Synopses & Reviews
An acclaimed naval historian tells one of the most inspiring sea stories of World War II: the Japanese attack on the American oiler USS Neosho and the gutsy crews struggle for survival as their slowly sinking ship driftedlost, defenseless, and aloneon the treacherous Coral Sea.
In May 1942, Admiral Jack Fletchers Task Force 17 closed in for the wars first major clash with the Japanese Navy. The Neosho, a vitally important tanker capable of holding more than 140,000 barrels of fuel, was ordered away from the impending battle. Minimally armed, she was escorted by a destroyer, the Sims. As the Battle of the Coral Sea raged two hundred miles away, the ships were attacked by Japanese dive bombers. Both crews fought valiantly, but when the smoke cleared, the Sims had slipped beneath the waves, and the Neosho was ablaze and listing badly, severely damaged from seven direct hits and a suicide crash. Scores of sailors were killed or wounded, while hundreds bobbed in shark-infested waters. Fires on board threatened to spark a fatal explosion, and each passing hour brought the ship closer to sinking. It was the beginning of a hellish four-day ordeal as the crew struggled to stay alive and keep their ship afloat, while almost two hundred men in life rafts drifted away without water, food, or shelter. Only four of them would survive to be rescued after nine days.
Working from eyewitness accounts and declassified documents, Keith offers up vivid portraits of Navy heroes: the Neoshos skipper, Captain John Phillips, whose cool, determined leadership earned him a Silver Star; Lieutenant Commander Wilford Hyman, skipper of the Sims, who remained on his vessels bridge throughout the attack and made the ultimate sacrifice to try to save his ship; Seaman Jack Rolston, who pulled oil-soaked survivors out of the water and endured days adrift in an open life raft; and Chief Watertender Oscar Peterson, whose selflessness saved the lives of innumerable shipmates and earned him a posthumous Medal of Honor.
A tale of a ship as tough and resilient as its crew, The Ship That Wouldnt Die captures the indomitable spirit of the American sailorand finally brings to the surface one of the great untold sagas of the Pacific War.
Review
Praise for Don Keith's works of military history
“Riveting….[Keith] writes in an engaging you-are-there style calculated to bring the reader to the edge of his seat.”—Mobile Press-Register
“Keith will inform and please both the rank newcomer to the subject and the well-read expert.”—Booklist
“Breathes life into the heroic submarines Pacific saga…gripping.”—John Wukovits, author of American Commando and Eisenhower
Synopsis
At the top of the world… At the bottom of the sea…
A war has begun.
Below the polar ice cap, an American nuclear submarine moves quietly in the freezing water, tailing a new Russian sub. But the usual, unspoken game of hide-and-seek between opposing captains is ended when the Americans hear sounds of disaster and flooding, and the Russian sub sinks in a thousand feet of water. The American sub rushes to help, only to join its former quarry in the deep.
The situation ignites tensions around the world. As both Washington and Moscow prepare for what may be the beginnings of World War III, the USS Toledo—led by young, untested Captain Joe Glass—heads to the location to give aid. He soon discovers that the incident was no accident. And the men behind it have yet to make their final move.
A move only Glass can stop.
Synopsis
The gripping story of heroism under the sea, from the national bestselling author of Final Patrol and U.S.S. Billfish In November 1943, while on war patrol in the Makassar Strait, the U.S.S. Billfish submarine was spotted by the Japanese, who launched a vicious depth charge attack. Explosions wracked the sub for fifteen straight hours. With senior officers incapacitated, diving officer Charlie Rush boldly assumed command and led key members of the crew in a heroic effort to keep their ship intact as they tried to escape. Told in harrowing detail, War Beneath the Waves is an inspiring tale of one man's leadership and courage under fire, and of the remarkable efforts of a submarine crew to do their duty and save their ship.
About the Author
Don Keith is a critically-acclaimed, award-winning author. In addition to writing fiction and nonfiction, he heads up the curriculum in Media Marketing and Management at Virginia College and runs the school's full-service advertising and marketing agency.
George Wallace, Cdr. USN Ret., commanded the Los Angeles-class nuclear attack submarine USS Houston. During his tour of duty he worked extensively with the SEAL community developing SEAL/submarine tactics. Under Wallace's command the Houston was awarded the CIA Meritorious Unit Citation.