On August 13, 1944, the U.S. submarine Flier hit a mine
in the Sulu Sea in the southern Philippines as it steamed
at night on the surface. All but 15 of the crew of more
than 80 went down with the boat. Of the 15 left floating
in the blackness, eight survived by swimming for 17 hours
and washing ashore on an uninhabited island. The story
of the Flier and its eight survivors is wholly unique in
the annals of U.S. military history. They are the only
submariners to survive the sinking of their ship and
evade enemy capture during World War II. Al Jacobson,
a 22-year-old ensign and the son of a Michigan
industrialist, was among the survivors. Elton Brubaker,
18, an enthusiastic but immature high-school dropout from
northern Florida was among the dead. Through the stories
of Jacobson and Brubaker, the tale of the doomed
submarine unfolds as it completes its first patrol,
sinking several enemy ships before berthing in Australia
to give the crew a rest.
