Widely known for his radio and newspaper dispatches from World War I battlefields, Thomas was immediately successful with this vivid portrait of undersea warfare that included details of the new technology. In his inimitable style, Thomas allows his subjects to tell their stories in their own words, rendering an infinitely interesting look at the challenges of life aboard these early submarines. Their dramatic oral histories tell of von Schweigers's sinking of the Lusitania, the seven U-boat raiders sent to lay mines across the Atlantic and sink merchant ships off the coast of the United States, and other riveting trials and accomplishments of the U-boaters.