This is the story of the USS Cobia SS-245, one of the successful participants in the dynamic submarine fighting force that helped win World War II in the Pacific. Under the command of a seasoned and steady captain, the Cobia and her crew put up a distinguished fight, sinking thirteen enemy ships. Charging boldly into surface gun attacks, launching daring submerged torpedo attacks, enduring bombs and depth charges, and diving far below rated depth limits, the Cobia and her crew took the battle to the enemy. Now a memorial dedicated to submarine sailors the world over, the Cobia lies at rest in the waters of Lake Michigan at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum, her engines, equipment, and fighting power still intact after all these years.

The American fleet submarine may well have been the single most successful naval weapon of World War II. While the submarine forces never made up more than 2% of the Navy, submarines sank more than half of all Japanese tonnage sunk during the war in the Pacific. One of the most successful boats, U.S.S. Wahoo was credited with sinking 20 enemy ships for a total of 60,038 tons. This volume, the first in a projected series, contains the text of the actual reports submitted by her two commanders, Marvin G. Kennedy and Dudley W. Morton.

“[A] book of rare photographs . . . detailing life aboard a German Second World War submarine” from the author of Operation Colossus (History Today). This unique account charts the complete story of a single U-boat patrol through the summer of 1942 based around a remarkable collection of photographs that were “liberated” from a concrete U-boat pen in Brest at the end of the war and which had, until recently, remained hidden in a shoe box. The boat in question, U-564, carried the famous three black cat motif of Reinhard “Teddy” Suhren who, along with Prien and Kretschmer, was one of the top U-boat commanders during the battles of the Atlantic. This remarkable book provides unique access into both the day-to-day life of a U-boat at sea and into the detailed workings of the Kriegsmarine. Through the successes and trials of U-564 the reader is transported to that vast and watery battlefield that was perhaps the most significant theatre of the Second World War. “The text tells the story of U 564, and the images display the cramped conditions and the way of life on a war patrol. This is an absorbing story with the most memorable and unique collection of images filmed under patrol conditions.” —Firetrench

For as long as an American naval force has existed, black sailors have served it with bravery, distinction, and little or no recognition. They have since earned praise for service in the American Revolution, the War of 1812, and the Civil War, and more recently, they were integral to the development of the U.S. Submarine Service. Their roles limited by segregation, black submariners nonetheless were a key element of the "Silent Service" throughout World War II. With desegregation came expanded opportunities, and black submariners witnessed the birth and evolution of the nuclear-powered submarine, and some of the tensest moments of the Cold War. These men paved the way for those who followed--their contributions deserve recognition, and their stories deserve to be told. This exploration of the role of African American submariners chronicles their service from World War II through the Cold War era. An historical overview of black sailors and the evolution of the Steward's Branch, to which black sailors were eventually restricted, precede descriptions of becoming a steward and a submariner, and of life as a submariner during World War II. An account of black submariners in post-war service during desegregation, the development of the nuclear submarine, and throughout the Cold War follows. Oral histories of more than fifty black submariners who served in World War II and post-war form the heart of the book. Photographs of the men profiled, including wartime photographs, complement the text. Appendices outline the naval steward rating system, list all black submarine stewards serving in World War II, top stewards by number of war patrols, and those lost or killed during wartime service. Rear Admiral Melvin G. Williams, Jr., submarine fleet commander and son of one of the men profiled, provides a foreword.

Committee Serial No. 5.