Arthur Johnson Memorial Library

Sasgen, Peter T.

Red scorpion : the war patrols of the USS Rasher / Peter T. Sasgen. - Annapolis, Md. : Naval Institute Press, c1995. - xviii, 366 p. : ill., maps ; 24 cm.

Originally self-published by the author, 1993.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 353-355) and index.

The USS Rasher had an extraordinary record in World War II: she sank 18 enemy ships and destroyed 99,901 tons--the second highest tonnage of the war. Her fifth war patrol is the stuff of legends. In August 1944 during a single night surface attack on a Japanese convoy off the Philippines, she sank the escort carrier Taiyo and three marus, and later during that same patrol she sank another ship. Reading more like a novel than an operational history, this book covers all aspects of the Rasher's combat history in a way that both the general reader and veteran submariner will appreciate.

Author Peter Sasgen is the son of a Rasher crew member, and from his father's perspective he follows the sub from the builder's way through eight action-packed patrols to war's end. His richly detailed descriptions of submarine operations include lively commentary by former shipmates and excerpts from patrol reports along with a close examination of patrol procedures, communications, life guarding, and other topics rarely covered in such detail. Sasgen also explores the essence of submarine combat--aggressive leadership--and its role in the Rasher's success.

1557507600 (acid-free paper)

94048541


Rasher (Submarine)

D783.5.R37 / S27 1995

940.54510973 Sas 15