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Chamber Divers: The Untold Story of the D-Day Scientists Who Changed Special Operations Forever
The previously classified story of the eccentric researchers who invented cutting-edge underwater science to lead the Allies to D-Day victory
In August 1942, more than 7,000 Allied troops rushed the beaches of Normandy, France, in an all but-forgotten landing. Only a small fraction survived unscathed. It was two summers before D-Day, and the Allies realized that they were in dire need of underwater intelligence if they wanted to stand a chance of launching another beach invasion and of winning the war.
Led by the controversial biologists J. B. S. Haldane and Dr. Helen Spurway, an ingenious team of ragtag scientists worked out of homemade labs during the London Blitz. Beneath a rain of bombs, they pioneered thrilling advances in underwater reconnaissance through tests done on themselves in painful and potentially fatal experiments. Their discoveries led to the safe use of miniature submarines and breathing apparatuses, which ultimately let the Allies take the beaches of Normandy.
Blast injury specialist Dr. Rachel Lance unpacks the harrowing narratives of these experiments while bringing to life the men and women whose brilliance and self-sacrifice shaped the outcome of the war, including their personal relationships with one another and the ways they faced skepticism and danger in their quest to enable Allied troops to breathe underwater.
The riveting science leading up to D-Day has been classified for generations, but Chamber Divers finally brings these scientists’ stories—and their heroism—to light.
In August 1942, more than 7,000 Allied troops rushed the beaches of Normandy, France, in an all but-forgotten landing. Only a small fraction survived unscathed. It was two summers before D-Day, and the Allies realized that they were in dire need of underwater intelligence if they wanted to stand a chance of launching another beach invasion and of winning the war.
Led by the controversial biologists J. B. S. Haldane and Dr. Helen Spurway, an ingenious team of ragtag scientists worked out of homemade labs during the London Blitz. Beneath a rain of bombs, they pioneered thrilling advances in underwater reconnaissance through tests done on themselves in painful and potentially fatal experiments. Their discoveries led to the safe use of miniature submarines and breathing apparatuses, which ultimately let the Allies take the beaches of Normandy.
Blast injury specialist Dr. Rachel Lance unpacks the harrowing narratives of these experiments while bringing to life the men and women whose brilliance and self-sacrifice shaped the outcome of the war, including their personal relationships with one another and the ways they faced skepticism and danger in their quest to enable Allied troops to breathe underwater.
The riveting science leading up to D-Day has been classified for generations, but Chamber Divers finally brings these scientists’ stories—and their heroism—to light.
447 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 16, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
April 11, 2024
Chamber divers is a well written, well researched story of the previously classified account of a group of scientists whose research went on to help build the technology needed to make underwater military missions successful.
This story weaves the accounts of so many sources into a well written narrative. Knowing the big successes in WWII and how they were ultimately accomplished thanks to science was interesting to learn about. I love stories that reveal the truth about the people who work behind the scenes, finally giving them the credit they deserve.
Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Random House for providing me with a copy of this ARC to review!
This story weaves the accounts of so many sources into a well written narrative. Knowing the big successes in WWII and how they were ultimately accomplished thanks to science was interesting to learn about. I love stories that reveal the truth about the people who work behind the scenes, finally giving them the credit they deserve.
Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Random House for providing me with a copy of this ARC to review!
May 3, 2024
This book is a little bit of a hodge-podge, pulling a plurality of threads together in an attempt to provide a single narrative of the heroism of scientists who put themselves at great risk of injury or death by subjecting themselves to experiments in the interests of advancing their research. And while these various thread reveal some interesting and heroic individuals and shed some light on the importance of this research in the efforts to win WWII, I'm not entirely sure that the end result is as seamless as the author hoped.
The need for first hand, on the ground scouting of beaches ahead of amphibious landings was tragically illustrated by the fiasco of the attempted assault at Dieppe, France in August of 1942. Plans were based on limited and flawed intelligence, which in turn lead to the needless slaughter of troops during the attack. It became clear that a way of stealthily putting men on the beaches during the planning stages would greatly improve the success of future efforts. But the means to accomplish such a goal were initially unclear.
The dangers of exposure to high pressure became clear during the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge, when workers returning to the surface after working on the bridge footings suffered from the "bends" or decompression sickness, caused when the nitrogen dissolved in their tissues while under pressure formed bubbles in their blood and tissues. After it was finally determined that nitrogen was the cause of this condition, divers who were going to significant depths began trying to use pure oxygen, especially if they couldn't count on having time to properly decompress on their assent. But breathing pure oxygen under pressure also causes severe injuries.
Finally, even at normal surface pressures, prolonged exposure to a confined atmosphere, such as in a mini-submarine, increases the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which also carries significant health risks.
In order to better understand all of these effects, and to determine possible solutions to these challenges, a group of brave scientists in England repeatedly subjected themselves to prolonged periods of high pressure in hyperbaric chambers, breathing various combinations of gases, all to determine how long a person could function under the various circumstances, and what mix of gases would minimize the risks. These scientists all suffered significant injuries in these efforts, which lead to improved knowledge and better equipment that ultimately helped the military with a number of issues, including stealth intelligence gathering and the removal of obstacles and explosives from under water.
This book ultimately tries to focus the narrative on the D-Day invasion of Normandy, and culminates with a description of the events of that day. Unfortunately, while the book remains interesting and informative, this narrative arc feels a little forced, and some of the focus and pacing suffer as a result.
The need for first hand, on the ground scouting of beaches ahead of amphibious landings was tragically illustrated by the fiasco of the attempted assault at Dieppe, France in August of 1942. Plans were based on limited and flawed intelligence, which in turn lead to the needless slaughter of troops during the attack. It became clear that a way of stealthily putting men on the beaches during the planning stages would greatly improve the success of future efforts. But the means to accomplish such a goal were initially unclear.
The dangers of exposure to high pressure became clear during the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge, when workers returning to the surface after working on the bridge footings suffered from the "bends" or decompression sickness, caused when the nitrogen dissolved in their tissues while under pressure formed bubbles in their blood and tissues. After it was finally determined that nitrogen was the cause of this condition, divers who were going to significant depths began trying to use pure oxygen, especially if they couldn't count on having time to properly decompress on their assent. But breathing pure oxygen under pressure also causes severe injuries.
Finally, even at normal surface pressures, prolonged exposure to a confined atmosphere, such as in a mini-submarine, increases the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which also carries significant health risks.
In order to better understand all of these effects, and to determine possible solutions to these challenges, a group of brave scientists in England repeatedly subjected themselves to prolonged periods of high pressure in hyperbaric chambers, breathing various combinations of gases, all to determine how long a person could function under the various circumstances, and what mix of gases would minimize the risks. These scientists all suffered significant injuries in these efforts, which lead to improved knowledge and better equipment that ultimately helped the military with a number of issues, including stealth intelligence gathering and the removal of obstacles and explosives from under water.
This book ultimately tries to focus the narrative on the D-Day invasion of Normandy, and culminates with a description of the events of that day. Unfortunately, while the book remains interesting and informative, this narrative arc feels a little forced, and some of the focus and pacing suffer as a result.
April 17, 2024
Informative, but difficult to get into - this was an audiobook that I had to struggle through a bit...
July 4, 2025
This book tells the story of the eccentric researchers who invented the underwater science necessary to lead the Allies to D-day victory. Chief figures were the geneticist JBS Haldane and Dr. Helen Spurway, communist scientists who bucked trends and worked out of homemade lab testing the effects of pressure and gas mixture on human breathing physiology. The tests led to often harmful physical effects, such as nitrogen toxicity or oxygen toxicity, convulsions, collapsed lungs, rashes and were always uncomfortable. The subject of the building of the Brooklyn bridge in 1872, when laborers were submerged well below the East river constructing the caissons which supported the bridge, was part of the intro. Only when the workers reached 50 feet below the surface did the pain take over workers. The stabbing fire left when they returned to the bottom. The deaths began soon after at 60 ft depth. The medical doctor realized that decompression sickness, DCS, was to blame, as nitrogen bubbles lodged in nerves and capillaries. The bulk of the story takes place in the late 1930's, as German jews left for the UK, and were hired by Haldane to serve as test subjects for the gas research. In 1942, the amphibious landing at Dieppe was a disastrous Allied amphibious attack on the German-occupied port of Dieppe in northern France, during the Second World War. Planning for a much larger landing at Normandy was underway, and the navy needed to make sure that underwater scouting in mini-subs, or X-submarines, could make sure no hazards existed. The UK scientists undertook hundreds of experiments to show how long one could survive underwater, if for example, you had to escape a submarine at 90 feet, if something went wrong.
I found the book to be well researched by Rachel Lance, a biomedical engineer. She had a personal interest in the story as she continues to research for the US Navy. Much of the research was cutting edge, as Jacques Cousteau and self-breathing apparatus came later after the war. Much of the success of D-Day goes to the unsung efforts of these ex-Jew scientists from the UK.
I found the book to be well researched by Rachel Lance, a biomedical engineer. She had a personal interest in the story as she continues to research for the US Navy. Much of the research was cutting edge, as Jacques Cousteau and self-breathing apparatus came later after the war. Much of the success of D-Day goes to the unsung efforts of these ex-Jew scientists from the UK.
August 9, 2024
3.25 stars. These scientists used themselves in lab experiments to the point where passing out, vomiting, and seizing were normal occurrences. Several of them had to live together due to the blitz. Some of them were refugees who had previously fled Hitler's regime. Despite difficult circumstances, these people continued their highly difficult and dangerous research because they understood how vital it was to the future of the war. Their dedication is commendable.
That being said, there were several parts in this book that were rather dry and overly detailed. However, I'm glad I persevered, because I learned a lot about an aspect of WWII I hadn't considered before.
That being said, there were several parts in this book that were rather dry and overly detailed. However, I'm glad I persevered, because I learned a lot about an aspect of WWII I hadn't considered before.
November 5, 2024
this is quite the fun read! a vivid portrait of scientists working on a fascinating and urgent quest. i will admit i don’t have a full grasp of the science and i occasionally felt dizzied or overwhelmed by the scale of the book BUT i remain impressed by the author’s thorough research; her ability to contain such a big story; and her enthusiastic and compassionate writing. she does a good job of putting herself in the shoes of individuals as they go out and experience the world.
October 12, 2025
3.7 Stars out of 5
I did not know most of the information on rebreather, or submarines came from Haldane's testing.
One thing I will say about this book is the book is mostly a WW2 book with some information about the testing Haldanes group did on Co2, O2 and Nitrogen effects on the body, I would have liked more information on that and less on the war efforts, but I guess this wasn't a text book it was a story.
I enjoyed the book though.
I did not know most of the information on rebreather, or submarines came from Haldane's testing.
One thing I will say about this book is the book is mostly a WW2 book with some information about the testing Haldanes group did on Co2, O2 and Nitrogen effects on the body, I would have liked more information on that and less on the war efforts, but I guess this wasn't a text book it was a story.
I enjoyed the book though.
May 30, 2024
Strong start, but got weaker and less engaging in the 2nd half. Page count is highly inflated from citations and back matter.
June 1, 2024
It’s incredible the sacrifices these scientists made to help the war effort. And how much of their findings the Army and Navy divers still use today
June 26, 2025
Wikipedia prose. Very confusing and unengaging. Slog to get through. These people deserve to have their story told, but by someone else.
September 16, 2024
Absolutely incredible read about little-known history just declassified in 2001. 10/10 recommend.
June 5, 2023
I was fortunate enough to receive an advance copy of The Chamber Divers, and I can not recommend it highly enough.
With her trademark balance of delicious story-telling, relatable scientific explanations, and good humor, Rachel has crafted an irresistible, gripping story out of a slice of WW2 history only a small number of people know anything about.
This book surpasses any genre you might think you like or don't like - it is for anyone who loves an amazing story, period. You like history? Great. How about science? Definitely. Spy adventures? Eat your heart out, Ian Fleming.
Buy this for yourself, or anyone in your life who loves to laugh, cry, gasp, and stay up with a book that just can't be put down.
With her trademark balance of delicious story-telling, relatable scientific explanations, and good humor, Rachel has crafted an irresistible, gripping story out of a slice of WW2 history only a small number of people know anything about.
This book surpasses any genre you might think you like or don't like - it is for anyone who loves an amazing story, period. You like history? Great. How about science? Definitely. Spy adventures? Eat your heart out, Ian Fleming.
Buy this for yourself, or anyone in your life who loves to laugh, cry, gasp, and stay up with a book that just can't be put down.
December 27, 2024
What:
====
The book gives us very detailed background on a particular set of scientists and their work during World War 2. Specifically, these are the people that worked out the key data needed to allow humans to be effective doing extended tasks underwater. The war would demand tasks such as: surviving a submarine disaster, scouting an enemy beach, underwater demolition of obstacles, removing underwater mines or booby traps.
Every SEAL or other underwater special forces diver in the world is to this day leveraging information that was dangerously and painfully worked out during WWII, typically by self experiment of the researchers on themselves. (The Nazi’s used non-volunteers for a portion of their work).
Serious trending to fatal problems like the “bends” (decompression sickness - identified since the mid 1800s bridge building experiences with pressurized caissons.), nitrogen narcosis and oxygen toxicity all had to be understood and managed - typically by experiments in barometric pressure chambers.
Also, how close to explosions can you be under-water and not be seriously injured? What can be done to protect divers in the water too close to explosions? These became very pressing questions in the early 1940s.
The real tension between ‘how far do I need to be away when this explodes’ vs ‘how quickly can I come to the surface w/o having the bends kill me’ becomes daily life and death for demolition divers.
The book centers mostly on a set of British researchers (though many key contributors were in fact European refugees escaping Hitler) led by JBS Haldane.
Gets four stars because it presents so much information so well.
Some High Points:
==============
I knew very little about this science or the particulars of how it was developed. A lot of entirely new information for me is revealed by this book.
The success of the Italian Navy, which was very much ahead of the British when it came to frogmen and their equipment, was news to me.
We get a lot of the real sense of some of these scientists. Haldane was a very strange and difficult person.
Reasons to Read:
==============
The book is quite readable - not an easy feat to achieve given the complexity of the problems being worked on and the strange cast of characters.
Previous reading made me aware of the bends and other pressure and decompression issues, but I didn’t have much insight about how these problems had been reduced or eliminated. As it turns out, very formally and very rigorously in many cases.
The book provides a solid background in the problems of underwater work for the war.
The footnotes are extensive and detailed. We don’t have to take the author’s word as is - the references are all there.
You can’t help but admire the intensity of the work done by these researchers. This wasn’t being brave for a day – this was suffering over and over with some 500+ experiments!
Reasons to Skip
==============
The author is very anxious that we understand just how much of the credit for the work done was misappropriated by others. There’s a bit more “this bureaucrat or military officer was clearly a villain” flavor in the writing here than I expect to see in a historical work. Since a major thesis of the book is that many of those who should be rightfully praised for their amazing work and risk of injury and death (and especially a number of women) were instead pushed off the page of history, we should expect some of that. Still, it can be a bit jarring.
Most of the book is centered around the UCL research team - none of the others covered seem nearly as well detailed as Haldane and his group. That made the others seem a bit tossed in - which I don’t think is the best result.
There’s a lot of discussion of the physiology of pressure gains and losses on the human body. Some of the researchers are injured for life in trying to understand what would be safe or not for divers. There may be more seizures, vomiting and such described than you want to read about.
====
The book gives us very detailed background on a particular set of scientists and their work during World War 2. Specifically, these are the people that worked out the key data needed to allow humans to be effective doing extended tasks underwater. The war would demand tasks such as: surviving a submarine disaster, scouting an enemy beach, underwater demolition of obstacles, removing underwater mines or booby traps.
Every SEAL or other underwater special forces diver in the world is to this day leveraging information that was dangerously and painfully worked out during WWII, typically by self experiment of the researchers on themselves. (The Nazi’s used non-volunteers for a portion of their work).
Serious trending to fatal problems like the “bends” (decompression sickness - identified since the mid 1800s bridge building experiences with pressurized caissons.), nitrogen narcosis and oxygen toxicity all had to be understood and managed - typically by experiments in barometric pressure chambers.
Also, how close to explosions can you be under-water and not be seriously injured? What can be done to protect divers in the water too close to explosions? These became very pressing questions in the early 1940s.
The real tension between ‘how far do I need to be away when this explodes’ vs ‘how quickly can I come to the surface w/o having the bends kill me’ becomes daily life and death for demolition divers.
The book centers mostly on a set of British researchers (though many key contributors were in fact European refugees escaping Hitler) led by JBS Haldane.
Gets four stars because it presents so much information so well.
Some High Points:
==============
I knew very little about this science or the particulars of how it was developed. A lot of entirely new information for me is revealed by this book.
The success of the Italian Navy, which was very much ahead of the British when it came to frogmen and their equipment, was news to me.
We get a lot of the real sense of some of these scientists. Haldane was a very strange and difficult person.
Reasons to Read:
==============
The book is quite readable - not an easy feat to achieve given the complexity of the problems being worked on and the strange cast of characters.
Previous reading made me aware of the bends and other pressure and decompression issues, but I didn’t have much insight about how these problems had been reduced or eliminated. As it turns out, very formally and very rigorously in many cases.
The book provides a solid background in the problems of underwater work for the war.
The footnotes are extensive and detailed. We don’t have to take the author’s word as is - the references are all there.
You can’t help but admire the intensity of the work done by these researchers. This wasn’t being brave for a day – this was suffering over and over with some 500+ experiments!
Reasons to Skip
==============
The author is very anxious that we understand just how much of the credit for the work done was misappropriated by others. There’s a bit more “this bureaucrat or military officer was clearly a villain” flavor in the writing here than I expect to see in a historical work. Since a major thesis of the book is that many of those who should be rightfully praised for their amazing work and risk of injury and death (and especially a number of women) were instead pushed off the page of history, we should expect some of that. Still, it can be a bit jarring.
Most of the book is centered around the UCL research team - none of the others covered seem nearly as well detailed as Haldane and his group. That made the others seem a bit tossed in - which I don’t think is the best result.
There’s a lot of discussion of the physiology of pressure gains and losses on the human body. Some of the researchers are injured for life in trying to understand what would be safe or not for divers. There may be more seizures, vomiting and such described than you want to read about.
February 26, 2024
My thank to both NetGalley and the publisher Penguin Group- Dutton for an advance copy of this book that looks at the scientists and inventors who helped the allied war effort in World War II with discoveries about surviving both in the sky, and underwater, and whose efforts have been mainly forgotten, or pushed aside.
For a person who loved science fiction, I was not into science when I was in school. I think I was in college and reading history that I began to notice the importance of science and technology in many key events. Especially in war. However while there would be pages about people using this technology, there would be just a paragraph, maybe, describing, how this technology was developed. People reading about war don't want to read about nerds experimenting on each other, sometimes at great pressure. Or drawing on skills used to study genetics and bugs to find out how to go to deeper depths of escaping detection. However without them, the face of war would have been quite different. Chamber Divers: The Untold Story of the D-Day Scientists Who Changed Special Operations Forever by Rachel Lance is a look at a group of thinkers, men and women, who put themselves to the test to develop ways to help England fight in World War II, methods that are still used today.
The book begin with a a disaster, the 1942 raid on the French town of Dieppe by Canadian and English troops. This invasion was a half-hearted affair, meant mainly to appease Stalin, and cost the lives of many, many Allied troops. The lesson learned from this was that without proper reconnaissance of beaches, man and material could be trapped off shore, targets to picked off by enemy forces. From here we meet the scientists who had been working on problems, like designing suits to breath underwater, to deal with problems that develop from nitrogen and oxygen. And what better test patients than themselves. The people are a mixed group, scientists with a long standing interest in gases, Communism, and fighting for what tey believed in. Women, some who were refugees, some with the courage to fight every convention that science laid before them. What united them was a thirst for knowledge and a bravery to try everything they though of on themselves. Testing oxygen systems in pressure chambers. Setting explosives off in water. All to gain knowledge for the battles that were sure to be coming.
A book that is a great mix of science, military history and human persistance, and even humanity stupidity. Books that an convey a odd scientist, the pain of the bends, even an explanation of what the bends are, and lots of military action, are few and far between. Lance explain the science, the importance of what was needed, plus scenes using the technology that were riveting. However it all comes down to the human factor, and Lance excels. The small stories, the aches, the pains the burst lungs that many of these people had to live with, after testing in the pressure chamber. The easy way there achievements were forgotten, and the fact that they never shared them with their family out of a sense of duty. The is a rich book filled with a lot of fascinating stories, ideas, acts of bravery, and foolhardiness.
Recommended for science lovers and people who love to read about technology in war. Also for people who like to read stories about people who thought about others first, risking life and limb to find ways to stop evil from coming to their shores. A great book for Father's Day or really any day.
For a person who loved science fiction, I was not into science when I was in school. I think I was in college and reading history that I began to notice the importance of science and technology in many key events. Especially in war. However while there would be pages about people using this technology, there would be just a paragraph, maybe, describing, how this technology was developed. People reading about war don't want to read about nerds experimenting on each other, sometimes at great pressure. Or drawing on skills used to study genetics and bugs to find out how to go to deeper depths of escaping detection. However without them, the face of war would have been quite different. Chamber Divers: The Untold Story of the D-Day Scientists Who Changed Special Operations Forever by Rachel Lance is a look at a group of thinkers, men and women, who put themselves to the test to develop ways to help England fight in World War II, methods that are still used today.
The book begin with a a disaster, the 1942 raid on the French town of Dieppe by Canadian and English troops. This invasion was a half-hearted affair, meant mainly to appease Stalin, and cost the lives of many, many Allied troops. The lesson learned from this was that without proper reconnaissance of beaches, man and material could be trapped off shore, targets to picked off by enemy forces. From here we meet the scientists who had been working on problems, like designing suits to breath underwater, to deal with problems that develop from nitrogen and oxygen. And what better test patients than themselves. The people are a mixed group, scientists with a long standing interest in gases, Communism, and fighting for what tey believed in. Women, some who were refugees, some with the courage to fight every convention that science laid before them. What united them was a thirst for knowledge and a bravery to try everything they though of on themselves. Testing oxygen systems in pressure chambers. Setting explosives off in water. All to gain knowledge for the battles that were sure to be coming.
A book that is a great mix of science, military history and human persistance, and even humanity stupidity. Books that an convey a odd scientist, the pain of the bends, even an explanation of what the bends are, and lots of military action, are few and far between. Lance explain the science, the importance of what was needed, plus scenes using the technology that were riveting. However it all comes down to the human factor, and Lance excels. The small stories, the aches, the pains the burst lungs that many of these people had to live with, after testing in the pressure chamber. The easy way there achievements were forgotten, and the fact that they never shared them with their family out of a sense of duty. The is a rich book filled with a lot of fascinating stories, ideas, acts of bravery, and foolhardiness.
Recommended for science lovers and people who love to read about technology in war. Also for people who like to read stories about people who thought about others first, risking life and limb to find ways to stop evil from coming to their shores. A great book for Father's Day or really any day.
May 5, 2024
Written documentary of how the science of diving evolved
The book is a riveting combination of mind blowing facts tied with real human stories and experiences. It will be especially captivating for those that do enjoy diving and are even a little curious about all the rules and limits of diving. Remembering the rigid rules and safe limits of diving being taught by good instructors nowadays, I’m left speechless when I read how those limits were determined.
This book is a historical insight into how the world of diving as we know it today came about and told mostly in the context the first half of the 20th century, mostly around WW2. Therefore it also describes the conditions in great detail.
I know that the authors goal was to add the human aspect into the story and I think she did a wonderful job paying tribute to the scientists, regular civilians and soldiers and crediting the true authors of scientific discoveries. That however can sometimes get tedious depending on what mood you’re in, so be prepared for that in case you’re prone to want to get to the juicy details.
Some scenes in the book feel like straight out of an intense spy or war movie. Which I hope someone makes based on this book
The book is a riveting combination of mind blowing facts tied with real human stories and experiences. It will be especially captivating for those that do enjoy diving and are even a little curious about all the rules and limits of diving. Remembering the rigid rules and safe limits of diving being taught by good instructors nowadays, I’m left speechless when I read how those limits were determined.
This book is a historical insight into how the world of diving as we know it today came about and told mostly in the context the first half of the 20th century, mostly around WW2. Therefore it also describes the conditions in great detail.
I know that the authors goal was to add the human aspect into the story and I think she did a wonderful job paying tribute to the scientists, regular civilians and soldiers and crediting the true authors of scientific discoveries. That however can sometimes get tedious depending on what mood you’re in, so be prepared for that in case you’re prone to want to get to the juicy details.
Some scenes in the book feel like straight out of an intense spy or war movie. Which I hope someone makes based on this book
May 12, 2024
I would divide this book into 3 parts. The first section was the story of the scientists who did a lot of work on figuring out how to allow people to escape from submarines without getting the bends. This naturally led to how to allow people to swim underwater, particularly to recon enemy beaches. The scientists, pressed on by the war, run all sorts of risks, take their lives in their hands, but provide very valuable information that is still used today.
Part 2 is where the scientists are shunted aside. This section, to me, is not as well told as the first part. The issue of the politics of the scientists, which created worries of espionage, is glossed over. I found this interesting since this is the same British establishment that allowed 5 Soviet spies to rise to high ranks in their spy networks. Rather than directly state why the establishment turned against them I found this section nebulous.
Part 3 talks well, about the results of the research and its effects on the ending of WWII. Of particular interest is the efforts of the Underwater Demolition Teams in paving the way for the D-Day invasions.
I enjoyed most of the book, and particularly enjoyed the dedication.
Part 2 is where the scientists are shunted aside. This section, to me, is not as well told as the first part. The issue of the politics of the scientists, which created worries of espionage, is glossed over. I found this interesting since this is the same British establishment that allowed 5 Soviet spies to rise to high ranks in their spy networks. Rather than directly state why the establishment turned against them I found this section nebulous.
Part 3 talks well, about the results of the research and its effects on the ending of WWII. Of particular interest is the efforts of the Underwater Demolition Teams in paving the way for the D-Day invasions.
I enjoyed most of the book, and particularly enjoyed the dedication.
June 12, 2024
(Audiobook) This work looks at some of the behind-the-scenes actions that help the Allies in their conflict against the Nazis. In particular, the work looks at how the Allies developed their underwater demolition efforts. It is an analysis in scientific study, military weapons advancement, personal struggles and a lot of stories and items long-hidden behind classification and forgotten stories. Much of the emphasis looks at the British efforts, but American inputs are also accounted for. As much as it is a history of World War II special activities, there is an argument that this work offers a history of what modern special operations units across the world engage in, especially for underwater and littoral activities.
This was a part of the war I knew little about and one that a reader should gain a lot of knowledge and information about. Was it really as critical to the success to the war? Could debate some elements, but they played their role, and perhaps it would be their eventual contributions to modern special operations. The rating is the same regardless of format.
This was a part of the war I knew little about and one that a reader should gain a lot of knowledge and information about. Was it really as critical to the success to the war? Could debate some elements, but they played their role, and perhaps it would be their eventual contributions to modern special operations. The rating is the same regardless of format.
June 9, 2024
Finished Chamber Divers: The Untold Story of the D-Day Scientists Who Changed Special Operations Forever by Rachel Lance. Rachel Lance is a PhD biomedical engineer, Professor of Anesthesiology at Duke and a great writer of non fiction. It is timely that so close to the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landing, I came upon this terrific book about the research conducted by the noted British scientist, JBS Haldane and his team that revolutionized the understanding of air mixture in diving. Performing experiments upon themselves as part of secret research for the British Admiralty, they developed oxogen ratios that permitted lengthy underwater diving at ocean depths that enable underwater demolition and reconnaissance teams to map the D-Day Landing sites. This work was top secret and not declassified until 2001. Yet one more example of the team effort that went into the Allied landings from dedicated people who received no credit in their lifetime.
May 25, 2025
Wow, what a really fascinating read. 4.3 Stars.
If you’re interested in diving, or the science of diving, or a unique lens on WW2, this is such a neat book.
Essentially the story of a quirky scientist (whose father wrote the science for diving safety stops to prevent DCS, and is the originator of the “canary in the coal mine”) who led research for the British Admiralty in WW2 to understand how to enable safe diving practices that ultimately helped lay the groundwork for the Normandy invasion. What makes this story even more interesting is that many of the researchers were Jewish refugees brought to the UK by JBS Haldane.
My main critique and reason for not 5 stars is the author tended to wander off topic throughout. At times, the branch of topics were relevant, such as the chapter dedicated to the building of the brooklyn bridge and how the beginnings of broad awareness around DCS. But other times felt rambling and completely off track.
If you’re interested in diving, or the science of diving, or a unique lens on WW2, this is such a neat book.
Essentially the story of a quirky scientist (whose father wrote the science for diving safety stops to prevent DCS, and is the originator of the “canary in the coal mine”) who led research for the British Admiralty in WW2 to understand how to enable safe diving practices that ultimately helped lay the groundwork for the Normandy invasion. What makes this story even more interesting is that many of the researchers were Jewish refugees brought to the UK by JBS Haldane.
My main critique and reason for not 5 stars is the author tended to wander off topic throughout. At times, the branch of topics were relevant, such as the chapter dedicated to the building of the brooklyn bridge and how the beginnings of broad awareness around DCS. But other times felt rambling and completely off track.
May 2, 2024
The story of how scientists figured out how much oxygen a person can tolerate at varying pressures, when does nitrogen become a problem, how much carbon dioxide can a person tolerate and several related questions, mostly focusing on the British efforts in the run up to WW2. It also included a small amount about the study of the ability to tolerate explosion shock wave blast while under water.
This study was desperately needed due to the presence of enemy underwater activity: submarines, mines, barriers, etc. And this desparation caused the scientists to do unbelievably dangerous tests on themselves.
While the book was interesting, my mid-level rating is because she went way off topic too much. She gave a full bio of any person who got introduced even as peripherally involved. She went into great detail about the D-Day invasion, well beyond what the topic of the book covered.
This study was desperately needed due to the presence of enemy underwater activity: submarines, mines, barriers, etc. And this desparation caused the scientists to do unbelievably dangerous tests on themselves.
While the book was interesting, my mid-level rating is because she went way off topic too much. She gave a full bio of any person who got introduced even as peripherally involved. She went into great detail about the D-Day invasion, well beyond what the topic of the book covered.
September 16, 2024
This book is about the scientists who did research on how humans could stay under water and remain able to be alert as well as survive. It gives background on when it was discovered that man had problems returning from depths where water pressure was much greater and then goes into the period just before World War II and the early period of the war where the British military wanted to learn how better to make escaping from submarines more likely. The research paved the way for the Allies to be able to use underwater men to investigate the landing beaches in Europe to show where they should land and also to remove underwater obstacles. I thought the story dragged in a couple of places and that kept me from giving it more stars.
July 17, 2024
In Chamber Divers, Rachel Lance tells two stories. First, the story of the scientists who enabled safe underwater operations. Prior to their research, underwater workers risked the bends, seizures, and death. Second, she exposed the men who stole credit from women who were “under-titled and underpaid.” A fascinating story of science and scientists, but I wish she’d been more enraged by the mistreatment of those women.
For my extended notes: https://1book42day.blogspot.com/2024/...
Check out https://amazon.com/shop/influencer-20... for Omega Cats Press books and book recommendations.
For my extended notes: https://1book42day.blogspot.com/2024/...
Check out https://amazon.com/shop/influencer-20... for Omega Cats Press books and book recommendations.
January 20, 2025
CHAMBER DIVERS is a book about just how total a total war gets--a war in which everyone, even a com-symp geneticist with less-than-modern ideas about the role of women in the scientific enterprise--can play a part. Lance's focus is on the strange coterie of scientists and refugees who extended the boundaries of science in hyperbaric chambers, trying to determine just what tolerances of the human body can stand underwater. While not as compelling as IN THE WAVES, her brilliant dissection of what happened to the Confederate submarine HUNLEY, CHAMBER DIVERS is spirited, wide-ranging non-fiction, featuring quiet heroes seeking scientific truth as much as victory.
June 25, 2024
I really appreciated the author's work on making sure that the individual scientists, especially the women, were credited for their diving work. I found several parts of this book really interesting, especially the decompression sickness research at the beginning, and the research on the impact of force/explosions underwater. I think this book would have been a bit more improved with a stronger narrative structure as the D-Day climax part of the story felt much less about the diving and more about the progression of the war. Regardless it was a fun, interesting read.
October 5, 2024
Story of the wartime researches of J.B.S. Haldane & associates, mostly Jewish refugees from Nazi dominated Europe during WWII for the purpose of solving problems related to underwater human survival. This is an interesting & very well-researched account of unusual personalities & situations. The modes of scientific research & sociological issues of the time & place are also topics of major interest. The book could have been better written but still stands as a worthwhile piece of non-fiction literature & as a remembrance of important & noteworthy individuals.
April 28, 2024
every diver or lover of diving should read this book
As a certified scuba instructor with 64 years experience in diving, I found this very very informative of the history of diving Gas. Remembering the early days of scuba equipment, two hose regulators and converted fire extinguisher air tanks it was very interesting hearing these earliest days stories. And the reference and research in the book I find awesome.
As a certified scuba instructor with 64 years experience in diving, I found this very very informative of the history of diving Gas. Remembering the early days of scuba equipment, two hose regulators and converted fire extinguisher air tanks it was very interesting hearing these earliest days stories. And the reference and research in the book I find awesome.
May 3, 2024
As a scuba diver, I had heard of Haldane, but not how he and the men and women scientists in his group used themselves as lab rats to determine how and why decompression illness and oxygen toxicity happens to divers. Because of their work, I use dive table and dive computers to keep me safe. The book also is a fascinating exploration of the development of underwater military operations and how critical that new approach was to the success of D-Day.
June 11, 2024
Fascinating account of the development of underwater rebreathers
For a short time, around 1980, I was a US Navy deep sea diver. Much of the development of our decompression methods was based on the work these scientists did for us.
I can personally attest that the risks taken by these men and women were most extraordinary.
For a short time, around 1980, I was a US Navy deep sea diver. Much of the development of our decompression methods was based on the work these scientists did for us.
I can personally attest that the risks taken by these men and women were most extraordinary.
June 20, 2024
WW2 research by a team of self proclaimed misfits and refugees into breathing under water. Irreverent and almost chatty at times. The sarcastic Acknowledgment is a perfect way to cap off this book. I agree with some of the commentators that book was a bit too long and too scattered. 3.5 rounded up.
July 6, 2024
I've enjoyed it, been enlightened with details. However I'd agree with a couple of other reviews - it was not a concise as I'd like, a bit hard to become engaged with the audiobook and typically the blurbs enticements to sell the book are generally overblown. I so appreciate a personal opinion, blunt, to the point.
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