An American Hero Passes On

Retired Navy Rear Admiral Eugene B. Fluckey passed on this week. Fluckey was the most aggressive and successful submarine commander during WW II. His boat, USS Barb (SS-220), was credited with the most tonnage sunk during World War II: 85 ships including a carrier, cruiser, and frigate. Here is a short account of the events which earned the BARB the nickname "The Sub That Sank a Train:"

In one of the stranger incidents in the war, Fluckey sent a landing party ashore to set demolition charges on a coastal railway line, which destroyed a 16-car train. This was the sole landing by U.S. military forces on the Japanese home islands during World War II.

Rest in Peace Admiral, the watch has been relieved.