Tom Clavin Presents ‘Running Deep’ at John Jermain Library in Sag Harbor

Bestselling author Tom Clavin will present his latest book, “Running Deep: Bravery, Survival, and the True Story of the Deadliest Submarine in World War II,” at the John Jermain Memorial Library on Sunday, October 19, at 2 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. Books will be available for purchase.

In “Running Deep,” Clavin turns his eye for gripping narrative nonfiction to the underwater battles of World War II and the U.S. Navy’s fabled Silent Service. The book tells the dramatic true story of the USS Tang, the most lethal American submarine of the war, and its captain, Richard Hetherington O’Kane, a largely overlooked war hero who later received the Medal of Honor.

Publishing just ahead of Veterans Day, “Running Deep” brings to light the extraordinary courage and tragic fate of the Tang and its crew. The submarine completed more successful surface attacks, sank more enemy tonnage and rescued more downed aviators than any other American submarine. Submarine service in WWII was notoriously perilous, with a mortality rate six times higher than that of surface ships — making Tang’s accomplishments all the more remarkable.

The Tang was one of 52 submarines sunk during the war. On October 24, 1944, it took on an entire Japanese convoy and destroyed it. But its 24th and last torpedo boomeranged, returning to strike the Tang. Mortally wounded, the boat sank, coming to rest on the bottom, 180 feet down. Of 87 crew members, only nine — including Captain O’Kane — survived.

Captured by the Japanese, the Tang sailors joined other submariners and flyers—including Louis Zamperini and “Pappy” Boyington — at a “torture camp” whose purpose was to gain vital information from inmates and otherwise let them die from malnutrition, disease and abuse. Captain O’Kane became a special target after the Japanese learned of the headlines about the Tang. Against all odds, when the camp was liberated in August 1945, O’Kane, at only 90 pounds, still lived. The following January, Richard O’Kane limped into the White House where President Truman bestowed him with the Medal of Honor.

Tom Clavin is a No. 1 New York Times bestselling author and longtime Sag Harbor resident. He has worked as a newspaper editor, magazine writer, television and radio commentator, and reporter for The New York Times. His numerous awards include honors from the Society of Professional Journalists, the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation, and the National Newspaper Association.

Clavin’s books include the Frontier Lawmen trilogy (“Wild Bill,” “Dodge City” and “Tombstone”), as well as “Blood and Treasure,” “The Last Hill” and “Throne of Grace” (co-written with Bob Drury).

John Jermain Memorial Library is at 201 Main Street in Sag Harbor. For more information about the event, visit johnjermain.org.