Presumed Lost: The Incredible Ordeal of America's Submarine POWs of World War II »

"When submarines failed to return from a wartime patrol, they were officially listed by the Navy as "overdue and presumed lost." Loved ones were notified by the War Department that their siblings, spouses, and sons were missing in action and presumed lost. During World War II, the crews from fifty-two U.S. submarines were "presumed lost" after being sunk in the Pacific. From these lost submarines, the Japanese only took prisoners of war from the survivors of seven of these boats. Presumed Lost is the compelling story of the final patrols of these seven lost submarines and the long captivity of the survivors." Author Stephen L. Moore draws on personal interviews with the survivors, as well as diaries, family archives, and POW statements to reveal new details and correct longstanding errors in previously published accounts. Of the 196 sailors taken prisoner, 158 survived the horrors of the POW camps, where torture, starvation, and slave labor were common. This is the most complete and accurate record of their captivity experiences ever compiled.

1 Perch In Peril 1

2 "A Miracle Was Needed" 15

3 The First Months of Hell 29

4 "Hard Labor, Poor Conditions" 43

5 The Fight to Save Grenadier 51

6 "Where Hell Started" 67

7 "We Became Terrific Liars" 81

8 Hell Ships and Hard Times 91

9 "The Castle" at Fukuoka 101

10 S-44's Final Fight 113

11 Sculpin's Last Battle Surface 123

12 Ten Days on Truk 137

13 Chuyo's Sole Survivor 151

14 "No One Knows You're Alive" 157

15 Tullibee's Sole Survivor 167

16 Loss of Robalo 179

17 "All Hands Were on Edge" 193

18 Tang's Tragic Twenty-Fourth 201

19 Escape From 30 Fathoms 209

20 "God Help Us" 225

21 Omori's "Special Prisoners" 237

22 The Ashio Mining Camp 245

23 "They're Gonna Be Here Tomorrow" 259

24 Liberation of the Lost 271

25 Epilogue 291

App. A U.S. Submarine POWs of World War II 305

App. B The Lost Boat Rosters 310

Chapter Notes 317

Bibliography 337

Index 343