as gives the sailors' perspective. He also discusses the frustration felt by the crew as defective torpedoes missed easy targets.

Not only does he discuss the day-to-day life in the submarine, he also gives a tally of how the submarine did on each mission. This was enlightening. He also shares his concerns about his career and command in the Navy as the war was beginning to wind down.

I would recommend this book to WWII, Navy, and submarine buffs.

Rating:
Summary: A realistic day-by-day account of US submarine warfare...
Review: Submarine Diary provides a realistic day-by-day account of US submarine warfare in WWII.

As this is my third 1st person WWII submarine book (Iron Coffins, War in the Boats), I have some comparative comments. SD doesn't posess the compelling drama and adversity present in Iron Coffins, nor the insightful personell characterizations and stinging critique of command decisions presnt in War in the Boats. And it lacks the technical details that I like present in both other books.

Still, it is a good book and I like it, and recommend it to other readers interested in submarine warfare. The book reads well and the Sculpin's 7 patrols and the Pintado's 4 patrols unfold quickly and in an interesting manner. Of paticular interest is the planned interception of a German submarine -- an event in War in the Boats.

When I find a topic I like -- and WWII submarine warfare is one -- I like to read all about it and watch movies so that I understand and enjoy the topic to it's fullest. I also like to make comparisons between the various works. In this light, Submarine Diary fills in some gaps, provides a different perspective than some of the other books, and reinforces some topics in other books. For example, the faulty Mk-10 torpedoes discussed in War in the Boats is present here as well, which solidifies this as a real deficiency and not as 1 writer's excuse.

The maps and pictures contained in the book are good. Something that I would have liked would have been more tie-ins to the war at large. For example, it is up to the reader to draw the relationship between the tour near Guadacanal with the greater struggle.

All in all, this is a good book. I recommend it to other readers of this genre.

Rating:
Summary: A realistic day-by-day account of US submarine warfare...
Review: Submarine Diary provides a realistic day-by-day account of US submarine warfare in WWII.

As this is my third 1st person WWII submarine book (Iron Coffins, War in the Boats), I have some comparative comments. SD doesn't posess the compelling drama and adversity present in Iron Coffins, nor the insightful personell characterizations and stinging critique of command decisions presnt in War in the Boats. And it lacks the technical details that I like present in both other books.

Still, it is a good book and I like it, and recommend it to other readers interested in submarine warfare. The book reads well and the Sculpin's 7 patrols and the Pintado's 4 patrols unfold quickly and in an interesting manner. Of paticular interest is the planned interception of a German submarine -- an event in War in the Boats.

When I find a topic I like -- and WWII submarine warfare is one -- I like to read all about it and watch movies so that I understand and enjoy the topic to it's fullest. I also like to make comparisons between the various works. In this light, Submarine Diary fills in some gaps, provides a different perspective than some of the other books, and reinforces some topics in other books. For example, the faulty Mk-10 torpedoes discussed in War in the Boats is present here as well, which solidifies this as a real deficiency and not as 1 writer's excuse.

The maps and pictures contained in the book are good. Something that I would have liked would have been more tie-ins to the war at large. For example, it is up to the reader to draw the relationship between the tour near Guadacanal with the greater struggle.

All in all, this is a good book. I recommend it to other readers of this genre.

Rating:
Summary: submarine diary review
Review: The only criticism I have of this book is it too short. It left me wanting more. But it appears to be an accurate depiction of the daily routine of a submarine in combat; plenty exciting with intermittent periods of boredom. A more fleshed out version would be even better.

Rating:
Summary: submarine diary review
Review: The only criticism I have of this book is it too short. It left me wanting more. But it appears to be an accurate depiction of the daily routine of a submarine in combat; plenty exciting with intermittent periods of boredom. A more fleshed out version would be even better.