The Silent Depths: Beneath the Rising Sun: 2 - Softcover

Hawley, Eric

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1970754044 ISBN 13: 9781970754049

Publisher: Silent Service Publishing House, 2026

Synopsis

Beneath the Rising Sun

A Silent Depths Novel

Peace is only an illusion beneath the Pacific.

Two years after earning his dolphins, Daniel Mason has found his place aboard the USS Pike. The once-uncertain farm boy now moves through the engine room with quiet confidence, his senses tuned to every vibration of steel and sea. The submarine feels alive to him—breathing, listening—and Mason has learned how fragile that life can be.

As Pike transitions from familiar waters to extended Pacific operations, the world beyond the hull grows darker. Radio reports speak of Japanese expansion. Drills intensify. Live torpedoes are loaded “for training.” The Navy prepares for something it refuses to name.

When a critical machinery failure threatens the boat far from help, Mason acts on instinct rather than procedure—saving lives while earning unwanted scrutiny. His rivalry with the ambitious Alan Whitmore reignites, forcing Mason to confront an unspoken truth of Navy life: competence doesn’t always earn credit, and survival often comes without recognition.

Liberty in Hawaii offers brief escape—bars, laughter, and the illusion of normalcy—but even paradise can’t silence the sense that the sea is watching. The quiet feels temporary. The routines feel rehearsed.

Then sealed orders arrive.

As Pike turns west into black water, Mason realizes the peacetime Navy he knew is slipping away. Whatever waits beyond the horizon will demand more than skill to survive.

Beneath the Rising Sun is the second novel in The Silent Depths series—a gripping World War II submarine story of brotherhood, machinery, and the calm before history erupts.

About this title

About the Author

Served in the United States Navy from 1991 to 2013 as a nuclear machinist's mate aboard the submarines USS Florida, USS Jefferson City, and USS Hampton. His years beneath the sea shaped his deep respect for the men who lived and worked in that silent world, a brotherhood few ever see but never forget. Drawing on those experiences, he writes The Silent Depths series to capture not only the history of submarine warfare, but the humanity of those who served, their courage, fear, humor, and endurance. When he's not writing, Eric works as a consultant and engineer and builds live steam model locomotives, blending his love of precision engineering with hands-on craftsmanship. He lives in Snohomish, Washington with his family.

Edition details

• Publisher: Silent Service Publishing House
• Publication date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1970754044
• ISBN 13: 9781970754049
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 292