Heroes Beneath the Waves: True Submarine Stories of the Twentieth Century

by Mary Nida Smith

The unbelievable stories of the heroic men who sailed under the sea.

In Heroes Beneath the Waves , many brave men who rode submarines to great depths and across the oceans into unknown territory share their experiences, fears, and thoughts. They allow us to travel back in time through their memories. Trained for years to keep silent—for “loose lips sink ships”—many still believe what they know to be classified and refuse to disclose even the minutest of recollections. Others, however, want to leave a legacy of reminiscences for people to learn and live by—to know that freedom is not free.

Some stories will never be told. Held within the secret confines of their souls, these deep sea veterans block them out for self-perseverance. Yet, there are others who will never escape their own minds; they relive their underwater experiences over and over with eyes open or shut.

Heroes Beneath the Waves is about teenage boys who left farms, small towns, and inner cities to defend the United States and democracy worldwide. Signing up for United States Navy submarine duty was an adventure of a lifetime during the early 1940s. Dreams of torpedoing Japanese and German ships and subs consumed their thoughts. Those who returned home as young men were older and wiser. Heroes Beneath the Waves was written to honor these men—gallant heroes—who served and are serving today on submarines.

Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in history--books about World War II, the Third Reich, Hitler and his henchmen, the JFK assassination, conspiracies, the American Civil War, the American Revolution, gladiators, Vikings, ancient Rome, medieval times, the old West, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

Genres: Nonfiction

224 pages, Paperback

First published November 3, 2015

Reviews

[Jeanie Loiacono · Rating 5 out of 5]

You have seen the movies and know what submarines are, that the service men and women are below the surface of the seas for months on end, but you don’t understand what they go through until you read Heroes Beneath the Waves. I am in awe of all those who have served and still do. Thank you for serving and thank you Mary Nida Smith for telling their stories before it was too late.
— CJ Loiacono

[Ryan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book is a series of short stories collected by the author from interviews and also other publications. While the stories themselves are interesting they lack some depth and detail that I think would make them more memorable.

[Kim · Rating 1 out of 5]

A collection of essays, poorly assembled. Would not recommend. The best part was reading the "toilet paper memo" from the USS Skipjack during quarantine. Do yourself a favor and look it up online :-)

[Mary Nida · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book written for adults and students to discover what the men who served on submarines endured to stay alive, and why many are still buried beneath the sea. Many were young men who had never traveled before and never dreamed of the dangers they would be facing.

[Christine Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful tribute to those that served hundreds of feet below the ocean to keep us safe. The collection of stories included one from my grandfather but I enjoyed reading the stories from others just as much.