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David Jones and Peter Nunan,
U.S.
Subs Down Under: Brisbane,
1942-1945.
Annapolis
MD
: Naval Institute Press, 2005. 297pp.,
photographs, maps, appendixes, notes, bibliography, index.
Reviewed
by Bryan Hockensmith
LGB
& Associates, Inc.
U.S.
Army
Center
of Military History
______________________________________________________________
U.S.
Subs Down Under takes us into the lesser known world of
U.S.
submarines based in
Australia
during World War Two. Australian
historians, and authors, David Jones and Peter Nunan bring to light this
often forgotten and overshadowed aspect of the war in the Pacific.
By blending first-person accounts with a well researched and
flowing narrative they have managed to breathe life into a story that
may have otherwise been left by the wayside.
The
book begins with the outbreak of the war and details the sad state of
affairs for
U.S.
submarines. Obsolescent and
underpowered, but with dedicated crews, the S-Boats were the first
U.S.
subs to try and hold back the Japanese tide.
Fighting and retreating, these boats were pushed from their bases
in the Philippians back to
Perth
,
Darwin
, and eventually settled in the well suited
port
of
Brisbane
,
Australia
. This is where the bulk of
the story takes place, with occasional accounts out of Fremantle and
eventually from forward bases such as
Milne
Bay
and
Manus
Island
.
Brisbane
is also where we first meet the U.S.S. Griffin and her crew.
This tender played such a large role in
Brisbane
submarine operations, and becomes such an important “character” in
the story that at times its activities can overshadow those of the
submarines. Later we meet
other important tenders like Fulton and Euryale.
Throughout the first months of the conflict the
Griffin
helped to transform the new sub base, New Farm Warf, into a world class
dry dock, refit, and re-supply station.
It was during this time that the city of
Brisbane
itself was dealing with the growing pains of becoming a major wartime
military port. The influx of
service men into this sleepy southeastern Australian city provides some
of the funnier anecdotes and more touching romantic stories to come out
of this theater of the war.
As
the war progressed new boats start to arrive in
Brisbane
and the S-Boats were relegated to more of a training and special
operations role. With the
arrival of P class and Gato class boats, submarine operations out of
Brisbane
begin to have a telling effect on Japanese shipping.
However, many of these “main” operation, or patrols, take a
back seat to one of the more interesting stories of the war.
The relationship between the
Brisbane
boats and the various groups of coastwatchers is now legendary.
Some of the stories dug up by Jones and Nunan vary from harrowing
to down right hilarious. However
humorous the tales might be, one can not dispute the courage of the coastwatchers,
or the submarines that supplied them.
As
the war turned in favor of the Allies, the front moved further from
Brisbane
and so did the subs. With
the departure of the subs to more forward bases came the inevitable
decline of the New Farm Warf facility and its support structure.
Brisbane
had been an ideal base of operations throughout the war, and through the
hospitality of the Australian people, a home away from home for
servicemen.
The
Australian people are well represented in this book.
Jones and Nunan_ paint them as warm, friendly, and overly eager
to welcome foreign servicemen into their homes and their hearts.
Many families took in a lonely sailor and fed him a home cooked
meal on more than one occasion. Many
Americans found Australian sweethearts and wives and brought them back
to the
United States
after the war. Not only did
they do their share at home, the Australians that manned the dry dock
and refit facilities were renowned for their work ethic, commitment and
expertise.
In
the last sections of the book, the authors briefly cover the arrival of
the British and their XE boats. These miniature subs were used for
various special operations and used the
Brisbane
facilities until the end of the war.
By December of 1945 the last of the Royal Navy’s ships had left
and New Farm Warf returned to commerce.
Jones
and Nunan have done an outstanding job of storytelling with U.S. Subs Down Under. Not
only do they explain some of the more technical intricacies of submarine
warfare, but they humanize the corresponding stories that in turn give
the reader a real connection with the sub crews.
They do a fair job of relating everything from command structure,
and strategy to engineering and sub tactics.
U.S. Subs Down Under
is a must read for anyone interested in sub warfare or World War
Two naval history in general.
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