Patrol Area 14

Book excerpt: As the war in the Pacific progressed, the role of the US submarines evolved to meet the challenges confronting the United States Navy in the Western Pacific. This story is vividly portrayed in Patrol Area 14 and details the exploits of the US submarines in one specific patrol area of the Pacific Ocean, the waters of the Mariana Islands, whose control became essential to victory in the Pacific for the United States and defeat for Japan. Patrol Area 14 describes the submarine patrols from solitary patrols beginning in 1942 to aggressively patrolling the offshore waters, to bold approaches to harbor entrances, to sinking ships within sight of the islands in spite of determined Japanese air and sea anti-submarine efforts and supporting the US invasions of the islands in 1944.