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Torpedo Run: The Story of WWII Submarine Hero Eugene B. Fluckey
The remarkable true story of Eugene Fluckey, the US Navy’s most innovative—and aggressive—submarine commander of World War II
Over the course of five combat patrols during the Pacific War, Commander Fluckey reinvented submarine warfare, pioneering audacious strategies to hunt and sink Japanese warships and merchant vessels. At the helm of the USS Barb , he directed his boat to attack warship convoys—never mind the lop-sided odds—and to slip into heavily defended enemy harbors to launch torpedoes at unsuspecting targets. “Lucky” Fluckey’s submariners often attacked from the surface, brazenly sinking the enemy with the Barb ’s deck guns. Once, he even sent sailors ashore on one Japanese island on a perilous mission to blow up a Japanese train. Fluckey and his crew sent an astounding seventeen enemy ships, including an aircraft carrier, to the bottom of the sea.
In Torpedo Run , acclaimed naval historian Don Keith dives into the most thrilling and dangerous tales of Fluckey’s war, as he guides his gallant crew against the Japanese fleet. For his heroism and intrepidity, Fluckey earned four Navy Crosses and the Medal of Honor, and showed what a submarine—and he—was capable of.
Over the course of five combat patrols during the Pacific War, Commander Fluckey reinvented submarine warfare, pioneering audacious strategies to hunt and sink Japanese warships and merchant vessels. At the helm of the USS Barb , he directed his boat to attack warship convoys—never mind the lop-sided odds—and to slip into heavily defended enemy harbors to launch torpedoes at unsuspecting targets. “Lucky” Fluckey’s submariners often attacked from the surface, brazenly sinking the enemy with the Barb ’s deck guns. Once, he even sent sailors ashore on one Japanese island on a perilous mission to blow up a Japanese train. Fluckey and his crew sent an astounding seventeen enemy ships, including an aircraft carrier, to the bottom of the sea.
In Torpedo Run , acclaimed naval historian Don Keith dives into the most thrilling and dangerous tales of Fluckey’s war, as he guides his gallant crew against the Japanese fleet. For his heroism and intrepidity, Fluckey earned four Navy Crosses and the Medal of Honor, and showed what a submarine—and he—was capable of.
284 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2022
25 people are currently reading
39 people want to read
About the author
Don Keith
70 books54 followersAward-winning and best-selling author of more than 40 published works, Don Keith was born in 1947 and has lived in the South all his life. He attended the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa where he received his degree in broadcast and film communication with a minor in English and literature. While working as a broadcast journalist, he won awards from the Associated Press and United Press International for news writing and reporting. He was also the first winner of Troy State University's Hector Award for innovation in broadcast journalism. As an on-the-air broadcaster, Don won the Billboard Magazine "Radio Personality of the Year" in two formats, country and contemporary. Keith was a broadcast personality for over twenty years in Birmingham and Nashville, and also owned his own consultancy, co-owned a Mobile, Alabama, radio station (WZEW-FM), and hosted and produced several nationally syndicated radio shows.
His first novel, THE FOREVER SEASON, was published by St. Martin's Press in the fall of 1995 to commercial and critical success. It called heavily on Keith's own athletic and academic experiences. Reviewers praised its unique approach and powerful story. The novel won the Alabama Library Association's "Fiction of the Year" award in 1997, joining works likewise honored from Harper Lee and others, and was re-issued in the fall of 2002 by the University of Alabama Press as part of its prestigious Deep South Books series.
He has written both fiction and non-fiction, including several books on WWII history, biographies, and military thrillers. His co-written thriller, HUNTER KILLER, was the basis for the hit movie starring Gerard Butler and Gary Oldman.
His first novel, THE FOREVER SEASON, was published by St. Martin's Press in the fall of 1995 to commercial and critical success. It called heavily on Keith's own athletic and academic experiences. Reviewers praised its unique approach and powerful story. The novel won the Alabama Library Association's "Fiction of the Year" award in 1997, joining works likewise honored from Harper Lee and others, and was re-issued in the fall of 2002 by the University of Alabama Press as part of its prestigious Deep South Books series.
He has written both fiction and non-fiction, including several books on WWII history, biographies, and military thrillers. His co-written thriller, HUNTER KILLER, was the basis for the hit movie starring Gerard Butler and Gary Oldman.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 10, 2022
This was a great book. I learned alot about submarines I didn't know. I also learned about more of the danger during WWII. However the only downfall about the book was the author would use different names such as Eugene to Gene then Fluckey instead of keeping to one name. it would have been better to just use one name unless someone was speaking of that person by a different name. Other than that I would telling everyone to read this book.
May 19, 2024
Great read. Enjoyed it. New author for me. Fluckey exhibited great leadership during WWII as a submarine commander. Author gave credit, as did Fluckey, to the crew of USS Barb, SS220. Book was well researched and interpreted. I'll look for more Don Keith books.
December 18, 2024
Excellent, might be the best WW2 submarine narrative. Also enjoyed Richard O’Kane’s books clear the bridge and wahoo, but this is one of very best. Fluckey wrote his own story as well, thunder below. Excellent.
September 1, 2022
It is a very good read.
August 26, 2025
Amazing story that I did not know. Well written and exciting
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews