USS Bullhead SS-332 / Overdue and Presumed Lost / Martin Sheridan / SubmarineBooks.com / R.A. Cline Publishing

by Martin Sheridan

Introduction by Vice Admiral Charles A. Lockwood, Jr., USN

New Softbound edition

176 pages, 23 B/W photographs, 1 illustration

New $17.95

The USS Bullhead (SS-332) was the last American naval vessel lost in World War II, and she was a submarine. This is the history of Bullhead from her launching in July 1944 to her tragic disappearance on August 6, 1945. Told by Martin Sheridan, a former U.S. war correspondent. Trained as a feature writer Sheridan was the only correspondent allowed on a war patrol in an American submarine during World War II. The narrative is based on a journal the author kept during Bullhead's first war patrol in March and April 1945, then supplemental information from official U.S. Navy reports. Supported by a unique collection of period photographs, Sheridan describes the perilous undersea war in the Pacific as only a firsthand account can. The author shares his own experiences as well as the humorous and poignant incidents of everyday life aboard the submarine. The author knew the crew of Bullhead personally and tells of near misses with enemy mines, fast dives to avoid enemy aircraft and a daring sortie to rescue three badly injured survivors of a downed B-29 American bomber. Bullhead was lost with all-hands on her third war patrol, 84 men perished with the submarine.

Originally published in 1947 "Overdue and Presumed Lost" returned to print in 2004. This new softbound has 176 pages, 23 historic B/W photographs and an impressive unique fleet boat illustration. The book has a full-color cover and a complete USS Bullhead crew roster, but no index or maps. Order yours today!

Just $17.95

BOOK REVIEWS

"I had the honor to command the USS Bullhead during her first two war patrols and was transferred too the Operations Staff of the Commander, Submarine Force, Pacific Fleet, only a month before the submarine and my shipmates were lost. However I am certain the men of the Bullhead met their death courageously in the highest traditions of the United States Navy. This book will impress everyone interested in submarines, especially the next of kin of the men aboard the SS-332, for it presents in great detail the war accomplishments of the Bullhead." Commander Walter T. Griffith, USN.

"He [Martin Sheridan] has written a most interesting account, true to life, and has very quickly absorbed the 'esprit de corps' and the fine tradition of the submarine just as he has accurately divined the quiet, intent, purposeful spirit that dwells within her people. The submarine was a deadly engine of war to her crew; every day on patrol the war at their doorstep—and the game wasn't being played for marbles. Such is the spirit Sheridan paints with words into his picture of submarine men. His work is thorough and so well done as to interest even veteran submarine sailors. We wonder how he found out so much so quickly. That secret, no doubt, lies in his powers of observation and in his ready understanding of men. I wish 'Overdue Presumed Lost' great success and I hope its author will often take up his pen to give the American public glimpses into the lives of the splendid men and ships which I have had the honor to command. Submarines will find a berth for him any time." Vice Admiral Charles A. Lockwood, USN (Ret.) Author of Sink 'Em All.

"Overdue and Presumed Lost' is a moving account of the patrols of the USS Bullhead. The author who was aboard the submarine's first patrol captures the drama as well as humor of life on a submarine on active patrol. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about the 'Silent Service' of our Armed Forces. The author's style of writing makes this a quick read yet also a moving account." Cahazlitt

The Author

Born in 1915, Martin Sheridan was at the famous Cocoanut Grove club in Boston, MA., on November 28, 1942. Just 27 years old at the time, Sheridan was promoting cowboy movie star Buck Jones when around 10 PM a fire broke out. Within 15 minutes the crowed nightclub was totally engulfed in flames. The Cocoanut Grove fire killed 492 people, including Buck Jones and Sheridan's wife, Constance Misslin. Sheridan was originally included in the death toll until he was found recuperating at Massachusetts General Hospital. When the severe burns he sustained in the fire prevented him from enlisting in the Coast Guard for World War II duty, Sheridan became a war correspondent for the Boston Globe. His overseas reports included the aerial coverage of a deadly B-29 bombing raid on Tokyo, Japan. In the spring of 1945, Sheridan was allowed to join the submarine USS Bullhead (SS-332) on her first Pacific war patrol. He was the only American journalist to undertake such an assignment in World War II. Following his departure of Bullhead the submarine was lost with all hands in August of 1945. In 1947 he wrote the book "Overdue Presumed Lost." The book covered the brief yet tragic history of the submarine USS Bullhead.

Sheridan was a successful freelance writer and during his colorful career interviewed numerous historical figures such as; President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Ernest Hemingway, Bob Hope, George Gershwin and Jacqueline Kennedy. The former First Lady spoke to Sheridan just two days before her husband President John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963. In 1973, Sheridan published "Comics and Their Creators: Life Stories of American Cartoonists." He also spent 20 years working in public relations for the Admiral Corporation and the New England Council. Martin Sheridan died of kidney failure on New Years Eve, December 31, 2003, he was 89 years old.