The Bedford Incident

by Mark Rascovich

This is a novel of the sea, and it is told with a skill that merits comparison with the best. It consists of three The War is the cold war of the 1960’s, but on a little-publicized and bleakly isolated front where opposing naval forces secretly maneuver against each other in the eternally empty reaches of the Arctic Ocean. Here they contest for strategic stakes as vital as those of Berlin or Viet Nam.The Chase is by a modern American destroyer on the track of a Soviet submarine whose mission is to probe NATO defenses based on Greenland. The code-name of this brilliantly elusive submarine is Moby Dick. As the stalking action moves through the lonely vastness of a frozen desolation, some of the fatal obsession which cursed Captain Ahab and his Pequod seems mystically to afflict Captain Erik Finlander, USN, and his USS Bedford .The Battle is finally joined above the algaed hulk of a melancholy victim of one of the last traditional battleship engagements in the North Atlantic. While all the computer-controlled miracle weapons of modern anti-submarine warfare play their part, it is the far more terrifying obstinacy — and weakness — of inflamed human spirit which determines the ultimate outcome of this searing tale.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Thriller, Nautical

384 pages, Unknown Binding

First published March 1, 1964

About the author

Mark Rascovich was born in San Francisco, California. He lived in Europe from the time he was two years old until he was twenty-one. He attended schools in Germany, England, Sweden and Paris, and was graduated from the Sorbonne. His World War II service included three years as a reconnaissance pilot in the Alaskan and African theaters and concluded with transport duty on the North Atlantic. After the war, he was engaged in ocean towing, salvage work, marine research and writing. Mr. Rascovich traveled throughout Europe and the Americas, the Near East and Africa. He held pilot licenses for land and sea aircraft and for watercraft.

Reviews

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent Cold War era thriller. Though the film adaptation is similar to 'Fail-Safe' or 'Dr. Strangelove' the book puts much less emphasis on the nuclear war angle and focuses more on the strain of operating in wartime conditions absent actual armed conflict.

[Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book. This novel tells the story of a high tech US Navy Destroyer in the frozen North Atlantic in a Cold War "battle" against a stealthy Russian submarine. I had seen the movie of the same name a while ago, the story in the book is very different, to the point where it is an entirely different tale. There are good lessons here on resource management, combat readiness, and, most importantly, mission understanding. Though there is a whiff of anti-militarism, it comes from a good place and is more cautionary than degrading. The book demonstrates the way perceptions and experiences play a large part of how we interpret our environment.

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

First good read in a while. Unassuming little gem. 4 star rating for the consistently wondrous descriptions of north atlantic sub arctic sea conditions, life on a battleship, in the navy, you name it. The last 3rd of the book whizzed by as I was caught in its maelstrom.

[Ronald Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Years ago when I was in the Navy I first saw the film Bedford Incident on the deck of a ship in the Mediterranean. A bit scary at the time as we were watching it on the missile deck with the movie showing on a wall. When I saw this book it brought back many memories. The story is the same but there are differences from the film which I found made it even more interesting. With stars like Richard Widmark and Sidney Poitier in the film I figured I would picture them but this was not a distraction at all.

The book is set in the time when the treat of nuclear was was alive and a situation like in the story was certainly possible. It all takes place at sea and had a good grasp of the life of a seaman and the power a commanding officer can have on his crew.

I recommend the book to anyone interested in Navy stories and the movie as well.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Fine Story From The Cold War Era

The movie made from this book was on TV a couple weeks back and after watching it I decided to read the book. To my surprise the local library has a Kindle version of the novel, so I checked it out. The book is a great read. The movie ends quite differently than does the book. Plus, the book gives much more details about the characters than one can learn from the movie. It is a fine cold war yarn that quickly grabbed and held my attention.

[Dan Sturgis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw the Richard Widmark movie years ago and got interested in the book with the Greyhound film. So I got the book and greatly enjoyed it. Interesting story particularly from a cold war perspective. I read both the Good Shepherd (the book that Greyhound is based upon) and the Bedford Incident.

[Chaplain Stanley Chapin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A different time sea story

I never saw the movie, not sure how they filmed ithis was during a time that tensions were high. The accidental sinking of the submarine was more plausible to me than the end.

[John G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The cold war

A brilliant book written in perilous times when the cold war could turn hot in a moment. A cautionary tale we would be wise to remember.

[James Dillon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A classic

A classic novel of the Cold War. But also a great submarine vs destroyer novel. A must read for all.

[Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the story. The ending was aggravating (for me.)

[Jeff Dow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. Combination of Mr. Roberts and The Caine Mutiny.

[Joe Vitucci · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like reading these stories about our world after an EMP. I think most of them are too optimistic, but I like to compare them and see how different they are. This one was a good read.

[Micaiah Foust · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good story, but it was a little on the dry side.
A lot of back story and details leading up to the last 2 rather short chapters.

[RONALD GOVER · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read !!

Thought I saw the movie but was wrong I guess. But the book WOW. Looking for anything else by the author now.

[Ramon4 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a great re-telling of Moby Dick, set in the 1960's cold war era. The story concerns a destroyer in the North Atlantic whose mission is to seek out Russian submarines, and force them to surface. Once the submarines surface, they are photographed, and the game starts again. The problem occurs when one Russian submarine proves to be too elusive, and the Captain of the American destroyer takes it personally, as his own white whale. If you enjoy Tom Clanncy's techo-thrillers, this is an early example of the genre. If you have any Navy experience, I think you'd enjoy this book.

[Chris Gager · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was in the Navy when I read this. Pretty good updating of the "Moby Dick" story. Not necessarily "realistic" but dramatic for sure. The movie's pretty good too. Date read is a guess.

[Andy Lawless · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read date approximate

[Bob · Rating 2 out of 5]

Weak.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was OK, had an interesting ending but otherwise predictable story line.

[Bill Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scary book that almost came true during the Cuban missile crisis
Dry at times but a fast read