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Bacalao Paperback – July 1, 2004

by J.T. McDaniel (Author)
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 45 ratings
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Best-selling author Homer Hickam writes: "Bacalao is an impressive and exciting novel of undersea warfare that follows an American attack sub from the moment its keel is laid and on into the deep blue Pacific Ocean to do battle against the Japanese Empire. Her commander and crew are individuals we come to respect, even worry over. The Bacalao also becomes one of those individuals, a steel spirit with a great heart and persevering soul. J.T. McDaniel, an authority on World War II submarines, is a terrific writer who has created a classic of wartime adventure. Heartily recommended." When Lieutenant Lawrence Miller first sees U.S.S. Bacalao, the new Gato class fleet submarine is little more than a pile of curved steel plates stacked up alongside at the Electric Boat Company in Groton, CT. Over the next few month Miller watches the boat take shape and the crew gather from throughout the fleet. By late 1941, Bacalao is in commission and assigned to the Pacific Fleet in Hawaii. Then, on a December Sunday morning, everything changes as the Japanese sneak attack plunges the United States into World War II. The new submarine and her untried crew are immediately thrown into action against the Japanese. And Miller is there through it all, from the disastrous first patrol, when the boat is nearly lost and a pair of surprising heroes emerge, to the deployment to Australia, where a chance encounter ashore will change his life forever. Then, after a year in command of an antiquated S-boat in the frozen hell of the Aleutians, Miller returns to Bacalao as her final wartime commander.
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    300 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    July 1, 2004
  4. Dimensions
    5.5 x 0.75 x 8.5 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    0971220751
  6. ISBN-13
    978-0971220751
  7. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

J.T. McDaniel is a former newspaper editor and broadcaster, and a well known authority on World War II submarines. He is the creator and webmaster of fleetsubmarine.com, a popular internet submarine reference site. During the late 1960s he served in Viet Nam with the 1st Aviation Brigade, and with the 101st Airborne Division as a photographer and information NCO. He currently resides near Atlanta, Georgia.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Riverdale Electronic Books; First American Edition. (July 1, 2004)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 300 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0971220751
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0971220751
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13.5 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.75 x 8.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 45 ratings

About the author

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J. T. McDaniel

J. T. McDaniel

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J.T. McDaniel is a popular novelist, playwright, editor, actor, and audiobook narrator. His literary output includes novels, short stories, essays, plays, and criticism. He has narrated over a dozen audiobooks, including his own book on Shakespearean acting techniques. He has also released two spoken-word albums. A military veteran, McDaniel is semi-retired and a grandfather.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
45 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

DonMcAllister
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read!
Reviewed in the United States on May 26, 2021
Verified Purchase
I like naval novels where the action is in the ocean and not sending naval personnel on missions commandos are supposed to do. This book has a believable plot as well as realistic characters.
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Jerry Brooks Bannister, Retired Prof., West Ct State Univ
4.0 out of 5 stars WW II Submariner Verisimilitude
Reviewed in the United States on November 7, 2012
Verified Purchase
J.T. McDaniel's Bacalao is not a heart-pounding submarine action story or a fast moving pot boiler; instead, there is a definite "feel" of authenticity in its story-line. McDaniel respects his characters: they are decent men all, and Navy to the core. (I was surprised that McDaniel himself has never been in the Navy but is a Vietnam veteran aviator. Interestingly, he has his characters rant about the inability of American pilots to tell, or care about, the difference between enemy and friendly subs...). The novel is a deliberately paced old fashion story beginning with the fictional laying of the Bacalao's keel at the Electric Boat Company yard in Groton, Connecticut. After trial runs, a passage through the Panama Canal to Hawaii, the Bacalao enters the Pacific War with the Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor. Her war action takes place over twelve patrols. Occasionally, McDaniel is pedantic (especially about sub technical details); and a few of his action scenarios seem familiar. However, these criticisms are minor. I recommend Bacalao as a thoughtful look at the operations of a WW II submarine and her crew, as well as at the Navy itself.

The detailing of submarine construction, and of the gradual coming "aboard" (at nearby New London Sub Base) of the crew during different periods of construction, and of the shake-down cruises, all are told rather leisurely. There is a great amount of technical detail given to the reader. I found his analysis of the magnetic torpedo problems (failures) to be lucid and to the point. He also gives interesting side-commentaries about the America of that period. But the focus is always upon the character of the novel's individual crew members (primarily the officers and chiefs), and upon the culture of naval professionalism. Either you will squirm with impatience (perhaps boredom) or you will enjoy this "calm before the storm." Indeed it is this careful building of the story that explains the emotional impact of the novel. Since you will have already identified with the characters, the "action" descriptions do not have to be at fever pitch to be effective -- it is simply the story of duty, of heroes, of those "not up to it," of sailors killed and injured, of torpedoes awry, of ever closer depth charges being dropped, of ships torpedoed and breaking apart, of men in the water...and of men fearing they will not be returning to their loved ones. -J. B. Bannister
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Michael
3.0 out of 5 stars good but predictable
Reviewed in the United States on January 7, 2014
Verified Purchase
I've read many WWII sub books, this holds your interest but keeps you wanting for more. It is a good pass the time book but not a "can't set it down" book
One person found this helpful
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ripped off
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read
Reviewed in the United States on March 27, 2013
Verified Purchase
The technical grasp of day to day driving a sub was simply astounding. McDaniel would have you believe that he himself commanded diesel/electric boats during WW 2. The crews vital reliance on the boats hardiness and mechanical prowess is palpable, like seawater splashing you from above in the conning tower. Wow, even for an unabashed submit as I am, this was one hell of an education!
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zorba
4.0 out of 5 stars Good But Flawed Sub Thriller
Reviewed in the United States on January 29, 2009
Verified Purchase
I wish I could give this very good book five stars, but there were enough flaws that I felt it deserved less than that. My biggest complaint was that about the first third of the book was overly concerned with all the hardware on the sub, much of it poorly explained as to purpose. It also bogs down in endless and often useless abbreviations and somewhat pedantic writing. I get the impression that the author is very proud of his knowledge of subs and wants to impress readers who might have served on WWII subs. Okay, with that out of the way, after the encyclopedic pages, the book suddenly takes off and becomes exciting. The author covers a lot of ground and the sub sees a lot of action. The book enters can't-put-it-down territory and by the end, you know that you haven't wasted your time and have read a very enjoyable war thriller. So, though somewhat flawed, Bacalao is a book I would recommend to others.
2 people found this helpful
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A Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Action in the Pacific
Reviewed in the United States on September 17, 2006
Verified Purchase
Bacalao is the name of a fictional Gato class submarine. McDaniel brings us inside the sub. He gives look at what it must have been like to fight the war against the Imperial Japanese Navy, and the frustrations encountered.

This is a very credible read about a war that is fading into history for many these days.
6 people found this helpful
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John J. O'brien
3.0 out of 5 stars sea story
Reviewed in the United States on January 30, 2010
Verified Purchase
If you enjoy naval stories, then you may enjoy it.
It's readable but not a must read.
One person found this helpful
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James B. Sitrick Jr.
4.0 out of 5 stars Good reading
Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2018
Verified Purchase
Excellent description of the life of WW2 Navy submariners with unexpected details about submarines interspersed. Hard to determine if it’s fiction or not.
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Top reviews from other countries

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umberto tunesi
3.0 out of 5 stars Buono
Reviewed in Italy on October 10, 2014
Verified Purchase
Tecnicamente meglio: come appassionato lettore e spettatore di storie di sommergibili l'ho trovato realistico ed interessante. La sinossi che ne ho letto non è menzognera, l'Autore è di tutto rispetto. Forse forse l'Autore avrebbe potuto essere più sintetico su alcune caratteristiche personali dei personaggi ma anche questo è accettabile in un romanzo, che sembra comunque basato su una vicenda vera.
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I. Lodge
3.0 out of 5 stars Bacaloa
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 5, 2013
Verified Purchase
Would anyone really name a submarine 'Dried Cod'? Monotonous and non-involving. I will not be reading any more books by this author.
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