During the war in the Pacific, when a submarine was destroyed, there wasn’t much hope for its crewmen. Of the fifty-two that were lost, only seven U.S. subs yielded prisoners of war for the Japanese, while the rest – with some 3,500 sailors in all – remain on what submariners call “eternal patrol”. Presumed Lost is the story of the few men who beat the odds, chronicling the overwhelming difficulty of their escapes – in one case, from 180 feet below the surface – and the brutal conditions they endured at the prison camps. With detailed accounts of each crew’s experience, Moore captures the determination, resourcefulness, and luck they needed to survive.
Stephen L. Moore, a sixth-generation Texan, is the author of eight previous books on World War II and Texas history, including War of the Wolf, the story of USS Seawolf. A resident of Lantana, he is a frequent speaker at Texas book events and conferences and writes for local magazines and historical journals.
