This book is a very interesting account from the Sub commander. The first hand accounts described by the writer are what makes the book a cut above most.

The man has done it all, i.e., fantastic submarine skipper, Medal of Honor Recipient, and writing skills to match. This book is a classic, and anyone interested in WWII submarine warfare absolutely must have this book in his shelf!

O'Kane's the real deal, sailor, warrior, leader, survivor and writer.

This is his story and that of the USS Tang, one of the most successful submarines operating in the Pacific. O'Kane was one of a new breed of submarine skippers who traded caution for results with great success but at huge risks. One of the most effective tactics was to take the surfaced submarine into the middle of Japanese convoys at night, attacking multiple ships and then escaping to the depths.

The action is heartstopping and explains why the Navy pulled some of the more conservative older skippers out of their boats and replaced them with men like this. But the story is much more than simply tactics and bravery above all expectations, it is a story about true leadership. Young MBA's would do better asking themselves what characteristics of leadership did O'Kane and his officers utilize to achieve so much with so very little in tangible rewards to offer their crews. There were few rewards for the truly outstanding sub crews, congratuations, a sense of team and the dubious honor of being sent back out on patrol as soon as possible.

The description of various engagements may seem a little dry and technical to someone who has not been out on the sea on a dark night trying to make sense of faint shadows and movement. For fans of surface warfare who think subs are like hunting with poison gas the descriptions of night surface attacks in the middle of escorted convoys will fully dispell that image.

The book is a great reminder of the incredible courage of those who have gone to sea to defend our country for more than 220 and those who continue to do so today.

O'Kane's the real deal, sailor, warrior, leader, survivor and writer.

This is his story and that of the USS Tang, one of the most successful submarines operating in the Pacific. O'Kane was one of a new breed of submarine skippers who traded caution for results with great success but at huge risks. One of the most effective tactics was to take the surfaced submarine into the middle of Japanese convoys at night, attacking multiple ships and then escaping to the depths.

The action is heartstopping and explains why the Navy pulled some of the more conservative older skippers out of their boats and replaced them with men like this. But the story is much more than simply tactics and bravery above all expectations, it is a story about true leadership. Young MBA's would do better asking themselves what characteristics of leadership did O'Kane and his officers utilize to achieve so much with so very little in tangible rewards to offer their crews. There were few rewards for the truly outstanding sub crews, congratuations, a sense of team and the dubious honor of being sent back out on patrol as soon as possible.

The description of various engagements may seem a little dry and technical to someone who has not been out on the sea on a dark night trying to make sense of faint shadows and movement.

The book is a great reminder of the incredible courage of those who have gone to sea to defend our country for more than 220 and those who continue to do so today.

Outstanding read---puts you on the submarine, with all the tension and excitement---and yes, the inherent boredom. I'm a former submariner and my old CO (Dennis Oltraver, CAPT, USN---who went from E-1 to O-6---so quite a man in himself) knew O'Kane and copied much of his leadership style. In turn, I copied my CO---when I read Clear the Bridge, I was amazed at how I knew what O'Kane would do (particularly on personnel issues) before I read the next paragraph---I learned from someone who learned from him. Sadly, CAPT Oltraver died of cancer, or I would thank him for his legacy of leadership, some of which was learned from a master leader and legend, RADM Dick O'Kane. This book is as good as Ed Beach's Run Silent, Run Deep---and in some respects better---for his is a first person account. Highly recommended.

This is a great book. The fact that is was written by the Captain of the Submarine makes it that much more meaningful. I couldn't stop reading it, but my one complaint is that it is very technical and lacks some emotion. The author, being a "career navy man" uses abbreviations and phrases that don't mean much to the layperson (and the glossary doesn't help much in this regard) and there is an overall lack of "passion". There is very little discussion of his personal feelings or the mood on the ship. For example, he describes a depth charge attack (a crack and a boom and pressure through the hull) as something that made the men realize the training exercise did not approximate reality (or that the real thing was nothing like the Hollywood version). I thought a depth charge attack was one of the most terrifying ordeals in a submarine and as a result was very interested in reading what it was like by someone who was there first-hand, but it gets very little coverage.

However, knowing that the events were real and the people were real makes this book an excellent read. I recommend it.

I like it so much I named my new dog "Tang". I love this book! WOW!!!

I have just finished reading "Clear the Bridge" for the estimated seventeeth time. I began first reading it soon after its initial paperback printing about 1980. This is the book by which I judge all other books on WWII American submarine warfare. It is difficult to put down. One thing it contains, which I find lacking in many other fine submarine books, is the detail. Each attack is described thoroughly, so the reader can understand the circumstances and tactics being used. There is no hyperbole, yet this is one of the most exciting accounts you will ever read on the topic. Tang experienced firsthand to the nth degree the torpedo failures that plagued the silent service during the entire war, and you will read about it here. I generally consider O'Kane to be the top submarine commander of the war, but there were many fine ones, and it's a little bit like comparing apples with rocks. He seemed to have a sixth sense in rooting out enemy shipping. He trained his crew well and respected them--something vital to the continued success of a wartime submarine. Yet despite the Tang's success, O'Kane does not come across as being overly risky. Each attack was carried out with the overall safety of his "ship" in the back of his mind. (He never calls the Tang a "boat".) The dedication of O'Kane and his crew to their war effort is awe inspiring. One in six submariners died in the war, yet submariners like Tang's continued to put their lives on the line patrol after patrol. I highly recommend this book not only to readers of WWII submarine warfare, but to anybody who likes to read period.

If Hollywood is looking for a new action-adventure subject, they need look no further than the war patrols of the USS Tang. Join Richard O'Kane aboard the Tang as he weaves a tale of suspense and action better than any work of fiction. Under his command, the Tang ranked fourth in the number of tons of Japanese shipping sunk. We get a rare "periscope liberty" look over the author's shoulder as he tracks his prey across the vast Pacific. Whether rescuing a record number of downed fliers or launching torpedoes from the very center of a confused and sinking Japanese convoy, his no-nonsense style and matter-of-fact delivery leave no doubt that this man was - in every respect - a true submarine commander. This book provides one of the truly great depictions of the kind of heroes who served in World War II, especially those in the "Silent Service."

If you enjoy true submarine books this one is a must
have book. An absolutely great book, told by the
Captain of the Tang and one of the best sub books
written.

"Clear the Bridge" is an outstanding look at WWII submarine warfare conducted by one of the greatest of combat crews. RADM Dick O'Kane constructs a scintillating look at combat thru the eyes of a veteran Navy skipper. The obvious love for Tang and her many fine sailors shines through, as well as the respect of and devotion to his former skipper on Wahoo, "Mush" Morton, and that fine boat. This book is a great read, and is a worthwhile addition to any library.

I have just finished reading "Clear The Bridge" for the first time in over 20 years and I am struck at the incredible devotion to duty and country that the heroes of World War II exibited. In this day and age of false idols and a secular society, it is truly refreshing to read about men who knew what sacrafice was and risked their lives to protect this country. They were our finest generation.

After proving his metttle as the Executive Officer on the USS Wahoo, Dick O'Kane revolutionised submarine warfare in his own way on USS Tang. During its limited lifetime, Tang sank more ships than any other US submarines and would have sunk more except for its demise by one of its own torpedos. A great read and a thorough description of life in a US WW2 submarine.

Clear the Bridge is a fascinating glimpse into the miniature universe of the WWII attack submarine. Admiral Richard O'Kane's memoir of his fourteen months as CO of the legendary USS Tang overflows with adventure and nautical esoterica. His powerful memory and eye for detail leave few elements of life aboard one of these boats unexamined. While clearly, the tactics of submarine warfare are what most engage O'Kane's interest, he also relates many stories of the men with whom he served and fought; a miniature still, ingeniously cobbled together by some enlisted men to ease the hours spent on patrol. The rescue of naval aviators shot down during the air assault on Truk island and the furtive unplugging of their officious wing commander who wishes to return them to immediate duty. An inexperienced officer who purges the Tang's sewage tanks without first turning her into the wind. A lone Japanese seaman plucked from the sea--the sole survivor of a Tang torpedo salvo--who becomes the sub's honored guest. And the sad end of the Tang, and of O'Kane's treatment at the hands of his onetime targets. At 480 pages, Clear the Bridge is quite long; but the narrative is neatly chronological and the chapters are interspersed with maps, diagrams and photographs to aid the reader along his way. A glossary at the back is helpful in understanding some of the terminology used in the book. Admiral O'Kane was clearly a man blessed with high intelligence; however his skill as a writer is another story. The fault with the book lies in O'Kane's cobby prose, full of nautical jargon and anachronistic sayings; and what seems to be an assumption that his readers are already familiar with naval warfare and that no explanation is needed concerning some of the things he describes. This makes the book a somewhat laborious project as one tries to sort out what is happening. Still, if you have patience and want to know what it was to be on a WWII attack submarine, Clear the Bridge delivers on target.