Book- PERIL IN THE DEEP: Adventures of the WWII Submarine USS Burrfish

Lookouts spent the first hour of deck watch inside a fog bank

with little to see.

Then the surfaced submarine USS Burrfish emerged into sunlight outside the thick wall of mist.

Ocean and sky seemed void of activity except for two seagulls flying in the distance far behind.

Seagulls?

Cardelli focused on the closest bird for a moment but it quickly disappeared into the fog.

Three minutes later Cardelli heard a faint roar over the submarine’s diesel engine hum.

The roar grew louder and suddenly an armed Japanese float plane emerged low from the fog bank aimed strait up the stern of Burrfish.

Immediately a barrage of bullets buzzing like a swarm of bees was unleashed towards the submarine from both wing guns.

The patrol plane’s cockpit was open and the pilot came in nearly level with Cardelli on the elevated stern lookout.

Their eyes met and the pilot’s yellow grin flashed from his brown face inside a leather helmet.

Cardelli responded with an international one-fingered salute and the pilot’s grin widened.

Rapid-fire bullet strikes rang out on Burrfish as the plane nearly struck the conning tower.

But it veered to starboard at the last second and then began to circle around for another attack.

World War II submarine service was so hazardous the U.S. Navy made it 100% voluntary

Few Americans remain that can tell you first-hand about the personal impact of the December 7, 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Some will tell you it was like the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks......many times over.

Every Americans' way of life was changed for years to come.

After the Pearl Harbor attack, with some mixture of anger, courage, patriotism, fear, adventurousness, and perhaps youthful testosterone, thousands of young American men and older teens left their families and friends to fight the forces of Imperial Japan and Hitler's Nazi empire.

Without their nearly incomprehensible bravery and determination,

our lives might be much different today.

In recent years, however, the lessons of their sacrifices and heroism have faded from the American psyche.

One of those men who fought was Alindo "Lin" Cardelli.

For many years I’ve listened to Lin’s epic stories of his time served aboard the World War II Navy submarine USS Burrfish.

The 312-foot submarine with a crew of 70 enlisted men and ten officers stalked Imperial Japanese Navy vessels and conducted secret surveillance in the Western Pacific while constantly being hunted in turn.

Today, even at 97 years old, Lin remembers the details of those perilous encounters like they occurred yesterday, a testament to their intensity.

Many of his best submarine war stories have been shared on multiple occasions due, no doubt, to my many questions and Lin’s obvious pride in his Navy service.

Along with millions of Allied service members and civilians, many that gave their lives, America’s military saved the Free World from Imperial Japanese and Nazi domination.

But over the years there were some submarine stories that

Lin held back.

I wasn’t sure if they were too tragic to repeat or if they were accounts of significant breaches of strict Navy protocol.

I suspected some of both.

One of his best submarine stories was apparently related to a framed photo on his desk.

The fading black-and-white picture shows Burrfish moored to a pier in Baltimore in 1945.

“Someday I will tell you Dave, and you will hardly believe it.”

Now, nearly 80 years later, that day has come.

201 pages.