Escape from the Deep: A True Story of Courage and Survival During World War II

by Alex Kershaw

By October, 1944, the U.S. Navy submarine Tang was legendary-she had sunk more enemy ships, rescued more downed airmen, and pulled off more daring surface attacks than any other Allied submarine in the Pacific. And then, on her fifth patrol, tragedy struck-the Tang was hit by one of her own faulty torpedoes. The survivors of the explosion struggled to stay alive in their submerged “iron coffin” one hundred-eighty feet beneath the surface. While the Japanese dropped deadly depth charges, just nine of the original eighty-man crew survived a harrowing ascent through the escape hatch. But a far greater ordeal was coming. After being picked up by a Japanese patrol vessel, they were sent to a secret Japanese interrogation camp known as the “Torture Farm.” They were close to death when finally liberated in August, 1945, but they had revealed nothing to the Japanese-not even the greatest secret of World War II.

With the same heart-pounding narrative drive that made The Bedford Boys and The Longest Winter national bestsellers, Alex Kershaw brings to life this incredible story of survival and endurance.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, World War II, War, Military Fiction, Military History, Survival

308 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Alex Kershaw is the author of the widely acclaimed best sellers Against All Odds, The First Wave, The Bedford Boys, The Longest Winter, The Few, #TheLiberator, the basis for the Netflix drama, and Escape from the Deep, as well as biographies of Jack London, Raoul Wallenberg and Robert Capa. His latest book is Patton's Prayer, published May 2024.

Reviews

[JD · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alex Kershaw hits another one out of the park with this great book on the plight of the USS Tang survivors during World War 2. The book gives good and adequate background on the USS Tang and the men serving aboard her, but the main focus on the book is on the boats' last patrol, which although was very successful, ended in tragedy when the very last torpedo of her stock that was fired, sunk the Tang herself. Four men, including the captain Richard O'Kane, were thrown from the boat and survived the sinking. Yet more men were trapped inside the stricken submarine laying in 180 feet of water, of which only five managed to escape via the escape trunk and survive the ascent to the surface, making it the deepest escape of its sort ever. Kershaw really takes you into the sunken submarine to show the terrible hours these men endured in their plight for freedom, and how by the smallest of margins some men survived and others didn't.

After spending hours in enemy waters, they were picked up by Japanese forces and from there endured unimaginable torture and deprivation until liberated months later after the Japanese surrender. During this time they were listed as special prisoners and their families back home were not aware that they survived, and this is also brought into the book very nicely to include this part of the home front. It is a miracle that all nine of the survivors from the sinking also survived their captivity. Well written book and a great tribute to the brave men of the USS Tang. Highly recommended!!

[Veeral · Rating 5 out of 5]

My fascination with sea stories started when I read Walter Lord’s A Night to Remember in my early teenage years. All the descriptions of the ship’s weight, the gigantic plates, millions of rivets, and of course the eventual tragedy of the legendary ship left an indelible mark on my teenage mind.

Henceforth, I started reading anything and everything related to ships, which, in time, made me a fan of World War history too.

Then the World Wars introduced me to another spellbinding subject - subsurface warfare. Submarines.

Das Boot was the first movie I ever saw which was not made in English or Hindi. Needless to say, I have been a fan of submarines and U-boats ever since.

Whether it was the sinking of the Royal Oak in Scapa Flow or the brave but suicidal mission of the British midget submarines against the mighty Tirpitz, I simply couldn’t get enough.

The bravery of the men of the rickety submarine B-11, that successfully crossed the Ottoman navy infested waters of Dardenelles and sank the 9250 ton Mesûdiye in World War-I, also held me in total awe of the submariners.

My never-ending search for books on submarines brought me to Escape from the Deep: A Legendary Submarine and her Courageous Crew by Alex Kershaw, and I am glad to say that it’s another great addition to my ever-increasing hoard of material on sea warfare.

The book is written in the vein of what you could call popular history, and true to its title, it plunges right into action from the start.

The book follows Richard Hetherington O’Kane, one the most famous and successful submarine skippers of US Navy in World War-II, who while commanding USS Tang sank 33 enemy ships. In fact, he was so aggressive that some even doubted his sanity. But then again, even in peacetime, if you consider the risks involved while patrolling in a submarine, the boys who sign up to be submariners won’t exactly strike you as to be inspirers of sanity.

Despite O’Kane’s maverick attitude, the torpedo that eventually sank the “Tang” was not from any enemy vessel, but one of its own. The US Navy torpedoes of World War-II were seriously faulty; they often failed to detonate on impact. Sometimes they even made a circular run and hit their own submarines. “Tang” was probably hit by one of its own circuitous torpedoes. Ironically enough, this time, the torpedo didn’t fail to detonate.

The “Tang” sank to the bottom of the ocean where the depth was about 180 feet. With the help of Momsen Lung, thirteen men made for the surface, but eventually only five survived. O’Kane was able to escape from the bridge before the submarine sank, along with three others. The nine survivors were then captured as POWs by the Japanese and were transported to mainland Japan where they would spend rest of the war in a POW camp so horrible that it was nicknamed “Torture Farm”.

Thankfully, Alex Kershaw has spared us the grisly details of “Torture Farm”. He has mainly concentrated on describing the escape efforts of the survivors from the sunken submarine (As I said earlier, the book remains true to its title, “Escape from the Deep”).

I am really surprised that no one from Hollywood has already made a movie out of this book.

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Check out my nautical non-fiction and fiction shelves if you too are interested in nautical books.

['Aussie Rick' · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent account by Alex Kershaw of the U.S. Navy submarine USS Tang, and its crew on its final mission during WW2. The book was an easy, light read and offered an interesting account of this final mission and what happened to the crew. I felt that this book was not of the same standard as his other accounts but still an OK read of a legendary submarine and its captain, Commander Richard O'Kane. Having said that this is a story that deserves to be read by as many people as possible so we don't forgot those who gave their all.

[David Eppenstein · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do not know how to review this book. To say anything even remotely critical would feel like I was insulting the memories of men that suffered and sacrificed so much. The book is a very accurately detailed telling of the final mission of WWII's most decorated submarine, the USS Tang. I read "Unbroken" about a year or so ago and that book moved me greatly. That book was about the experience of one man while this book is really about an entire crew and ultimately the 9 survivors of that crew. In both books there is a horrific trial at sea followed by brutal treatment as POWs. This book is a much quicker read as it only deals with the war time experiences and is light on family history before and after the war. It is also sufficiently detailed in Japanese treatment of prisoners but is not unnecessarily graphic. It is sad to think that these sailors endured so much and yet their sacrifices are almost entirely unknown outside the Navy and the submarine service. This was a book well worth reading.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unfortunately, my knowledge of the submarine service was limited to watching "Das Boot" and "Run Silent, Run Deep". Alex Kershaw has expanded this considerably by his truly amazing story of incredible courage and tenacity of the captain and crew of the USS Tang, the most decorated submarine in US Navy history.

In mid 1944, the Tang's Captain O'Kane, an "ace" of the submarine service, volunteered to hunt the enemy solo in the Formosa straight off the coast of China, a "target rich" environment of Japanese freighter's, transports, etc. After successfully destroying multiple ships, the last torpedo fired made a U turn and sunk the Tang. Miraculously, 9 men escaped the submerged boat - 87 sailors perished. The nine survivors were picked up by the Japanese Navy and interned for the remainder of the war under cruel and intolerable conditions. Captain O'Kane later was awarded the Medal of Honor for his role as the commander of the Tang and supporting his fellow POW's in Japan.

Since the "Tang" was "lost at sea", it was thought all hands were dead. The Japanese did not report them as POW's and were considered war criminals and treated accordingly. The US had broken the Japanese naval code and knew there were 9 Tang survivors but could not notify their families for fear of publicizing their knowledge of the Japanese naval code. Sadly, all except three wives married other men believing they were widows.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you enjoyed the movie Das Boot or U-571, this book will be right up your alley.  It is an almost unbelievable WWII submarine survival story that happens to be 100% true.  It is about the USS Tang and her crew, who managed to sink 33 Japanese ships on five war patrols between August 1943 and October 1944. This story focuses on the events that occurred on its last mission in the Formosa straight deep in enemy territory.

[Emil · Rating 3 out of 5]

En kvinna som jobbade på Myrorna tipsade mig om den här boken. Hon berättade att den handlade om en ubåt i Stilla havet under andra världskriget som blir träffad av en torped och sjunker till botten. Nere på botten ställs besättningen inför ett val. Antingen försöker man ta sig upp till ytan -- båten låg på 55 meters djup, så en uppstigning var inte omöjlig -- men då kommer japanerna med största sannolikhet att fånga en. Eller så stannar man kvar där nere. Kvinnan på myrorna sa att hon hade stannat, för "då skulle man i alla fall somna in lugnt".

Hur hon sålde in boken: 5/5. (Hon tipsade också om en bok om Kamikazepiloter men där gick fanimej gränsen).
Boken får 3/5. Den började riktigt dåligt, typisk faktaöverflöd p g a för sentimentalt förhållande mellan författare och hans research. För mycket ubåtsterminologi också. Men sen, när båtjäveln sjönk. Då blev det rätt spännande faktiskt.

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 4 out of 5]

The USS Tang was one of the most successful American submarines in the Pacific during World War II. One her fifth war patrol the final torpedo in her load malfunctioned, reversing course, and shin king her. Only a few of her crew were picked up and spent the war in a Japanese POW camp. The is the story of that voyage and the resulting internment.

[Bon Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Action drama, epic story, perspective from the lifetime well lived, and it all really happened. If it was movie scenario, you would discard it as impossible and something that happens only in the mind of scenarist. If I'm still not clear at this point, this book is excellent.

[Scott Cedotal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story and well written. Worth the read.

[Dax · Rating 3 out of 5]

The sinking of the Tang and the escape of a handful of its sailors is an incredible story, but I was unimpressed with Kershaw's writing this time around. He's guilty of making declarative statements about characters. Rather than showing their attributes within the narrative, Kershaw just tells us what their attributes are. Overall its pretty good, but 'Escape from the Deep' is best suited for hardcore WWII history buffs. Low three stars. If you are interested in reading a Kershaw book, I would recommend starting with 'The Liberator'. It's been a while, but I remember being much more impressed with that one.

[Michael Flanagan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book a great and easy read. The author took me right into the action and the drama which was the USS Tangs last patrol. As a WWII submarine enthusiast I found this book ticked all the boxes.

[T.R. Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alex Kershaw’s Escape from the Deep is a compelling story of survival, courage and honor of the nine men who survived the sinking of one the most decorated American submarines of WWII the USS Tang. From those who escaped from a depth of 180 feet below the waves only to find themselves battling against the frigid waters of the Formosa Straights, to the brutal treatment they endured at the hands of their Japanese captors who beat and starved them for over a year at the Ofuna POW camp known as "The Torture Farm".
Nine men survived of a crew of eighty seven honoring their country, the US Navy, themselves thru their conduct as sailors and POW's. Never did they violate the rules of conduct despite the torture they endured. They are a credit to their country, the Navy, and their generation. This is a story that should never be forgotten.
May God bless them all with peace now that they have joined their shipmates on Eternal Patrol.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to this book, my longstanding vague interest in submarines has developed into a fascination with the exploits of the Silent Service in WWII. This survival story is riveting and intense, and will give you a great deal of respect for the indomitable courage displayed by these submarine warriors. Kershaw's style is extremely engaging, and I will definitely be reading more of his work in the future.

[Betty · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book did not disappoint! It was a suspenseful story about a submarine that sunk, and about the crew, and their horrible ordeal during the sinking and afterwards, when they were prisoners of the Japanese. It was a claustrophobic persons nightmare! Actually, it was anybody's nightmare! These legendary men and their legendary submarine, the 'Tang', should never be forgotten!
I enjoyed it and learned a lot. I am glad I read it and recommend it to anyone that likes history.

[Parker Lawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was initially hesitant to read this book. I am personally a sci-fi reader. I'd read historical non-fiction stories in the past, and they've bored my to the point that I'd abandon the book. Not this book though. Escape From The Deep was fascinating. A true story of a submarine crew and their ship the "Tang." The sad but true story kept me interested in this book throughout the entire book. This is one of my all-time favorites, and something I'd recommend to anyone.

[Marc · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book makes an excellent companion to Clear the Bridge! by Admiral Richard O'Kane. CTB has very little information about what happended to the Tang after it sank (might have been too painful for Admiral O'Kane to write about), so it was nice to get some closure about what transpired later.

[Bob Stenberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought it was a great read about the submariners who do not have many books written about them.

[Matt Brandt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book and an amazing story. I couldn’t put it down. I love WW2 and this is the first book I’ve read on submarines. A totally unique aspect of the war. I have the utmost respect for submariners.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are interested in non-fiction war stories, then “Escape from the Deep: The Epic Story of the Legendary Submarine and her Courageous Crew” should be added to your list. It is the story of the USS Tang submarine and her crew. The author, Alex Kershaw, focuses on facts and does not try to sugar coat any of the material. Some parts were tough to get through, but that was simply because the events that happened to these poor souls was more than rough.
Overall, I would recommend this book. The story is riveting, and you will come away with a deeper respect for the people who put their lives on the line to protect our freedoms.

[Dee Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have decided to put aside this book after finishing the first two sections, which were so interesting, because I'm not in a strong enough mental state to deal with the horrible years the survivors of the the submarine US Tang spent in a Japanese POW camp.

Alex Kershaw's writing brings history to life. This is the 8th book by this author that I've read, and I know I'll be back to finish this one in the future.

[Scott Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

ESCAPE FROM THE DEEP touched my heart. The crew of the USS Tang, a US submarine, conduct a series of successful patrols only to find themselves victims of their own arsenal. What follows is the harrowing story of their escape from a sunk sub, a long wait in the water, and then long-term imprisonment and torture at the hands of the Japanese until their eventual rescue.

I liked this account. Very straightforward, not embellished at all by unrelated information. Razor focused on what happened to these men, it makes for a compelling drama that also just happens to be real. You get a sense while reading of the culture of a US submarine during WW II, and the tactics of the Silent Service, as they called the sub units. But you also learn of the real human cost of war at sea.

A few of the most poignant moments for me were how the memory loved ones kept one of the survivors from losing all hope. How difficult it was to survive a sinking like the one they endured - in that day it was mostly assumed that all hands would just be lost in these incidents. And finally, the stark and brutal accounts of the Japanese prisoner of war system.

The final moments for the surviving men in the forward torpedo room and their decisions of life and death will make your heart weep. And of doctor Larson who tried to minister to as many as he could in the midst of all that chaos and suffering. Some men, those who couldn't swim or who just couldn't fathom trying to leave the sub out of fear, simply lay and waited for death. Others tried to get out and failed. The whole time, conditions in the sub were making it difficult to think, and there were fires and poisonous fumes abounding. Its a miracle any made it out at all.

These men were true heroes, in all they endured, and I salute them. Thanks for reading.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am always incredibly awed at people's capacity to endure, what seems to be, unendurable suffering and come out willing to take on life again. This story, like all of Kershaw's I have read, leads you right in and never lets go until it is finished. There is anxiety, cheering, crying, and ultimately profound gratitude on the reader's part for these men who took their oaths so seriously, choosing to suffer and then live again with dignity. I highly recommend this book

[Neil · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is well executed WWII adventure nonfiction. It's the story of the USS Tang, a submarine in the Pacific theater that was one of the most successful American ships of the war. Eventually the ship was sunk (I won't spoil with telling you how, but it was cruelly ironic). Some of the submariners escaped and then had to survive some tough Japanese prison camps until the end of the war.

It's a remarkable story and Kershaw tells it well. The first two-thirds of the book, which cover the Tang's patrols, her sinking, and especially the harrowing escape of the men, is first class. The book loses a little bit of steam at the end. The story of captivity in Japanese prison camps was more familiar to me and has been told better in other books (try Ghost Soldiers by Hampton Sides for instance). It's not bad, just not as vivid as the rest.

I listened to this on audiobook and it works very well in that format. The narrator did a good job of capturing the story's suspense.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great story, well told, something every American should know something about and be proud of. I learned a lot about some terrifically courageous members of our armed forces in WWII who should continue to be honored and remembered. Three stars means I liked it, which I did. A higher rating would have meant that I felt more than I actually ended up feeling about this book (which I "read" as an audiobook on CDs). When you stop to think about what these guys did, it's just unbelievable, but somehow the overwhelming sense of awe, wonder, etc. just doesn't come through. I was not emotionally moved as I am sure I would have been had I met any one of these guys. The facts are there, but there's just not that much emotion behind the telling in this case, and that's what makes a 4-5 star book for me.

[Cameron · Rating 5 out of 5]

If there is any doubt as to who is the preeminent World War II author of our time, one needs to read no further than Alex Kershaw's thrilling account of the perilous journey of the nine sailors who survived both the bizarre circumstances of their submarine sinking as well as the horrors of a Japanese POW camp. This is the third Kershaw book I have read in about the past year or so and I continue to be impressed with the pitch-perfect way that he encapsulates the human story of the war. Through extensive research about the individuals involved, the author is able to turn the account into a thrilling tale that is as inspiring as it is tragic.

[Martina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Första läsningen (2022): Tänk att jag har hittat en av mina nya favoritböcker på Myrorna för 9kr?

Andra läsningen (2025): alltså wow, wow, wow, vilken bok ✨ Jag var rädd att jag inte skulle tycka om den lika mycket som första gången jag läste den, men här sitter vi tre år senare och inget har förändrats.

Trots att jag visste vad som skulle hända så var den precis lika hjärtekrossande. Sättet den är upplagd, alla perspektiv man får följa och skrivstilen gör den oförglömlig. Ingen tvekan på att den här boken behåller sina fem stjärnor ⭐️

[Russ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing story; well told.

[Zachary Mezz · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thrilling and moving tale of the Tang and its crew during the waning days of World War II.

[Kevin Firth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kept me on the edge of my seat, very brave men that made a difference