PALM BEACH, Fla. The Historical
Society of Palm Beach County
continued its lecture series on June
5 with author Alex Kershaw, whose
recently released book, “Escape from
the Deep”, chronicles the gripping
true tale of Tang, America’s
deadliest submarine, her tragic
sinking, and the survival of her
brave, battle-hardened crew.
During the lecture, Kershaw
discussed how the eighty-seven
member all-volunteer crew of the
highly decorated U.S. Navy submarine
Tang should have been headed home on
October 25, 1944. Instead, their
last torpedo boomeranged and sent
the submarine crashing to the ocean
floor. Half the crew was killed
instantly upon impact. The rest
were trapped in an “iron coffin.”
Forty men tried to escape, but the
first attempt was so excruciating,
many gave up halfway and chose to
return to the sub to die rather than
try it again. Others suffered “the
bends” and burst lungs as panic
propelled them to rise too quickly
from the ocean depths. Some went to
their bunks simply to pray and
accept the inevitable. Only once in
history did men escape a sunken
submarine without help from the
surface. When a submarine sunk, no
one was expected to return. But
nine men did survive. Kershaw
concludes the story with the
ultimate rescue and return of these
men and the struggles they faced
through the rest of their lives.
Guests included Vernon Leopold,
George Levitt, Hank McCall, Willie
Miller Jr., Mrs. Zanetta Miller,
Perry Brown and several World War II
veterans and family members who
shared experiences with the
audience. More than 120 guests
attended and were able to meet the
author at a book signing following
the lecture.
The Alex Kershaw lecture was the
last lecture of the season sponsored
by the Historical Society of Palm
Beach County. Lectures are free and
open to the public, and are
generously underwritten in part by
Pioneer Linens
and Northern Trust.
For more information about the
Historical Society of Palm Beach
County, please call (561) 832-4164
or visit
www.historicalsocietypbc.org