The GREATEST American Submarine Commander
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- čas přidán 11. 11. 2022
- This video is dedicated to the memory and service of Eugene Fluckey, and every man who served on the Barb.
The USS Barb and Eugene Fluckey pulled off some of the greatest exploits in the Second World War. From winning bets to destroying a train, the Barb and her crew are U.S. Naval legends.
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I read his book. He was a true genius concerning submarine warfare. He retired as an admiral. A true patriot. I know one of his ansestors who loaned me his personally signed book. Every submariner I've talked to know more about "Lucky Flucky Flucky's" exploits.
Appreciate you watching and have a great weekend :)
My dad told me an cool anecdote about Fluckey and my grandfather, who was also a decorated submarine commander during the war. My dad was a midshipman at Annapolis at the time and my granddad and Fluckey were both stationed in Annapolis and were close friends. One day, they all went out to lunch. After eating my dad had to rush off to his next class. It was a hot day so my dad didn't put on his jacket when he left the restaurant but just carried it. When he got to the classroom and started putting on the jacket, he realized that there was a medal of honor ribbon on the jacket sleeve. He decided it would be better to be late for class then walk in wearing the decorated jacket. So he hurried back to the restaurant retrieved his own jacket and returned Fluckey's. My dad was a bit flustered but Fluckey and my granddad had a good laugh.
Wow, incredible info thanks for sharing. Also thank you to your father for his service as well! Appreciate you watching and have a great week :)
I recall a certain incident aboard the Barb, where MP's had brought a drunken sailor back to the ship. In their orders book, Fluckey had written 'General Courts Martial' as the prescribed punishment for the sailor. This surprised the MP's because the offense had hardly warranted such a drastic form of punishment. Word got around to his superiors what he had written and he was called before them. He confided that the Barb didn't even have a Mast Book; he had thrown it over the side a long time ago, and he just wanted the MP's off his back. This got a few good laughs. But that was Eugene Fluckey for you, his crew loved him because he took care of them.
It's in 'Thunder Below'. (Spoilers) At least as written, the sailor wasn't drunk, the MPs had hauled him back to the Barb because he'd committed the grave cardinal sin of having his cap on the back of his head. Fluckey sent the MPs on their way, and then let the sailor go with a VERY mild reprimand. THEN the MPs' officer contacted him, wanting to know what punishment had been put on the sailor, and Fluckey told them 'General Court Martial'. This shocked the MPs so much they reported it to Fluckey's CO, thinking he'd gone crazy. Upon hearing the true story, the admiral thought it absolutely hilarious.
Great tidbit!
To tack onto what Sealord said, Flucky almost lost his 5th patrol because of that incident, that is also mentioned in “Thunder Below”. Lockwood thought Flucky had lost his mind upon hearing the report from the MPs
Not only sinking ships, but blowing up a train as well. That is a badass!
Thanks for watching and have a great rest of your week :)
When Fluckey chose his 8 volunteers for shore dutyin enemy territory one night he had two requirements, One that they be single and two that they all have been Boy Scouts., As a former Eagle scout he knew that scouts knew how to use a compass and read a map, This cut the chances down of the shore party getting lost,. As it turned out they all returned safely and successfully planted thier explosives, This moment was mentioned by ADM Nimitz at a Boy Scout convention in St Louis MO. In 1947, Funny Fluckey was there as the Admirals aide,,,
As an Eagle Scout (Class of 89), there is no such thing as a former Eagle Scout. They are Eagle Scouts. Which Fluckey was and still is. Once an Eagle, Always an Eagle.
¹¹aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa0aaaa
Io😢poor 😢😢
Too bad the Boy Scouts don't mean much anymore....
After all the scandals, I no longer regret never having been one.
Still, the rank of Eagle Scout yet has some honor...
@@Svensk7119 My aunt was a genius, she made my cousins get their Eagle before they could get their drivers license. Growing up in the late 80's early 90's that was one hell of a motivator!!!
I entered the US Naval Academy in June 1971 while RAdm. Fluckey was still on active duty! I was too busy surviving plebe year to appreciate all the WW2 legends while they were still alive. Senior year I was able to hear Adm Burke, “31 knot Burke” who delivered Gen. MacArthur to the Philippean Islands.
Thank you for your service!
Thank you for your service. Peace be with you
Did you go subs?
Flucky lying to his wife was hilarious.
I wish it were possible to clone men like this. A military filled with Fluckies would be scary AF.
"A military filled with Fluckies would be scary AF." Scary to those who wish us ill, good people to serve with. USN Retired here. I wish I could have met the Admiral.
@@robertf3479 Yeah for sure on both counts. His crew obviously loved working for him.
Fluckey was an insanely courageous BEAST with the creativity and military prowess of a savant. You're right, a military full of Fluckeys wouldn't just be scary AF, they'd dominate everything everywhere.
It also shows how much he considered and cared for her. He likely knew what a toll that worrying about him would take on her, and did what he could to lessen the burden for her.
Thank you to all U S Service Veterans, and thank you to all their family members that support them. You are heroes in my book, as well, peace be with you
Thank you for this video. Out of all the TV/video and documentaries of US Subs in WWll, Fluckey and the USS Barb seem to be the most overlooked. Great Captain and Sub commander! I had the personal honor and pleasure of being able to speak to Admiral Fluckey via telephone while ordering his awesome book 'Thunder Below'. He also graciously personally autographed it, too. And while O'Kane may have an equal or better record, I have read both of their books and by far I would have given anything to have served under Fluckey. He commanded great respect from his crew in the way he treated and interacted with them! Awesome American patriot!
Completely agree and thanks for watching!
This was an amazing men in the model of the captain of the USS Constitution..
❤
My wife is a cousin ( her mother was a Fluckey). We have a personal addressed autograph copy of Thunder Below. Mother in Law corresponded with him. When she was visiting Pearl Harbor, she told staff her relationship, and they graciously removed his MOH citation from the display and photocopied it.
Family history is the first Fluckey was from Germany, and while in England, was abducted and pressed into service in the British military to fight the upstart colonists. While at anchor, he made his escape, being shot in the leg. Later, while being searched for, a girl hid him in the chimney of her home.
He fought directly with Washington, and married the girl who hid him out. Eugene Fluckey comes from unique stock, for sure.
That is incredible! Appreciate you watching!
A unique story for sure...
I met Admiral Flucky in Annapolis in the 90's & have his signed book. Great Honor!
Lucky you!
i met him at a get together for mids going submarine duty in the late 80s. he told me the story of how they destroyed the train using one of the submarines scuttling charges.
I agree and whole heartedly respect your opinion on exactly why you chose lucky!!! You can tell by his record, his old pictures, and the words spoken of him that he was a not only first a great guy and human being but a great captain
Thanks Dylan, appreciate you watching!
That last photograph is of the 8 saboteurs that went ashore in Japan to successfully blow up the ammunition / troop train. The narrator didn't say this, but the Barb and those 8 men represented the only ground invasion of the Japanese mainland in WWII.
Great tidbit there!
I had read that the 5 ships sunk was a bet, not an agreement. And as far as I'm concerned, I feel strongly that this sub, commander and their experiences, especially the commando raid to destroy the train, should be made into a film!
Late 50s or early 60s there was a TV series called ‘Silent Service.’ One episode dealt with the commando raid on the train.
I thought the same thing
@@marcoosvald8429 It would STILL make a great WWII feature film.
Odd that you don't mention that he brought cases of beer on board, storing them in one of the two showers in officer country, would put enough into cold storage before attacking to pass out to the crew after success. Which was deeply appreciated. Despite being illegal (the US Navy being officially dry).
O'Kane, also a great commander, bragged about his soft-serve ice cream machine.
There are a lot of little yet interesting details that could not be covered in a video. My humble suggestion is to read the book. Much like the trailer for a movie, you only get a taste of the whole picture
Simple understanding of his men and how important a moment of calm and decompression is vitality important
It may have helped the accuracy of his torpedoes. It's probably a myth, but supposedly American sailors stole alcohol from the guidance systems of their torpedoes so they could denature it and make hooch. This adversely affected the torpedoes' accuracy. With a supply of beer on board, it wouldn't be necessary. Does anybody know anything about that?
@@rimshot2270 not likely...
In 'Thunder Below', Fluckey refers to a few occasions where they failed to do a successful attack - and then realized they hadn't put beer into the cooler beforehand. Making sure the beer was on ice before heading into combat became very much a thing for the crew.
I was lucky to meet one of the sons of a crewman that served on the Barb when I was in the Navy back in 79. At that time I had no clue of his Dad's exploits during the Pacific theater. My Dad was one of Merril's Marauders in Burma. We became good friends but lost contact with each other years ago. My Mother use to tell me that I was a nut like my Dad and my pal told me that his Mother said the same about him.
Incredible. And thank you to your father for his service!
Many years ago I came across a copy of Thunder Below in a used book store in Long Beach Ca. As a kid in the 50s I remember watching the movie, Run Silent Run Deep, and I was hooked on submarines. I have been lucky to find many books written by sub commanders of ww2. Something not mentioned in this video is that Fluckys daughters name was Barbra, and she thought the submarine BARB was named after her.
I still need to start the book!
The entire 1950's TV series "Silent Service" can be seen on CZcams. It was made directly from the submarine's logs.
I think maybe she has it backwards She was named after the sub.
Acres of Books, gone but not forgotten.
@@AndyChalmers YES!! Thank you Andy, that was the name of the store
Some years ago I bought a copy of "Thunder Below!" at a used bookstore. Inside was a Polaroid photo of the admiral. It was also signed and dated in red ink, and he used that same red pen to correct the three typographical errors in the book. It will never leave my collection.
I still need to read mine! Is it as good as I assume it? Appreciate you watching :)
@@HiddenHistoryYT Yes sir, highly recommended.
Remarkable American, that innate Battle Field awareness, all Warrior have. So glad I now have this Barb Wired history. Stunning... God Bless all.
This is a great story about a great warrior. One thing all the great military storylines have in common is the frank testament of the mass bloodshed, human carnage. Times were brutal
Completely agree! Appreciate you watching and have a great week Johnny :)
Last year I received a copy of Fluckey's memoir, "Thunder Below", as a gift from my wife's cousin. It had belonged to her father who was a PT boat gunners mate in the Pacific war. I read it aloud to my wife, who found it engrossing. You did a fine job highlighting the main events of Fluckey's war experiences. My only regret when we finished the book was that he never mentioned what eventually became of their Japanese prisoner, Kitojima Sanji (actual name Yasujiro Kitamura), after they turned him over to Marine guards at Midway.
My local library has a copy of Thunder Below with the front page written with Flucky's great comments on the crew and missions written with a red editors pen. His editing of of spelling and paragraph placements corrected with the same red pen. Any one looking for a real page turner should read this book. I felt honored to be reading said book. Thank you for this video.
This report helps to give the new generation of submariners a strong sense of the spirit which they are the inherits of -- Worth making this available to the young. Gripping!
This story is amazing! We need more men like Cmdr. Fluckey & the men of the Barb right NOW! 🇺🇸
Completely agree! Thanks for watching Steve, have a great weekend :)
If Tom Hanks is reading, he should make a series about the USS Barb like Band of Brothers. It would be an incredible series.
Hopefully they can finally get the Air Force series out finally lol
I noticed the ribbons on Adm. Flucky - 13 of them including the CMH ribbon on top center. This guy was the real deal. Then I compare his ribbon count to the jokers who run the US military today with vast numbers of ribbons almost resembling North Korean Generals in absurdity. A lottle modesty would go a long way.
Magnificent exploits -- Magnificent reporting to match -- Fluckey would approve.
I am surprised that no one has made a movie about this guy. What a riot this guy was. What luck for the guys that got to serve under him. I would have loved it. He was a winner, like all our great American fighting forces throughout our great history.
A true American hero!
A true American Hero. American exceptionalism.
Probably the best video I've ever seen. That's America!
Aidan from Canada.
Appreciate the kind words Aidan! Have a great weekend!
What a brilliant career. His story would make a great movie or miniseries !
I agree! Thanks for watching and have a great week :)
What a man!
His book thunder below is AMAZING! A MUST READ for anyone who is interested in our history in WWII. Incredible man.
On my bookshelf but I still need to start it!!
Appreciate you watching and have a great week :)
Thank you Commander Fluckey for your service
I just finished my copy of "thunder below". I can easily see why his men loved him and why Admiral Lockwood approved a fifth war patrol for him. I can only imagine the damage that would've been done if the Barb and Richard O'kane's Tang worked in a Wolfpack together. I read that one time though, O'kane received a message from Fluckey about a convoy that might be headed to Tang's area. For anyone who has a copy of "clear the bridge" by O'kane, he describes it on page 139.
I still need to read both books, just sitting on my bookshelf right now!
@@HiddenHistoryYT both of them are fantastic books. I would say that in "thunder below" he tells his story in plain, easy to understand, context like you'd expect in a novel. While "clear the bridge" goes more in depth on the technical details, especially during an attack. But I love both of those aspects!! Anyway, both are fantastic books and you will love both.
Now THIS is worth a Band of Brothers/Pacific-level mini-series.
Agreed!
That had to rate as one of the most amazing feats of WWII. Two qualities I see in Fluckey. Genius and risk taker. His genius took out most of the risk.
Agreed!
Amazing. I've never heard of this great American Hero
Thanks for watching and have a great week :)
First that I ever heard of this sub commander, interesting. Thanks for posting.
Thanks for watching Phil!
I was in the Navy in the early 1960s. I was a radarman in a Lockheed EC-121-K Super Constellation. Most of the senior Naval Aviators were WW2 veterans. I was in VW-11 in Argentia, Newfoundland. Our plane commander had been a fighter pilot in WW2. After the war there were too many fighter pilots so a lot were retrained for multi engine. Another senior pilot had been an AP (enlisted pilot) in WW2. After the war he was commissioned and when I flew with him, he was a full commander with his flight hours around 25,000 hours. The senior commander were very respected with the best copilots, flight engineers, navigators, etc assigned to him. I’m pushing 81 in April so I’m sure those types of naval aviators are all gone.
Wow, incredible. Thank you for sharing, and most of all thank you for your service!
Another great account of another Great American hero who was served by a dedicated crew. Colin UK 🇬🇧
Appreciate it Colin! Have a great weekend :)
This would make a great movie! A tribute to all the crew!
Completely agree! Appreciate you watching Daniel!
I recognized Fluckey's name and photo in the intro, and instantly recalled the story of the Barb. But I learned a lot more as well.
Thanks for watching!
What an awesome person he was. Long live his name!
This is my most favorite book. Have read it 5 times.
I still need to start it! Thanks for watching :)
Tremendous courage and ingenuity…..
Absolutely agree Frank! Thanks for watching and have a great week :)
OUTSTANDING Aggressiveness ingeniously inventive Patience STRIKING with everything you got.
Thanks for watching!
Great job buddy and please do one on Dick O'Kane and the USS Tang
That is definitely on my to do list. Thanks for watching!
Served aboard the SS337 Carbonero. Paul "Swish" Saunders, Gunner's Mate, led the operation to destroy the train .by blowing up the trestle the the train used on its trip going south. He was the COB when I served aboard the Carbonero
Thank you for your service! Have a great week :)
Lol... I can't help grinning in approval... ramming a trawler... classic
Go Navy and Go Admiral Flucky. Thank you for highlighting a great American. Live free or Die 🇺🇸.
Thanks John!
"war is not dying for your Country, it is getting the other guy to die for his." General George S Patton..
everyone might know this, but a soon to be built Virginia class will be named the USS Barb.
Love that the Barb, Tang, and Wahoo have new life!
Awesome content. Admiral Fluckey, is a hero , amongst heroes. I cannot beleive I had not ever heard of him, or the USS Barb, before. What an absolutely, epic story.
Heros have unusual names sometimes!
A glorious career!
Brave brave men!
I remember seeing him on base back in the day someone asked what he was most proud of in WWII no one under his watch got a Purple Heart and a side note there is a new USS Barb to be built SSN 804
What a great tale!!!
Appreciate the kind words Tom! Thanks for watching and hope you have a great rest of your day :)
In Sept of 1995 I was on vacation in Hawaii. I went to the sub museum at Pearl Harbor and at the entrance was an older gentleman and his wife selling a book. After taking to him I found out I was talking to Rear Admiral EB Fluckey, MOH recipient. Needless to say I bought his book and had him autographed it. Unfortunately I loaned it to my father in law and never got it back.
BTW the book was a great read! If you can find a copy of Thunder Below you should buy it.
That’s awesome! It’s sitting on my shelf rn actually, I just still need to start it!
I believe the Kriegs marine would have been impressed with this Man.
I agree! Thanks for watching and have a great week David :)
An excellent video about an American hero. Thank you.
Thanks for watching!
What a commander and crew
Great history lesson. Thanks. I had the honor to serve aboard the U.S.S. Tigrone as it was being decommissioned in 1975. It was the last diesel boat to be in operation on the East coast. Those old boats had a lot of character and really made me appreciate the SSBN that I spent most of my time on. DBF!
Thanks for watching, and most of all thank you for your service!
Dave, I visited the Tigrone as a young Boy Scout in 1974. My Dad was stationed at the Sub Base in New London as a Career Counselor. He became one of the first men to convert to the NC rate. DK1 to NC1 and a year later made Chief in 1975. He retired in 1978 after 3 years on recruiting duty in Norwich.
@@patrickmccrann991 pretty awsome your dad was a fellow chief
@@s.porter8646 So am I. OSCS(SW) USN RET'D 1978-2002
@@patrickmccrann991 oh fuck an even chief...greaaaat
Awesome!! What an Incredible Story…..
Appreciate you watching and have a great rest of your weekend :)
I love this channel. When I was a kid , many of the WW2 vets were still alive. Most kids read about fighter pilots , me it was Sub stories. If you are the same go to Richard Damm on you tube . Keep up the great work . And keep the truth of history! Oh by the way you just earned my subscription!
Thank you S.M.R.!
Thanks for this. One my great uncle's was on board the Herring when she went down. It's good to know they went down swinging.
Sorry to hear that. He is a true American hero and his sacrifice will not be soon forgotten. Brave, brave men that were on board those submarines. Wish we had more Americans like them today. Thanks for watching and I hope you have a great week :)
True warriors, all of them.
Agreed!
OUTSTANDING, If you have not read his book.....you need too........One heck an Officer......
I still need to start it, is currently on my bookshelf! Thanks for watching and have a great week :)
Outstanding. Thank you.
Thank you Peter! Have a great rest of your week :)
Pleased you brought the Barb, its skipper and crew to light !!!!!!!!
Man , this would make some epic movie !
Agreed!
Like Joshua, never lost a man in battle all his days.
An extraordinary story, exceedingly well told. Thank you.
Appreciate the kind words Charles. Thanks for watching and hope you have a great rest of your week :)
Simply, fantastic!
Appreciate you watching and have a great rest of your week :)
@@HiddenHistoryYT And you as well !
Great Hidden History. This would make for a Tremendous Movie! Thank you so much.
Thanks for watching Benjamin!
Ohhhh, what a GLORIOUS battle Captain, boat, crew and record. Thunder Below is a MUST READ for those whole love such history. One day, hopefully soon, I'm going to return to the joy of model building and acquire a plastic model of the The Barb and enjoy making it and putting it on display.
I need to start it this week, is just sitting on my bookshelf right now!
This man's book can be found, in both print and audio format, both in the public domain on the Internet Archive.
thx, will look it up
Excellent video! thank you for that. I've read the book "Thunder Below", it is excellent and recommended esp if you want to learn more of the Pacific war and US subs, etc.
Thanks for watching! The book is on my bookshelf but I still need to read it!
Thank you so very much for producing this video highlighting such a fierce warrior and sub crew. Certainly highlights the quote “… waking a sleeping dragon.” Great video.🇺🇸👍👍👍
Thanks for watching!
Great story of American heroism.
Thanks for watching and have a great week :)
I listened to the "Thunder Below" audiobook a few weeks ago. You have done a very good overview of the 15.5 hour reading. You could have mentioned how he motivated the crew with beer through all patrols.
Yep that is my one regret with the video that I didn’t mention that!
Even though I read Thunder Below from cover to amazing cover, this was still a joy to listen to. Thank you narrator.
Appreciate the kind words Bradley! Thunder Below is currently on my bookshelf but I haven’t started it yet 😨
First of all; I SALUTE YOU!!!! There is no such thing as luck, good or bad. Just odds, and chances. Odds and chances, have nothing to do, with skill. Skill is what Fluckey, possessed🤨😁!!!
Thanks for watching and have a great week :)
One hundred percent American war hero. Captain and Commander.
Fluckey was a great submarine commander, right up there with Dick O'Kane and Bobby Moore. But he was no Mush Morton.
I'm only a couple minutes into it, but until mid 1944, American torpedoes rarely functioned properly. Many targets were hit without exploding. FDR incident is hilarious.
Thanks again! well done!
Greatly appreciate it! Thanks for watching and have a fantastic rest of your weekend :)
What an amazing and awesome story. Great telling also.
Thanks for watching!
Excellent! Thank you.
Thanks for watching Burt!
Just amazing!
Awesome story
Appreciate it Nicolas! Thanks for watching and have a great week!
The most dangerous warrior is the one that’s creative.
Facts
Salute, Lucky!!!
His book is amazing and anyone that liked the video should enjoy reading the man's own account of the crazy stuff they pulled off.
There should be a film made of this
At around 3:40 he is wearing brand new uniform you can see the horizonal creases fresh out of the packaging.
"Working his eye muscles" aka memorizing the eye chart :D
😂 Thanks for watching :)
Very nice!
I highly recommend his book if you can find it.
I have it but haven’t started it yet!
this is some Protagonist/Main Character energy
sheets around the conning tower trick!
Amazing
Fluck was a 1 man wolf pack, all by himself and his great crew
Appreciate you watching and have a great week