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October 2011 www.sname.org/sname/mt (in review) REVIEWED BY ROBERT O. DULIN, JR. B Battle Surface! is an apt title for this well- researched book dealing with the exploits of USS Parche (SS-384) Not only did Red Ramage earn his Congressional Medal of Honor for a daring nighttime close-range surface engagement in the midst of a Japanese convoy; his successor as commanding officer drove the Parche so aggressively on the surface against Japanese shipping that he earned a Navy Cross. Truly, Parche was deserv- edly famous as a ghting mans submarine. Before dawn on July 31, 1944, Ramage surfaced Parche inside the screen of a heavily-escorted convoy, undertaking a daring attack. Parche was cred- ited with 14 or 15 hits out of 19 torpedoes red. Two ships were sunk and two others damaged by Parche , and credit for sinking two other ships was shared with other sub- marines. Not only did the submarine exchange shellre with the Japanese ships, she narrowly avoided ramming by less than 50 feet as the crews of the Japanese ships and the American submarine screamed curses at each other. Frequently, Parche was so close to the Japanese ships that the enemy guns could not be depressed suf- ciently to engage the American submarine. As dawn broke, Parche submerged. e entire, frantic engage- ment had lasted only 34 minutes. Parche and her crew beneted from the talent and courage of the 28 ocers who served on her during the war, including two who participated in all six wartime patrols. Both of her wartime skippers, CDR Ramage and CDR Woodrow W. McCrory, attained the rank of Vice Admiral before retiring. Given that only 12 of 465 war- time submarine commanding ocers achieved this rank, this is eloquent testimony to the quality of the men who led Parche into combat. Stephen Moore has succeeded spectacularly in introducing his reader to many of the officers and enlisted men who made up the crew of the Parche in war and, briey, in years of peace. Military units need adequate resources for success, including strong lead- ership and determined, courageous personnel. In this regard, Parche excelled. Individual medals and com- mendations tell part of the story: a Congressional Medal of Honor, three Navy Crosses (including Gold Stars in lieu of a second Navy Cross), one Legion of Merit, nine Silver Stars (including two Gold Stars in lieu of a sec- ond Silver Star), sixteen Bronze Stars, and twenty-nine Letters of Commendation with Medal. Since Parche always carried fewer than 90 ocers and men during any of her six wartime patrols, this is a staggering array of individual commendations. Postwar recognition, deservedly, awaited Parche and those who served on and led her into battle. USS Parche (SSN-683) was commissioned on August 17, 1974, less than four years after the World War II boat was stricken from the navy List. Visitors to the USS Bown Submarine Museum and Park at Pearl Harbor can view the conning tower of Parche . Red Ramage was appropriately honored when USS Ramage (DDG-63) was commissioned on July 22, 1995. Recently the head- quarters building at Submarine Base New London was renamed Ramage Hall. Battle Surface! is readable and eloquent in depict- ing the ocers and men and their achievements that helped make Parche one of the most famous and suc- cessful American submarines of World War II. MTBob Dulin, a retired USN engineering duty ocer, is secretary and co-founder of the SNAME Marine Forensics Committee. BATTLE SURFACE! By Stephen L. Moore PUBLISHED BY THE NAVAL INSTITUTE PRESS Maritime Careers and Vessel Histories continued