• The Bravest Man

  • The Story of Richard O'Kane & U.S. Submariners in the Pacific War
  • By: William Tuohy
  • Narrated by: E.H. Jones
  • Length: 15 hrs and 32 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (491 ratings)

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The Bravest Man  By  cover art

The Bravest Man

By: William Tuohy
Narrated by: E.H. Jones
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Publisher's summary

“There’s no margin for mistakes in submarines. You’re either alive or dead.” (Richard O’Kane)

Hailed as the ace of aces, captain Richard O’Kane, winner of the Congressional Medal of Honor for his consummate skill and heroism as a submarine skipper, sank more enemy ships and saved more downed fliers than anyone else.

Now Pulitzer Prize-winning author William Tuohy captures all the danger, the terror, and the pulse-pounding action of undersea combat as he chronicles O’Kane’s wartime career - from his valiant service as executive officer under Wahoo skipper Dudley “Mush” Morton to his electrifying patrols as commander of the USS Tang and his incredible escape, with eight other survivors, after Tang was sunk by its own defective torpedo.

Above all, The Bravest Man is the dramatic story of mavericks who broke the rules and set the pace to become a new breed of hunter/killer submariners who waged a unique brand of warfare. These undersea warriors would blaze their own path to victory - and transform the “Silent Service” into the deadliest fighting force in the Pacific.

©2001 William Tuohy (P)2002 Books on Tape, Inc.

What listeners say about The Bravest Man

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Great details of WWII Submarine Patrols

This is the best book I have read about submarine operations in WWII. If you are interested in what it must have been like to risk your life every day this is a book you should read.

I have served on Nuclear Subs and have looked for good descriptions of just how the Subs did what they did in WWII. This gives you all those details.

Captain O'Kane is truly the best of the "war time" skippers and was able to conduct the most productive patrols of any submarines in the Pacific.

Great story with a lot of detail.

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15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

The Bravest Man

This is an excellent book that "listens" easily. I had no background on the undersea war and found the book to be fascinating. I enjoyed the reader and the writing style of the author. You will walk away from this book with a much greater appreciation for what submariners endured---- they truly were a different breed. You will also gain an appreciation for the evolving technology --- how early undersea weapons were scandalously unreliable and how the "skippers" fought to get better torpedos with which to accomplish their mission----to sink enemy shipping. Great book!!

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12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

good book

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this account of the submarine service during WWII. I would recommend it to anyone and will certainly listen to it again in the future

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

The Bravest Man- fine example of leadership.

What this story showed me was the values and skills that we often inherit or develop in others. Often the people that have seen a remarkable leader try to emulate good leadership skills - very much a trickle effect.

Certainly this story is in a dangerous environment. How would you like to expose your career, life, and other peoples lives on an unproven theory or weapon? There are so many sides to this story you find yourself listening to this story again and again.

Well written and read extremely well.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

The Bravest Man

I recommend this title highly. By the end of the book, I felt a deep and personal connection with the men whose history it told. I felt genuine pain at their losses and joy at their overcoming of hardships. So impressed was I with the work that I have ordered the book on cd and the hard copy for my local library, as well as searching out the two first person accounts Richard Okane authored himself in out of print book shops to donate to my local public library.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Great WW2 history

This is a great story much like Silent Running. Silent Running is a more personal account of the war in the Pacific and this talks more about the war and command.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Fabulous book

If you enjoy naval or general military history, this is the book for you. I consider myself generally familiar with WWII history, but I was amazed at how little I knew (or how much I had forgotten) about the submarine war in the Pacific. From O'Kane's and his skipper peers' formative years, to the evolution (or not) of submarine stategy and tactics, to the problems with torpedo malfunctions... it is all here. And what a guy Richard O'Kane was. He was a giant among heroes. Fine narrator, too.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    out of 5 stars

Good book

You can also try Silent Running.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Awesome

I sincerely enjoyed this book. It had very good detail and presented a great look at the history of this true hero.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Riveting real life action

This book along with "Silent Running" by James Calvert is the best real life WWII submarine tales ever written, better even than "Run Silent Run Deep". The war patrols that Mr. Tuohy went on were action packed and thrilling, but to then realize that it is all true makes it all the more intense. The vogues of the USS Tang are legendary and unequaled in submarine history but more to the point they are edge of the seat exciting. This is a book that is truly enjoyable plus you learn some valuable history. This is a wonderful listen. 5 stars.

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4 people found this helpful