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Silent Running

My Years on a World War II Attack Submarine

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Silent Running

Written by: James F. Calvert
Narrated by: Kevin Patrick
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About this listen

 In this riveting personal account, an authentic American hero relives the perils and triumphs of eight harrowing patrols aboard one of America's most successful World War II submarines. Courageous deeds and terror-filled moments - as well as the endless hard work of maintaining and operating a combat sub - are vividly recalled in Calvert's candid portrait. From rigorous training and shakedown cruises off the coast of New England to tense patrols within shouting distance of Japan's major cities, the progress of the newly commissioned USS Jack parallels Calvert's own growth from callow ensign to charter member of one of the sharpest attack teams in the fleet. Silent Running is more than a masterful collection of war stories. The greatest drama takes place within Jim Calvert himself, as his values, his training, and his courage are put to test daily, both at sea and ashore. He must come to terms with a forbidden love, overcome fear and self-doubt, cope with the loss of comrades, and face the constant reality that each and every day at sea might be his last. Jim Calvert has created one of the most remarkable World War II memoirs to date.©1995 by James F. Calvert, Vice Admiral, USN (Ret.) (P)1997 by Blackstone Audiobooks Armed Forces Military Wars & Conflicts World War II Military Fiction
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Profile Image for Frank

Enjoyed it.

My only complaint was it was very obvious where the reading stopped and started because the quality and volume fluctuated a lot.

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Profile Image for clueso

diary of an admiral

a sub mariners day to day tale of life in soufh east asia for the duration of the war

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Profile Image for Armymanski

Good

Great story, small audio quality and balance issues but nothing serious..
Would recommend for naval history buffs.

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Profile Image for Langer MD

Commendable War-Time Memoir

In the modern Submarine Navy, author James F. Calvert would be a Tactical Officer ("TACO") - responsible for developing firing solutions and launching torpedoes. Calvert leads his readers/listeners through a strikingly honest exploration of life in the US Navy during the Pacific War - including harrowing moment-by-moment tactical battles of course, but also strategic shifts in the War Department/evolving military technology, often frustrating refits in San Fransisco/Maui/Perth, and on-shore temptations like opportunities for infidelity. Calvert puts us directly in the midst of the war as relatable human beings.

Sadly, Blackstone Audio Inc. completely drops the ball: casting a distinctly average Kevin Patrick to read the book (complete with "marbles-in-his-mouth" delivery), setting sound levels at noticeably odd parameters, and mixing the recording with lazy attention to sound matching. This audiobook was a disappointing listen.

The poor sound quality of this audiobook is almost criminal. This is legitimately one of the best WWII retrospectives that I have ever encountered (Even as presented, it rates 8.5 stars out of 10).
If you are given the option of getting a text copy of the work (paper or eBook), take that one over this iteration - but as a free 'Plus' option, I can highly recommend this version of 'Silent Running'.. warts and all.

[ATTN PRODUCERS: An appended PDF with the author's photographs - as included in the text version - would improve this product considerably. Re-mixing or even Re-recording it would be an even better choice]

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