Up Periscope provides younger readers an in depth look of the workings of a WWII American submarine. Lt. Ken Braden is fresh out of the US Navy's underwater demolition school and volunteers to undertake a dangerous and important mission in the South Pacific. He is to try and steal a secret radio code from the Japanese on a remote island.

The USS Shark, a submarine just back from a patrol of 57 days, is assigned to take him to his destination. The Shark has to refuel, replenish it's stores and put right back out to sea. Morale on the Shark is shaky at best due to questions regarding the captain's choice to fire torpedoes on a target at over 3 miles (instead of closing in for a better shot). Braden quickly runs afoul of the skipper and the two come to odds against each other.

The book was made into a movie in 1959 starring James Garner.