Click on cover image to purchase a copy
MWSA Review
Redfish by Arthur Michael Hibner is a biography of the author’s father, Arthur Francis Hibner, who served as a submariner on the USS Redfish, a Balao class submarine in World War II.
Redfish is a thorough account of the senior Hibner’s naval service, especially in the waters surrounding Japan and the Philippines. Certainly a treasure for his family, this book illustrates the unforgettable character of the author’s father, who accepted any challenge the Navy gave him and exceeded all expectations. Throughout the Pacific, Senior Hibner was not only known for his performance as Third Class Torpedoman but also as the best coffee maker in the fleet.
Review by Nancy Panko
Author's Synopsis
Arthur Francis Hibner, a high school senior from a small town in northern New Mexico, is drafted into the Navy during WWII. He goes to San Diego Naval Training Center for boot camp, then to BESS (Basic Enlisted Submarine School) in Groton, Connecticut, where he learns the basics for survival on submarines, then becomes a plank holder on the newly constructed Balao class submarine, Redfish, USS SS-395.
Though Redfish and crew spent only six months in hostile waters surrounding Japan and the Philippines, they made the most of their time and wreaked havoc on the Imperial Japanese Navy and Japanese supply shipping.
Third Class Torpedoman’s Mate Hibner relates the two epic patrols of Redfish, and its harrowing escape from the fury of three escorting destroyers after the sinking of the aircraft carrier Unryu.
Format(s) for review: Paper Only
Review genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography
Pages/Word count: 159 / 67,500