If you are ever lucky enough to sit down
with a World War II submariner to listen to
his experiences, be sure to ask him about
his Captain - and be prepared to stay a
while. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a sailor
that didn’t like his Captain. The Captain of a
World War II submarine was a special man and very important to the success of the boat.
Submarine crews loved and would do anything for their Captain, and one of those Captains was Eugene Fluckey, the skipper of the USS Barb. Fluckey led the Barb and her crew on a journey that produced one of the most distinguished 
war records of all submarines during World War II. The Barb and her crew were responsible for the only ground attack on mainland Japan during the entire war. During the attack, a landing party snuck ashore to destroy a train by planting charges under the tracks. On another patrol run, Fluckey pulled the Barb deep into a harbor where several Japanese ships were taking refuge and fired off 10 torpedoes, scoring eight hits. This was one daring Captain, dead set on taking it to the enemy.
Personally, I never had the fortune of meeting Captain Fluckey. I sure wish I could have. I did attend his memorial service on August 28, 2007. I arrived in Annapolis, checked in the hotel and spent the evening before the service having dinner with the crew. The evening was filled with stories of the many adventures they had in the South Pacific with Captain Fluckey. They told how before each patrol he would fill the officers' shower with beer to be passed out when they sank a ship. I also learned that with the proceeds from the book he wrote, “Thunder Below”, he paid for several trips with his entire crew.
The next day was the service, and I was honored when I found out I was going to get to sit with the crew. The memorial was held in a very large, beautiful chapel at the Naval Academy. My mind wandered throughout the service thinking about the experiences this great American had with the very men that shared the pew with me. What 
must have been going through their minds - thoughts of a man who led them into the dangerous waters of the Pacific and brought them home safely? I know that’s what I was thinking about.
When the service was over, the Honor Guard carried out Captain Fluckey’s remains, and we all followed. Upon exiting the chapel, we were greeted with a brigade of soldiers and a marching band all standing at attention, waiting to escort Captain Fluckey. Several of the crew members who where able wanted to walk behind their late Captain, and I joined them. The procession slowly began to make its way to the cemetery, and as we walked, cannon explosions could be heard in the distance. The concussion was so intense that car alarms were going off all over the Academy. We could see cars traveling on the highway. I remember thinking to myself how they had no idea what was going on right next to them, that just a few hundred feet from them a man - a brave American hero - was being laid to rest. A man who had served our country.
I interviewed several of the crew members while I was in Annapolis and captured many interesting stories that will be used in the film. My time spent with the crew of the USS Barb is something I’ll always remember and something I’ll tell my children. But the thing I will remember the most will be the bond these men had with their Captain and how much he meant to them.
The Preisidential Unit Citation:
For extraordinary heroism in action during the Eighth, Ninth, Tenth, and Eleventh War Patrols against enemy Japanese surface forces in restricted waters of the Pacific. Persistent in her search for vital targets, the Barb relentlessly tracked down the enemy and struck with indomitable fury despite unfavorable attack opportunity and severe countermeasures. Handled superbly, she held undeviatingly to her aggressive course and, on contacting a concentration of hostile ships in the lower reaches of a harbor, boldly penetrated the formidable screen. Riding dangerously, surfaced, in shallow water, the Barb launched her torpedoes into the enemy group to score devastating hits on the major targets, thereafter retiring at high speed on the surface in a full hour's run through uncharted, heavily mined and rock obstructed waters. Inexorable in combat, the Barb also braved the perils of a topical typhoon to rescue fourteen British and Australian prisoners of war who had survived the torpedoing and sinking of a hostile transport ship en route from Singapore to the Japanese Empire. Determined in carrying the fight to the enemy, the Barb has achieved an illustrious record of gallantry in action, reflecting the highest credit upon her valiant officers and men and upon the United States Naval Service.
Further Reading:
1. Rear Admiral Eugene B. Fluckey USN Thunder Below! 1992 ISBN-10: 0252066707
