(1913-2007) WW II Commander of the Submarine Barb and recipient of the Medal of Honor and 4 Navy Crosses, the second highest medal after t He graduated from high school at 15 and from the Naval Academy in 1935. At the start of WW II he commanded the sub Bonita before taking command of the Barb which he commanded from April 1944 to August 1945. The U.S. Joint Army-Navy Assessment Committee credited him with destroying 95,360 tons of Japanese shipping, the highest total of any sub commander in the war. By Admiral Flukey¿s own 10 years of research after the war he put the Barb¿s destruction at 145,000 tons. The military authorities put his number of ships sunk at 16 with taking part in the sinking of two more, putting his total at 17, the fourth highest by any sub commander in the war. Again, Fluckey's own research put the figure at 28 ships and taking part two more putting his total at 29. Fluckey was Awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions off the China Coast between December 1944 until February 1945 with specific action on January 23, 1945. While on its 11 war patrol, the Barb, under Flukey's command and riding above the surface sneaked through mined and rock strew waters into a harbor of Mankwan some 250 miles south of Shanghai and sunk 6 Japanese subs and a large ammunition ship and damaged additional tonnage in a 2 hour running night battle. Four days later he sank a large freighter "to complete a record of historic combat achievement." In the summer of 1945 the Barb became the first American sub armed with rockets and used them to strike at an air station and a factory. On July 23rd with the sub standing 950 yeads off shore eight volunteers aboard two rubber boats and paddled onto Japanese soil on the southern hald of Sakhalin Island under cover of night and planted explosive charges on railroad tracks blowing up a 16-car train. Soon after the war he became an aide to Navy Secretary James Forrestal and Chief of Naval Operations Chester Nimitz. In the 1960s he commanded the submaries in the Pacific and was Director of Naval Intelligence. He retired as a Rear Admiral in 1972. In his book Thunder Below he said the thing he was most proud of that no one under his command was ever killed or received a Purple Heart Signature "Good luck, God bless, Gene Fluckey count your blessings. Skipper USS BARB 5 War patrols, WW II - Medal of Honor and Four Navy Crosses"

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