Running Deep - by Tom Clavin (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

A Library Journal Best Book of 2025

The true story of the deadliest submarine in World War II and the courageous captain who survived torture and imprisonment at the hands of the enemy.

There was one submarine that outfought all other boats in the Silent Service in World War II: the USS Tang. Captain Richard Hetherington O'Kane commanded the attack submarine that sunk more tonnage, rescued more downed aviators, and successfully completed more surface attacks than any other American submarine. These undersea predators were the first to lead the offensive rebound against the Japanese, but at great cost: Submariners would have six times the mortality rate as the sailors who manned surface ships.

The Tang achieved its greatest success on October 24, 1944, when it took on an entire Japanese convoy and destroyed it. But its 24th and last torpedo boomeranged, returning to strike the Tang. Mortally wounded, the boat sunk, coming to rest on the bottom, 180 feet down. After hours of struggle, nine of the 87 crewmen, including O'Kane, made it to the surface.

Captured by the Japanese, the Tang sailors joined other submariners and flyers - including Louis Zamperini and "Pappy" Boyington - at a "torture camp" whose purpose was to gain vital information from inmates and otherwise let them die from malnutrition, disease, and abuse. A special target was Captain O'Kane after the Japanese learned of the headlines about the Tang. Against all odds, when the camp was liberated in August 1945, O'Kane, at only 90 pounds, still lived. The following January, Richard O'Kane limped into the White House where President Truman bestowed him with the Medal of Honor.

This is the true story of death and survival in the high seas--and of the submarine and her brave captain who would become legends.

Review Quotes

Praise for Tom Clavin and Running Deep:

"Gripping ... Clavin's writing draws the reader into the tension and drama of life on the Tang." --Foreign Affairs

"If the story of Germany's U-boats was one mostly of failure, the U.S. Navy's submarine force, the Silent Service, was much more. In "Running Deep" Tom Clavin argues that shortly after Pearl Harbor the U.S. submarine fleet was often the only offensive weapon available to strike Japanese shipping and other war assets." --The Wall Street Journal

"Clavin's new work exemplifies outstanding literary quality, combining taut, evocative storytelling with rigorous research ... Clavin's authoritative yet empathetic voice ensures that this is not only an informative chronicle of wartime heroism but also a profound meditation on leadership, sacrifice, and the costs of war." --Library Journal, starred review

"A well-written, solid effort in which Clavin brings home the harsh reality of life onboard submarines and the horrors of war." --Booklist

"Bestseller Clavin offers a lively rendition of the storied career of the USS Tang and its captain, Richard Hetherington O'Kane ... Clavin provides a bounty of backstory on submarine warfare, with side excursions into other famous subs and their fates. The result is an entertaining account of daring exploits in the deep." --Publishers Weekly

"The entire cowboy-outlaw era, which reached its climax in 1897 and ended around 1905, comes vividly alive in this kaleidoscopic work ... countless other instances of robbing, stealing and retribution, are woven splendidly into this rousing saga of the closing years of the outlaw epoch of the American West." --Wall Street Journal on Bandit Heaven

"Buchenwald was the place no allied airman was supposed to wind up--but they did. In this priceless eyewitness history, one of WWII's most incredible stories has finally found its teller. Lightning Down is a riveting read that will leave you with a cold shiver." --Adam Makos, author of the NY Times bestseller A Higher Call

"With a former newsman's nose for the truth, Clavin has sifted the facts, myths, and lies to produce what might be as accurate an account as we will ever get of the old West's most famous feud." --Associated Press on Tombstone

About the Author

TOM CLAVIN is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and has worked as a newspaper editor, magazine writer, TV and radio commentator, and a reporter for The New York Times. He has received awards from the Society of Professional Journalists, Marine Corps Heritage Foundation, and National Newspaper Association. His books include the bestselling Frontier Lawmen trilogy--Wild Bill, Dodge City, and Tombstone--and Blood and Treasure, The Last Hill, and Throne of Grace with Bob Drury. He lives in Sag Harbor, NY.