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Rating: 
Summary: First Hand History
Review: Dick O'Kane served as U.S.S. Wahoo's executive officer during her first five war patrols, the first two under Marvin Kennedy, the next three under Dudley W. Morton (who, according to O'Kane, was never actually called "Mush" by anyone serving with him). O'Kane held the XO's post aboard Wahoo from the time she was built at Mare Island Navy Yard until he was promoted at the end of the Wahoo's fifth war patrol to take command of Tang, in which he would become the war's top-scoring American submarine commander.
Morton and O'Kane formed a particularly tight command team in Wahoo, with Morton deliberately forgoing the CO's usual position at the periscope during attacks in favor of having O'Kane do the observations. Morton felt that, so long as he had a reliable officer at the periscope, he could better assure a successful attack by stepping back and concentrating on the overall tactical situation without having to worry about the purely mechanical aspects of bearings and ranges. It was a system that worked remarkably well.
In 2003 I edited Wahoo's war patrol reports for publication. Those give the basic facts, but O'Kane's book adds the heart, and a lot of the day-to-day detail. For instance, it turns out that Morton did most of the sewing in Wahoo, and that O'Kane was a singularly lucky cribbage player.
Since he was no longer aboard, O'Kane reconstructed the last two war patrols from the official report of the sixth, along with details supplied by some of the men who had what turned out to have the good fortune to leave Wahoo following that patrol. Wahoo's seventh and final war patrol, when she was lost with all hands, O'Kane reconstructed based on his personal knowledge of Morton's character and likely actions, along with Japanese reports of shipping losses and of an attack on a submarine in La Perouse Strait that could only have been Wahoo. His speculation about a faulty Mark-18 torpedo's contribution is interesting, but Japanese records don't seem to bear it out.
This is first hand history, written by an outstanding submarine commander who also happened to have a nice touch with the narrative form. Wahoo should be one of the basic volumes in any submarine library.
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Summary: RICHARD OKANES BOOKS
Review: I actually liked this book better than O'Kane's first-person account, Clear the Bridge! Before he skippered Tang, O'Kane served as exec aboard Wahoo. Using American and Japanese records, he was able to do a magnificent job of recreating Wahoo's final patrol, which resulted in the loss of the sub and all hands aboard. Readers who enjoy this solid bit of historical re-creation ought also to buy Clear the Bridge!, which details O'Kane's patrols and loss of Tang, and his imprisonment at Omori camp along with Pappy Boyington of VMF-241. (Like Boyington, he won the Medal of Honor for his war service.)
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Summary: Amazing Read!
Review: My hats off to the brave men who served aboard the U.S.S. Wahoo. I thank them and their families for and outstanding job in helping America win the war in the Pacific.
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Summary: Good story about a WWII submarine
Review: Not the best book I've read about this subject but a good story anyway.
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Summary: The definitive account of the USS Wahoo
Review: O'Kane's book is the definitive account of the USS Wahoo, one of the most famous and successful U.S. Subs during WWII. O'Kane's writing style is somewhat wooden and the narrative does not always flow well; but he was there and is the definitive authority on the Wahoo and her Captain, Dudley Mush Morton. His speculation of the Wahoo's demise is somewhat dated due to more information that has come to light from Japanese archives.... A better read is Flucky's account of the Barb, "Thurnder Below." But if you want to know about the Wahoo or WWII subs, you have to read this.
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Summary: A fine tribute to Dudley "Mush" Morton and the Wahoo!
Review: The Wahoo became a boat of great repute when finally put under the command of an exceptional officer, Lt. Commander Dudley "Mush" Morton. The author served under Commander Morton and much of what he learned, about aggressiveness, tactics and the handling of a crew under great stress, was aboard the Wahoo as Executive Officer. The Wahoo was lost with all hands and this book is a fine tribute to Commander Morton, his crew and the Wahoo. Every time I drive by the Mare Island Naval shipyard (now closed ) I think of the Wahoo and two of her sisters, also built there; the Tang and the Barb.
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Summary: This book is outstanding
Review: There are already tremendous reviews for Admiral O'Kane's other book, Clear the Bridge, in which he recounts the exploits of U.S.S. Tang. I was surprised not to see more comments of this book, in which Adm. O'Kane describes Wahoo, a sub of great importance and his time serving as Exec for her skipper, Dudley Morton, a true hero of WWII. I had been fascinated by both these submarines since I was a kid and I was highly pleased to discover this book even though it was some years since it was written. In addition to providing a riveting look at Wahoo's exploits in the war and at Cdr. Morton's superb method of command, the book addresses the subject of defective U.S. torpedoes and their possible role in Wahoo's end. In Clear the Bridge, the author describes how he and his crew on Tang tried to identify and correct torpedo problems while on combat patrol. Clearly these problems may have had severe consequences for Wahoo. How our submarine forces overcame the defective torpedo problem while waging the war against Japan must be one of the great stories of WWII. Great book.
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Summary: Like a Color Movie Shown in Black and White
Review: This book focuses on one of the most dangerous, exciting and important services during WWII and yet reads like an impersonal summary, even for a certified WWII nut like myself. Written by someone who was there and in command, O'Kane's writing left me feeling I had read a timeline of events from my old high school history text.I know a submarine crew must minimize conflict but absent was the emotional facet found in other submarine episodes I've read. The descriptive writing of the anger, frustration, long periods of boredom and sudden elation, like some of our brave crews lost back then, never rises to the top.I don't enjoy reading a half page description of the characteristics, longitude and latitude of some Pacific island. I want to see, feel and hear the crews expressions and celebration when they score a hit, which I think a first person narrative could give, among other things.It was only O'Kanes voice I read and his colorless description of some fantastic events. Did I still enjoy the book? You bet! Would I buy it again? Definitely! But remember, I'm a certified WWII nut!
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Summary: How the Silent Service came to wage "Unrestricted Warfare"
Review: WAHOO tells the story of USS Wahoo (SS238) as told by her former Executive Officer. This is the story of the life and death of one of the best submarines and Commanding Officers that served in the Pacific Theater of Operations.Written by a man who would go on to glory as Commanding Officer of his own boat (USS TANG), Richard H. O'Kane tells a gripping and factual tale of how the boat went from being a nondescript boat to the best in one patrol. Dudley W. Morton, who took command of the Wahoo after her second patrol threw away the book of instructions and rewrote submarine doctrine for all the others to follow. The book shows how he allowed Lt. O'Kane (XO) to man the scope during all attacks <"So I will not get scared" he once said with a grin>, how they entered a Japanese harbor and topedoed a Destroyer there. Also in the same patrol "in a fourteen hour running gun battle" She sinks an entire convoy of tankers and transports. Sadly, in war, the consequences of ones actions can and sometimes do catch up with even the best. O'Kane weaves a plausible tale as to what may have happened to Wahoo when she was sunk. I say plausible because since the publication of this book and the death of Radm O'Kane, new information has come to light shedding the mystery of Wahoo's loss. As she left the Sea of Japan through La Perouse Straits on the morning of 11 October, 1943, she was fired upon by shore based artillery. When she submerged to avoid further gunfire, she appeared to have struck a mine. Japanese air and sea units responding noticed a stream of oil & bubbles and attacked and sadly finished her off. This book is highly recommended to all.
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Summary: WAHOO leads them all!
Review: WAHOO tells the story of USS Wahoo (SS238) as told by her former Executive Officer. This is the story of the life and death of one of the best submarines and Commanding Officers that served in the Pacific Theater of Operations. Written by a man who would go on to glory as Commanding Officer of his own boat (USS TANG), Richard H. O'Kane tells a gripping and factual tale of how the boat went from being a nondescript boat to the best in one patrol. Dudley W. Morton, who took command of the Wahoo after her second patrol threw away the book of instructions and rewrote submarine doctrine for all the others to follow. The book shows how he allowed Lt. O'Kane (XO) to man the scope during all attacks <"So I will not get scared" he once said with a grin>, how they entered a Japanese harbor and topedoed a Destroyer there. Also in the same patrol "in a fourteen hour running gun battle" She sinks an entire convoy of tankers and transports. Sadly, in war, the consequences of ones actions can and sometimes do catch up with even the best. O'Kane weaves a plausible tale as to what may have happened to Wahoo when she was sunk. I say plausible because since the publication of this book and the death of Radm O'Kane, new information has come to light shedding the mystery of Wahoo's loss. As she left the Sea of Japan through La Perouse Straits on the morning of 11 October, 1943, she was fired upon by shore based artillery. When she submerged to avoid further gunfire, she appeared to have struck a mine. Japanese air and sea units responding noticed a stream of oil & bubbles and attacked and sadly finished her off. This book is highly recommended to all.
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