Torpedo Junction Discussion Questions
- Why do you think the United States was so unprepared to fight the U-boats? Was there something about the personalities of the U-boat commanders that made them so successful?
- What do you think of the author’s idea to use the Dione as his touchstone, to always come back to that little cutter? (Note: I made that decision early into the writing and research. The Dione kept turning up in nearly every after-action report around Cape Hatteras. Gradually, it dawned on me that Captain Alger and her crew were the unsung heroes of the battle).
- Do you see a connection between the sinking of the Jacob Jones and the subsequent sinking of the U-85? Why do you think Captain Howe reacted as he did after the U-85 had been sunk?
- Kaleun Rathke of the U-352 did not seem to be cut from the same cloth as the other U-boat commanders. Was he unlucky or was he inept? Did he have a right to be angry after the Icarus sank him and shot up his crew?
- Why do you think Captain Alger and his crew stayed out on that sea of death?
- What do you think actually defeated the U-boats? Was it the bravery of the Americans or was it the more prosaic convoys and aircraft patrols? Or was it something inherently wrong with the German strategy?
Note: This very real back-story is the basis for my novel The Keeper’s Son. I hope you will enjoy reading this book also!