Twenty Million Tons Under the Sea: The Daring Capture of the U-505

“Terrific… the first-hand story of Uncle Sam’s U-Boat killers.” — Chicago Daily News


“The only thing that really frightened me during the war was the U-boat peril. . . .” — Winston Churchill

German U-Boats were causing havoc for the Allied fleets across the oceans of the world.

The Battle of the Atlantic had been ongoing since the beginning of the war and the Royal Navy, United States Navy and Allied merchant shipping were taking heavy casualties against these underwater terrors.

The U-505 had been launched on 25 May 1941.

Over the next three years she went on to sink a total of eight ships.

But the upper hand that once had been held by U-Boats was beginning to weaken and tide began to turn in favor of the Allied navies.

Daniel Gallery, in his brilliant memoir, explains how he led Task Group 21.12 in the battle against the U-Boat threat.

Commanding the USS Guadalcanal he led his crew to sink three of these menacing submarines, but his greatest achievement was to capture the U-505 off the coast of Africa.

He was the first American officer to capture an enemy warship since the War of 1812, and this victory gave the United States Navy not only a great victory but also the codebooks, Enigma machine and other secret materials found on board critically assisted the Allied codebreakers.

“Excellent in several ways: it provides a fine quick survey of the whole Atlantic war, it describes the operation of the German U-boat service, and, most dramatically, it tells how an American task force under Admiral Gallery achieved the unique feat of capturing a German submarine.” — Publishers’ Weekly

“One of the best non-fiction books about World War II.” — Raleigh News & Observer

“One of the war’s most exciting memoirs.” — Chicago News

“A first-rate adventure tale…suspense and excitement told with a seaman’s salty zest…excellent reading.” — Chicago Sunday Tribune

“A masterful job that merits the attention of every lover of sea stories.” — Pittsburgh Press

“Brimming with thrills.” — Philadelphia News

“An engrossing tale. . . . Pungent, entertaining, informative.” — Navy Times

“A humdinger of a sea story … a highly readable book, trimmed from stem to stern with the writer’s irrepressible sense of humor.” — Chicago Sunday Times

Daniel V. Gallery was a rear admiral in the United States Navy. He saw extensive action during World War II, fighting U-boats during the Battle of the Atlantic. After the war, Gallery was a prolific author of fiction and non-fiction. Twenty Million Tons Under the Sea was originally published in 1956 and he passed away in 1977.