With the permission of his parents,
17 year old Ron
Smith enlisted in the U. S. Navy in 1942. Six months
later, he was at the Mare Island (CA.) shipyard preparing for his first war
patrol aboard the freshly overhauled submarine USS
Seal (SS-183). Following his personal experiences through several
patrols aboard the sub, Smith describes in his own blunt
writing style, life in the "Silent Service" during World War
ll. "The book captures the camaraderie of the sub's crew and the
way more experienced submariners looked out for the new sailors and showed
them the ropes." From his position in the Aft Torpedo room, the author gives the
reader his perspective of an enlisted man's experiences—from the hard
hitting war patrols enduring countless depth charging by punishing Japanese
destroyer's, to the elation and excitement
of wild liberty parties. Smith also reports the mundane, day-to-day routine such
as monotonous watches at sea, and even what he had for breakfast. It's all here in this great
one-of-a-kind book.
New softbound book
with 195 pages, 1
B/W photo, 2 diagrams, but no index or maps.
by Ron
Smith
Foreword by Captain Zeb Alford, USN (Ret.)
New 1993 third edition Softbound
195 pages, 1 B/W photograph, 2 diagrams.
The Author
Born in 1925, Ron Smith joined the U.S. Navy in
1942, at the age of 17. Smith saw his World War II action from the Aft
torpedo room of the submarine USS
Seal. Married at the age of 19, when he left the Navy, Smith was
a Qualified Submariner and earned the Submarine Combat Insignia, Purple Heart,
and Meritorious Mast. His book, Torpedoman was first published in
1993, followed a few years later by a second edition. Ron now lives in Austin,
Texas.
BOOK
REVIEWS
-
"Torpedoman provides insights, which could only be seen through the
eyes of an enlisted man. It tells the story of those not in command, but
of those subject to the commanding officer’s orders, both good and bad. Torpedoman
is an autobiographical sketch of a rural Indiana teenager who answers his
country’s call to arms after the attack on Pearl Harbor. The book takes
us from Ron Smith’s pre-Navy days, to near the end of the war, when as a
battle hardened submariner he became despondent over his limited chances
for survival under the sea. Smith's blunt writing makes Torpedoman a
war story akin to 'Saving Private Ryan' than to a patriotic John Wayne
classic. He portrays the real but unsavory aspects of war that most
of us would like to ignore. He tells of incompetent officers who
demonstrate poor leadership and of Sailors whose
fear and hopelessness led them to a near mutiny. Other realities of
wartime life such as coarse language and the crew’s 'live for the day'
liberty antics run throughout the book and might offend more prudish
readers, even though they admittedly brought a frequent smile to my face. More than
anything however, Torpedoman brings the reader down to the deckplates—to the After Torpedo Room of a WWII Fleet Boat in battle, and into the
heart and mind of a young sailor trying to squeeze a lifetime into every
moment. At this, Smith succeeds. His vivid recollection and detailed
description of a 300 plus depth charge attack from a group of Japanese
destroyers left this reader glued to every page, and finally stunned me
with a totally unexpected conclusion. ...Smith achieved an
author’s often-illusive goal in that he was able to touch my emotions.
The shameful account of a near mutiny made me feel uneasy and bothered,
just like many of those who hatched the foolish, and thankfully
unfulfilled plan. When he fell in love and got married at the age of 19,
it was easy to feel a young man’s yearning for joy and satisfaction
before returning to battle to face an uncertain future. While
Smith’s honesty and motivation in writing Torpedoman are never in doubt,
the book has it's rough spots. Despite it's claim to be a 'novel,'
Torpedoman is in fact, a true story. More significantly, the story
ends rather abruptly, leaving many unanswered questions... Regardless of it's shortcomings, I recommend
Torpedoman to readers
interested in an unvarnished glimpse into the life of a young WWII
submariner. It is a short book that can be easily read in one
sitting. I especially recommend Torpedoman to today’s junior
officers, since it would expose them to some interesting leadership
challenges, and teach them a few things about motivating a cadre of
intelligent and technically capable Sailors. WWII Submarine aficionados
will also appreciate this story as an opportunity to view submarine
history from a different perspective—that of the bulk of the men who
made it. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Torpedoman. It captured my
imagination, tugged at my emotions and made me even more thankful for the
service of men like Ron Smith." Lieutenant
Commander Kevin G. Mooney, USN / Executive Officer, USS Georgia
(SSBN-729)
"This book is written by
one of the few enlisted submarine authors from World War II. Ron ‘Warshot'
Smith has 'been there and done that.' This is Ron Smith's World War II
story. ...the story of Ron's life and of his shipmates in Seal, as well as their equally hazardous liberty parties
ashore.... This book vividly describes what a 300-plus depth charge attack is
like from the After Torpedo Room of a fleet boat in World War II. He was
connected with all of the compartments through the sound-powered telephone
system. ...reported to the Captain in the Control Room. When the
last depth charge was dropped on Seal the count was 367. When the
day was done Seal was in a shambles. The Captain ordered "Battle
Surface" rather than take more punishment from the Japanese
destroyers. He told the crew they would die fighting on the surface
rather then die in the next attack by the destroyers. Ron's Battle
Surface assignment was to man a 20mm gun on the after deck of the
submarine—a suicide assignment against enemy destroyers. You must read Torpedoman
to see how Seal (and Ron) survived." Captain Zeb
Alford, USN (Ret.)
