“The Last Cruise” - By Commander William J. Lederer, USN. As the cold war between Russia and the America began, the U.S. Navy sent USS Cochino (SS-345) on one of the first spy missions. However due to censorship at the time of publishing this book fails to mention the true patrol orders. Commissioned in August 1945 the World War II Balao Class submarine ran into trouble in the stormy Atlantic in 1949. Four-hundred miles north of the Artic Circle, for 14 hours Commander Rafael Benitez and 78 brave men battled to save their boat. On August 25, 1949 Cochino sank beneath the frigid waters. Operating close by, sister sub USS Tusk (SS-426) rescued most of Cochino’s crew and sadly lost some of their own. A true but tragic story. Rare and very hard to find, never published in paperback. 1950 first edition Hardback with dust jacket. A 56 year old book. Dust jacket is a little ragged (front and back) as noted in the above "front" cover photo––now wrapped in new protective plastic. 110 pages, one diagram but no photos or maps. A complete Cochino crew roster but no index. Large Cochino-class submarine photo appears on the back of dust jacket.
Good Cond. ---- $59.95
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| The LAST CRUISE |
