Thunder Below!

The USS Barb Revolutionizes Submarine Warfare in World War II

By: Eugene B. Fluckey

Narrated by: Corey Snow

Length: 15 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

The thunderous roar of exploding depth charges was a familiar and comforting sound to the crew members of the USS Barb, who frequently found themselves somewhere between enemy fire and Davy Jones's locker. Under the leadership of her fearless skipper, Captain Gene Fluckey, the Barb sank the greatest tonnage of any American sub in World War II. At the same time, the Barb did far more than merely sink ships-she changed forever the way submarines stalk and kill their prey.

This is a gripping adventure chock-full of "you-are-there" moments. Fluckey has drawn on logs, reports, letters, interviews, and a recently discovered illegal diary kept by one of his torpedomen. And in a fascinating twist, he uses archival documents from the Japanese Navy to give its version of events. The unique story of the Barb begins with its men, who had the confidence to become unbeatable. Each team helped develop innovative ideas, new tactics, and new strategies. All strove for personal excellence, and success became contagious. Instead of lying in wait under the waves, the USS Barb pursued enemy ships on the surface, attacking in the swift and precise style of torpedo boats. She was the first sub to use rocket missiles and to creep up on enemy convoys at night, joining the flank escort line from astern, darting in and out as she sank ships up the column. Surface-cruising, diving only to escape, "Luckey Fluckey" relentlessly patrolled the Pacific, driving his boat and crew to their limits. There can be no greater contrast to modern warfare's long-distance, video game style of battle than the exploits of the captain and crew of the USS Barb, where the sub, out of ammunition, actually rammed an enemy ship until it sank. Thunder Below! is a first-rate, true-life, inspirational story of the courage and heroism of ordinary men under fire.

©1992 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois (P)2013 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Fluckey is a fine writer with a lively, colorful style. His book is packed with action and suspense and is rich in details about the day-today operation of a submarine in combat." ( Publishers Weekly)

fun and exciting

i had high hopes and expectations for this book and it did not disappoint. i enjoy stories about world war ll in the pacific and submarine stories in general. both movies and books. especially true stories and this was a good one. a great telling of historical facts and stats and adventure. pretty hard to turn off. i think i finished it in 3 days of 5 hour sessions. more than worth the credit if you enjoy this period and genre and maybe even if you don't. one thing though, the reader kind of sounded like an over excited teenager some times. kind of funny, but he still did a really good and enjoyable job.

the Best

Probably the best audiobook ive ever listened to. Admiral Fluckey writes and makes you feel as if you were there aboard the Barb.

Best audio book ever

I selected this title at the recommendation of Destin Sandlin, creator of the YouTube video series Smarter Every Day. Thunder Below is full of WWII events and experiences of the commander and crew of a submarine. The commander and author received many awards including the Medal of Honor. The book and audio book is an excellent example of how invention and innovation can change things even in the midst of chain of command and bureaucracy. This is an excellent listen and is a challenge to pause.

zero and O

would like to have heard zero not O when time , distance, and depth talked about.

CLEAR THE BRIDGE!! - Prepare for your adventure.

What made the experience of listening to Thunder Below! the most enjoyable?

1st person account of real events that helped shape history along with a look at the inner workings of the US Navy submarine service.

What other book might you compare Thunder Below! to and why?

Similar to other 1st person war-time accounts. The big difference being the story telling dialogue and character portrayal giving the book life.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

I liked that it was not just a dry narration of facts and events.The real effort to bring the various characters to life brings an entertainment element to the relating of real historic facts and events.I found it difficult to wrap my understanding around how the characters were portrayed as being peace loving individuals but who seemed to revel in combat and taking the lives of the enemy - it somehow seemed a bit hypocritical in that regard.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

My only extreme reaction was in spending so much of my free time listening to the story - it was compelling, insightful, and entertaining.

Any additional comments?

I would recommend this book to anyone who would appreciate a better understanding of how the US Navy in general and the submarine service in particular carried the fight to the enemy during World War II.

Great Recounting

Loved this title. It's inspirational. A note: this is a recounting, not a novel. The dialog can come across as a bit stilted and forced...don't let that dissuade you from continuing. The accomplishments immortalized here are astonishing, even though the author's tone is self-effacing and humble. This is a worthy, fascinating and enjoyable listen.

Fantastic book, fantastic delivery

I laughed, I cried, I am pleased. Highly recommend this book. Here are your stupid 15 words.

This book should be your next book to listen to!

Destin from the YouTube channel Smarter Every Day recommended listening to this book. What a great recommendation! The story is well-written and the narrator did a great job of bringing those words to life.

One of the best!

I’m a pretty easy going critic. I give a lot of books all five stars. My barometer is easy—if I liked it and would listen to it again someday then it gets the highest marks.

But that system as good and easy as it may be, fails to help distinguish the best of the best. This book, in my opinion, is in that latter category. Thrilling and awe inspiring, I wish I could transport back and live life on the Barb with Flucky.

I did not want it to end

Listening the this really puts you into Eugene Fluckey and the Barb's experience in the later parts of the war. It was a nice listen and somewhat easy to pick up on the terminology, for those who have not served or know the sea. I was recommended to this Book by The Fat Electrician, would love to listen to more like this.