Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

Preview

£0.00 for first 30 days

Thousands of incredible audiobooks and podcasts to take wherever you go.
Immerse yourself in a world of storytelling with the Plus Catalogue - unlimited listening to thousands of select audiobooks, podcasts and Audible Originals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

The Silent Service in World War II

By: Edward Monroe-Jones, Michael Green
Narrated by: Tom Perkins, Jo Anna Perrin
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

Buy Now for £18.99

Buy Now for £18.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Summary

When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the US Navy had a total of 111 submarines. However, this fleet was not nearly as impressive as the number suggests. It was mostly a collection of aging boats from the late teens and early twenties, with only a few of the newer, more modern Gato-class boats. Fortunately, with the war in Europe was already two years old and friction with Japan ever increasing, help from what would become known as the Silent Service in the Pacific was on the way: there were 73 of the new fleet submarines under construction.

The Silent Service in World War II tells the story of America's intrepid underwater warriors in the words of the men who lived the war in the Pacific against Japan. The enemy had already begun to deploy advanced boats, but the U.S. was soon able to match them. By 1943, the new Gato-class boats were making a difference, carrying the war not just to the Japanese Imperial Navy but to the vital merchant fleet that carried the vast array of materiel needed to keep the land of the Rising Sun afloat.

As the war progressed, American success in the Solomons, starting with Guadalcanal, began to constrict the Japanese sea lanes, and operating singly or in wolfpacks, they were able to press their attacks on convoys operating beyond the range of our airpower, making daring forays even into the home waters of Japan itself in the quest for ever more elusive targets. Also taking on Japanese warships, as well as rescuing downed airmen (such as the grateful first President Bush), US submarines made an enormous contribution to our war against Japan.

©2012 Edward Monroe-Jones and Michael Green (P)2018 Tantor
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2
activate_samplebutton_t1

Listeners also enjoyed...

No Banners, No Bugles cover art
South Pacific Destroyer cover art
The Fleet at Flood Tide cover art
U.S.S. Seawolf cover art
Day of Infamy cover art
December 7, 1941 cover art
Hell and Back cover art
Trapped at Pearl Harbor cover art
Humble Heroes cover art
The Ice Diaries cover art
Crash Dive: The Complete Series (Books 1-6) cover art
PT 105 cover art
First Command cover art
Silent Running cover art
Steel Boat Iron Hearts cover art
Neptune's Inferno cover art

What listeners say about The Silent Service in World War II

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    6
  • 4 Stars
    2
  • 3 Stars
    4
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    4
  • 4 Stars
    4
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    6
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Good at what it does but little context provided

This is a series of biographical clips, many of them interesting and many giving the feeling that much is still missing. The description of a crossing the line ceremony is very good. The big problem is you can't fit the stories together into the wider historical war in the Pacific. A little more history would have gone a long way to making this a better book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

good first hand story

engaging, interesting book about the people involved in the US submarine war in the Pacific. worth a listen and very enjoyable

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

No disappointment.

Although repetitive, it was a fresh perspective on life aboard a US Submarine during the War in the Pacific.
It could have been more interesting if it had been combined with home life. But I understand that these story's were possibly taken from diary's and from the horses mouth.

Very well narrated, the narration held the book together and just made you want to hear more.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!