New in the Library

Eight Survived by Douglas A. Campbell is the story of USS Flier (SS-250) and the eight men who survived her sinking.

On August 13, 1944, Flier struck a Japanese mine in the Balabac Strait, between modern-day Malaysia and the Philippines. Although the submarine sank in a matter of seconds, fifteen men somehow escaped. Unfortunately, many of these men were badly injured, and lacking any survival equipment, only eight managed to swim the approximately five miles to a nearby island.

These men were able to avoid capture by the Japanese, who were still occupying the Philippines and were actively patrolling, by both airplane and boat. They managed to make contact with a resistance group and were ultimately rescued by USS Redfin (SS-272).

They were the only men to survive the sinking of their submarine in enemy waters and avoid capture by the Japanese. (A small group of men survived the similar sinking of USS Robalo (SS-273) in the same area. They were known to have been captured and tortured by the Japanese, but they did not survive captivity.)

Eight Survived is published by Lyons Press and is available through your local bookstore, or online. Image courtesy of Lyons Press.