Eight Survived: The Harrowing Story Of The Uss Flier And The Only Downed World War Ii Submariners To Survive And Evade Capture

by Douglas A. Campbell

The incredible wartime saga of the only American submariners
to survive the sinking of their ship and evade enemy capture in WWII

 

On the night of August 13, 1944, the U.S. submarine Flier struck a mine in the Sulu Sea in the southern Philippines as it steamed along the surface. All but fifteen of the more than eighty-strong crew went down with the vessel. Of those left floating in the dark, eight survived by swimming for seventeen hours before washing ashore on an uninhabited island. The story of the Flier and its eight survivors is wholly unique in the annals of U.S. military history.

 

Eight Survived tells the gripping story of the doomed submarine and its crew from its first patrol, during which it sank several enemy ships, to the explosion in the Sulu Sea. Drawing on interviews with the survivors and on a visit to the jungle where they washed ashore—where a cast of fascinating characters helped the U.S. sailors evade the Japanese—Douglas Campbell fully captures the combination of extraordinary courage and luck that marked one of the most heroic episodes of World War II.

 

 

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

304 pages, Hardcover

First published October 5, 2010

Reviews

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the story of the fate of this US submarine and its crew is interesting and needed telling, there's something in HOW it's told in this book that felt flat. I'm struggling to identify what it was. Maybe I'm just used to more detailed and technical historical accounts, while this one is perhaps aimed at a broader audience? Maybe it was because the author couldn't quite decide where to focus? I'm curious to see what others felt.


Spoiler alert:

I do know that it felt a bit like a bait and switch to dedicate such a large part of the book in detailing the life of one of the sailors who perished on the submarine, while the focus of the book--as the title states--was supposed to be about the survivors. I kept waiting to read that he somehow escaped on his own and hooked up with them later, but sadly this did not happen. Perhaps I wouldn't have felt this way if the author had made more effort to detail the lives of the rest of the crew that went down with the USS Flier as well, to balance things out.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have only read a handful of WWII books and am not familiar with naval history, so I can't comment about the historical accuracy of the book or how it compares to other naval histories. But overall I found this book to be worthwhile.

A significant portion of the book is dedicated to background information on several crewman and seemingly random people who are in the Philippines (civilians and military, most with American ties). Most of these people end up interacting with the survivors after the sinking. I thought the inclusion of this material did its purpose - to put a human face on the people who are living (or dying) through this ordeal.

I was rather surprised when I learned that the time from the submarine sinking to the survivors being rescued is best measured in days or weeks, not months. Most of the book builds up to the sinking, so don't expect 200 pages of a survival story or the intensity of Laura Hillenbrand's Unbroken. Even so, this was a quick, interesting read.

[Larisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-researched and very informative.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very interesting read. A true account of 8 men who survived sinking of their sub and evaded capture by the Japanese. Lot's of WWII history. These were the only guys in the war to survive a sinking that did not end up in enemy hands. They survived with the help of natives on small islands near the Phillipines . Eventually, they were able to get a message out and were rescued by another submarine.

[Margaret McLane]

My uncle, Vernon Clair McLane, was one of the 78 men who went down with the submarine, THE FLIER. He knew his new wife was pregnant but he never lived to see his son.

[Rebecca Cooper · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read a lot of WWII books, both fiction and non fiction, so I was interested to read this story of survival. It truly is an amazing tale of grit and sheer determination to survive, as well as some incredible luck.

I struggled with the beginning of the book that was hard to follow and was clearly constructed from personal correspondence and military records to try to create the backstory for various individuals. It just jumped around too much for me, and could have been much shorter in order to keep the focus of the book on the events that took place onboard the USS Flier and after it was downed.

[Jeff Olson · Rating 5 out of 5]

From Welcome Aboard to Abandon Ship!!! this book takes you to life on a sub, sailing on the surface when it is safe to riding out a storm under water, eating better food, stale air and the smell of diesel fuel, to sleeping on cots four or six high. Find out what can make a ship jinxed even with lousy torpedoes and sailing unknown waters. Find out the fateful who made it off the sub to the ones who could swim no longer and the ones who made it to land, then island hoped to the safety of American military.

[Larry Weldon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unexpected survival

One minute you're on the boat and the next you're in the water fighting for your life and your ship is gone. Campbell masterfully weaves the life stories of the survivors and many who died into first an entertaining novel-like book then into a gripping true survival tale. The book makes a memorial in your heart for the men who didn't get out and are still on patrol. In those days many more people knew Jesus Christ than now so I expect to speak with some of them about what it was like.

[Garth Mailman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eight Survived: The Harrowing Story of the USS Flier and the Only Downed World War II Submariners to Survive and Evade Capture 
Dougla A.Campbell (Author), Chris Monteiro (Narrator)

The first half documents an ominous list of subs that disappeared without a trace. The Flier was better at sinking than flying and went down with all but 15 hands. What follows is the harrowing tale of the 8 who survived.

The story is rather exhaustive in nature supplying details not of interest to the casual reader.

Mind you it was failure to report detailed records that led to the sub's sinking.

[patricia tiffany · Rating 3 out of 5]

interesting

An interesting story, though not well written. I am not sure why the author included so many of the letters written by family. I found the first half of the book rather jumbled and hard to follow. But I am thankful the author wrote this important history so our heroes are never forgotten.

[Bruce Winters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every former bubblehead will enjoy this read.

I served as a sonarman on nuclear fast-attack submarine Skipjack and couldn’t put the book down. The old diesel boats spent more time operating on the surface than do modern subs, which was a good thing for these survivors. Great story.

[Bob Grove · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eight Survived: The Harrowing Story of the USS Flier and the Only Downed World War II Submariners to Survive and Evade Capture 
Douglas A.Campbell (Author), Chris Monteiro (Narrator)

This is a good read if you are interested in WW II, submarines, or adventure stories. It follows the adventures of the USS Flier and its crew. It would make a great beach read.

[Maryann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting telling of the only men who managed to survive the sinking of a US submarine in World War II. The author details the lives of the men and the lucky chances that had them thrown off the boat and able to swim to an island. He also details how they avoided capture and got back into the Navy. A very surprising story.

[Adam Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

This could easily be made into a movie today. Great read for people that want to learn about the will to survive. On a side note the main character and last survivor from Michigan is worth looking up his obituary.

[Gregg · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is too much background at the front end. The actual race for survival is underwhelming. The climax is non-existent. I can only justify 3 stars. This could have been done better and in fewer pages.

[David Engel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this a wonderful recounting of the only downed WWII submarine surviving crew members who were not captured by the Japanese. At times, for my taste, it got a bit wordy with side stories not essential to the focus of the submariners.

[Zach Burke · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book taught me that if I’m in ever in water that may be populated by crocodiles the best thing to do is bark like a dog. This leads them to come to the top of the water and you can see them before they eat you. Good life advice.

[Robert Zabroski · Rating 5 out of 5]

What the survivors of the sub endured in World War II in the Philippines 15 survive thinking of the sub my mind and only 8 survive

[Seth Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting.

[Sol Melyna Gage · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well organized tale outlining all of the cruical points of info leading up to and the subsequent harrowing tale of the surviors story to the USS Flier.

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, but disjointed. Enjoyed the more personal stories of the effects of the war on families on the home front. The maps are poor.

[Dr. · Rating 2 out of 5]

All the details I did not want or need.

[Les Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is great but wow do they go off on side paths and only until the end do they link it all together. There probably didn't need to be so much detail about the secondary stories.

[janet wakefield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good.

[Jack H. Lauer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This event was well researched and written to capture how the lives of the crew members, their families, friends and alleys were affected by the war in the pacific. I especially enjoyed the personal details of the men that the author shared.

[Larry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story of bravery and the will to survive!

[Peter Minichino · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and sad story. Many lives lost and some epic stories. I would recommend this book.