Descent: The Heroic Discovery of the Abyss

by Bradford Matsen

In The Heroic Discovery of the Abyss, Brad Matsen brings to vivid life the famous deep-sea expeditions of Otis Barton and William Beebe. At a time when no one had traveled deeper than a few hundred feet, they took the world to a half mile down. At the height of the Depression, Beebe and Barton plumbed the depths of the ocean in nothing but a steel sphere, setting two records at it was also the first time a dramatic journey of discovery was broadcast live in America and Europe.

Beebe was an internationally acclaimed naturalist when he became obsessed with oceanography. He had an oceanographic research station on Nonsuch Island off Bermuda and a tug that could launch the craft. Beebe also had the support of many of the
most famous financiers and industrialists of the day, the ability to drum up publicity wherever he went, and connections at the New York
Zoological Society and National Geographic.

Barton was half Beebe’s age and heir to a considerable fortune, and had long dreamed of deep-sea exploration and making his mark on the world as an adventurer. Barton had the engineering skill to design the craft–his idea was simple, yet a steel sphere with thick portholes tethered to a support ship by a steel cable–and he had the wherewithal to build it. Together, Beebe and Barton would achieve what no one had done before–direct observation of life in the blackness of the abyss. But even as they achieved their greatest success, a bitter rift left the two explorers on barely more than speaking terms.

In this vivid narrative history of scientific vision, courage, and adventure, Brad Matsen illuminates the dramatic achievements of Beebe and Barton against the backdrop of the great age of exploration, in a riveting tale of man and nature.

Genres: Science, History, Nonfiction

304 pages, Hardcover

First published April 12, 2005

About the author

Brad Matsen has been writing about wonders of the sea for forty years. He is the author of Jacques Cousteau: The Sea King; Descent: The Heroic Discovery of the Abyss, which was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize in 2006; the New York Times bestseller Titanic's Last Secrets; Planet Ocean: A Story of Life in the Sea; and Dancing to the Fossil Record with artist Ray Troll; the award-winning Incredible Ocean Adventure series for children; and many other books.

He was creative producer for the Shape of Life, an eight-hour National Geographic television series on evolutionary biology, and has written on marine science and the environment for Mother Jones, Audubon, Natural History, and many other magazines.

Reviews

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I became interested, after watching footage of deep-sea creatures, in just how and when mankind managed to find its way to the deep ocean. This book describes the development of the first deep sea craft, and the strained relationship between the two men who built and used it together.

This book is quite informative and not bad at all, but it reads in places as if the author was struggling to write in the current breezy, personal pop-science style (see: Mary Roach). It has flow issues, since he keeps starting chapters with anecdotes and then having to back up for months or years to explain what had happened before. A more straightforward style might have suited this material better.

[Jayne Zanglein · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book about William Beebe and Otis Barton's descent a half-mile into the ocean in a bathysphere in 1934. It explores the volatile relationship between the men and gives the reader an excellent idea of how dangerous the dive was. About half of their descents were fraught with dangers, ranging from leaks and fires, to snapped ropes.

[Kim Zinkowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting story of two adventurous and brave men and their associates. Recommended if one has any interest in exploration and adventure!

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

For anyone who loves PBS specials about deep submersibles, or who wants to go down in a sub themselves, this book is a must. The description of the bathysphere, how small it was, the open trays of chemicals they had to use to scrub the air, is enough to make your hair stand up. Imagining crawling into that thing, and saying "go ahead, drop me a mile down, let's see what happens" just freaks me out. It's a little slow in some places, and you never quite figure out how these guys managed to pay for all this stuff, but the descriptions of what it was like to be in that first sphere lowered past the point where light penetrates, is gripping.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of Wm Beebe and Otis Barton, who made several first-ever dives into the deep ocean. They went to a depth of 3000 feet and lived through each dive. This was in the 1930's and their chances of successfully diving that deep were remote, but they did so by a combination of good engineering, careful planning and plenty of good luck.

[bermudianabroad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gets bogged down in the technical aspects, makes some distracting stylistic choices which screws the pacing over, but it's hard to royally fuck up such a fascinating subject as this. Matsen's strengths lie in his descriptions of the dives themselves. Very vivid and enjoyable.

[Regan Gawan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good historical read

Informative book about the early days of diving. Interesting to learn about the history and the passion inspired bravery of Beebe and Barton. Pioneers in the ocean exploration field.