Today is the birthday of Rear Admiral Eugene Bennett Fluckey, known as “Lucky Fluckey,” who died in 2007 at the age of 94.   In addition to having one of the truly great nicknames,  he was one of the greatest submarine skippers of World War II, winning the Congressional Medal of Honor and four Navy Crosses among other honors.  As commander of the USS Barb, Lucky Fluckey is credited with the most tonnage sunk by a U.S. skipper during World War II: 17 ships including a carrier, cruiser, and frigate.  He also commanded the sole landing by U.S. military forces on the Japanese home islands during World War II, when he sent a  landing party ashore to blow up a coastal railway line, destroying a 16-car train.  Fluckey also inventing the night convoy attack from astern by joining the flank escort line.   Fluckey latter described his World War II operations in Thunder Below!: The USS *Barb* Revolutionizes Submarine Warfare in World War II.   He wrote: “Though the tally shows more shells, bombs, and depth charges fired at Barb, no one received the Purple Heart and Barb came back alive, eager, and ready to fight again.”