Descent Into Darkness: Pearl Harbor, 1941: A Navy Diver's Memoir

by Edward C. Raymer

A memoir detailing the salvage operations performed at Pearl Harbor after the Arizona , Oklahoma , and Utah were sunk by the Japanese. Raymer, chief diver during the operations, describes the rescue attempts and the eery diving expeditions made to recover war material. The combination of working in the dark with sharks, floating human bodies, and under threat from Japanese attack above make the story compelling, a combination between Stephen King and Hermann Wouk. No index or bibliography. Includes photographs. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Memoir, World War II, Military Fiction, War, Military History

214 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1996

Reviews

[JD · Rating 3 out of 5]

Average memoir about one of the navy divers sent to help with the salvage of the sunken battleships in Pearl Harbor after the Japanese attack. There are some insightful bits about the diving and salvaging itself, but there is a lot about these young men looking for a party and chasing girls. There is also a brief interlude when the author went to Guadalcanal with the salvage ship USS Seminole and saw action there for a few months before returning again to Pearl Harbor. Not highly recommended as the author makes it sound as if he was the brains behind the salvaging operation and always knew better than the rest.

[Eric Byrd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grisly and surreal. Japanese bombers turned the US Battle Fleet - several spic-and-span warships of state, so clean under a tropical sun shining through white deck awnings - into labyrinthine tombs, zones of industrial disaster, poison pockets of chemical menace. Also, as sites of mass carnage, these wrecks shat on the democratic conceit of individuated sailors as sons of families and hopeful citizens - "Join the Navy, Learn a Trade"- and the religious conceit of a named headstone over identified remains. Raymer and the other divers worked in total darkness, felt their way in an oily murk; they were guided by topside tenders explaining the lucid ship's plans through the helmet phones; they risked their lives in every descent to make working, personal surveys of the collapsed decks, the bubbles of explosive gases, the jagged traumas of metal, the clusters of bloated bodies being eaten by crabs, and the absurdly comical bricolage of debris. And, of course, they recovered tons upon tons of shells and still-usable equipment, and righted and dewatered the salvageable ships (there's a war on, you know, and every bullet counts). Raymer is often funny, ribald; he doesn't pretend he and his team weren't also twenty-one year olds thinking of pussy and booze. He describes youthful insouciance and antic shore liberty with nice dirty immediacy, but also describes the daily work so finely that the shadows of later reflection fall just where they should.

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

This memoir tells the story of this Navy Diver and his work in salvaging and repairing the damaged ships in Pearl Harbor after the Dec. 7, 1941 attack by the Japanese. He also talks about his crew and his time spent in Guadalcanal. Descent Into Darkness is an appropriate title for the book, as the water in Pearl Harbor was pitch black. I never knew all this about the work that went on after the attack. Although the book was published in 1996 and Cdr. Raymer died in 1997, the book is absolutely worth reading.

[Corto · Rating 5 out of 5]

After I started this book, it occurred to me that I'd never been even remotely curious as to what Pearl Harbor was like immediately after the attacks on December 7th. This book gives an account of what conditions were like in Pearl from the perspective of a salvage diver tasked with assessing the conditions of the ships that were attacked, as well as preparing them for being raised and refitted if possible. Beyond that, the author gives an account of his experiences doing salvage work (and an ad hoc PT boat mission) in the South Pacific theater of operations.

Admittedly this book sat on my shelf for years, until my interest in undersea salvage work was recently piqued. The book was gripping, and I tore through it. Aside from some technical exposition, there were very powerful and poignant vignettes about the dangers of salvaging these ships and the experience of war at sea and on the islands of the South Pacific. I recommend it for anyone interested in maritime or naval history.

[Lindsay (LindsayReads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm just going to go ahead and let you know that this is one of my favorite books of 2017! Ok, so let me tell you what it about. Descent Into Darkness is the memoir of Commander Edward C. Raymer where he describes his time as a Navy Salvage Diver assigned to help raise the battleships sunk during the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. The story begins right before the attack, when Raymer signs up for diver training and follows the young sailor through the raising of the battleships and his experiences during the campaign in the Solomon Islands.

This story has been on my TBR for a long time. And by a long time, I mean 3 to 4 years. Descent Into Darkness is my husband's favorite book and he has been asking me to read it since he first picked it up. Sadly, I was just burned out on nonfiction thanks to years of grad school, and despite being interested in the subject since I am a military history nerd and an experienced scuba diver, I just couldn't pick it up. Thankfully, Mike decided we were going to listen to it on our way back from celebrating New Years in Texas, and I was hooked within the first thirty minutes!

The narrative style is fluid and leaves readers feeling as if they are sharing a beer with Raymer while he tells his war stories. The prose is detailed and the descriptions of diving operations are detailed enough to keep experienced divers enthralled but also presented in layman's terms which make the procedures understandable and relatable for those with little to no knowledge diving or salvage operations. Descent Into Darkness also provides a detailed look at life on Hawaii in the wake of the attack as Raymer includes plenty of hilarious antics as he and his team members managed to find enjoyment in a dangerous job and survive an island in the throws of prohibition.

I do provide a warning for readers. First, this is a story about sailors in their early twenties stuck on an island where there were far more men than women, and Raymer shares the sexual antics of his team. Also, be prepared to read about the realities of war. Yes Raymer has a humorous and lighthearted writing style, but you must remember there were men on those ships when the harbor was attacked. The divers do encounter bodies of fallen comrades and Raymer does not dance around the realities of working in these conditions. I found his honest approach refreshing and educational, especially in a time where harsh truths are glossed over for the sake of peoples feelings and the demands of political correctness. This is a real account, with real stories, where young men willingly risk their lives to do a job. It is everything I love about a good nonfiction piece.

I recommend Descent Into Darkness to everyone, but especially to anyone interested in the development of dive salvage procedures, World War II history, the attack on Pearl Harbor, and the real experiences of those who 'just went to work' when the nation needed them most. 2017 marks 76 years since the attack on Pearl Harbor and I can't think of a better way of honoring the greatest generation than by sharing this book with y'all.

Lindsay
Check out more reviews at www.historymysterybooks.com!

[Jeff Dawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a brilliant work. I saw the two part series on youtube last summer discussing the salvaging of the US warships sunk at Pearl Harbor. While that was interesting, reading this book gives a fascinating insight into the perils these men faced in salvaging the ships and the horrors they would encounter. Yes, there are parts that are risqué, but that’s okay. These men needed to blow off steam. Loved the part where they tried to make their own hooch and the damn barrel exploded! That was epic.
What is even of more consequence is the ingenuity these men came up with in bringing the majority of the ships back to life. I am always in awe of this generations ability to never shirk from a problem, but meet it head on and never give up! But then that’s what the men and women of the depression, Dust Bowl era did. They had more grit in their little finger then the majority of Americans today, put together.
Can you imagine working in the pitch dark with dead bodies floating around in your work zone? I doubt it. I know I can’t.
I strongly recommend this book for any World War Two buff and for those who don’t’ understand how great that generation was.

Five Stars!

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

U.S. Navy salvage divers were sent to Pearl Harbor immediately after the Japanese attack on December 7, 1941. Battleships Arizona, Oklahoma, and Utah lay sunk while others were still ablaze in the oil slicked harbor. Their two-part orders were direct and straightforward: (1) rescue as many trapped sailors and Marines as possible, and (2) resurrect what remains of America's once mighty pacific fleet.

Why I started this book: On the Navy's Professional Reading list, but I picked it up this month to read around the anniversary of Pearl Harbor.

Why I finished it: Raymer and his team saw first hand the cost and damage of war and spent years, trying to repair it. So powerful to have a first hand account of someone who arrived immediately and worked steadily to explore, contain, and repair the bomb damaged ships at Pearl Harbor.

[Jerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

The standard narrative of World War II in the Pacific long engraved on the American psyche proceeds from the devastation at Pearl Harbor to the dark days of Bataan and first good news of the Doolittle raid. From there, the tactical defeat but strategic victory at the Coral Sea, the stunning turning point of Midway, the Marines' savage struggle for Guadalcanal, fighting in the jungles of New Guinea, and the bloody island-hopping campaign.

But while all this was happening, Pearl Harbor was a beehive of activity, and not just with the comings and goings of Navy ships and in-transit personnel. Every day, civilian and Navy "hardhat" divers like Edward Raymer donned almost 100lb of bulky diving gear and descended into the blackness of the oil-covered waters of Pearl to undertake the important and hazardous task of salvaging what they could of the once-proud battleships sunk and damaged in the attack and refloating as many of them as possible so they could be repaired and sent to the fight that had been over for them almost as soon as it had begun.

In Descent Into Darkness, retired US Navy Commander Edward C. Raymer (formerly an enlisted sailor and the first person to dive on the sunken U.S.S. Arizona) weaves a fascinating tale of a relatively unknown but important part of the war in the Pacific – the attempt to undo as much as possible the damage from the Japanese sneak attack on the Pacific Fleet. In so doing, he brings to life a motley cast of ordinary but brave, dedicated and hardworking sailors who are a microcosm of the Greatest Generation who triumphed in World War II, and who, like the combat sailors, sometimes gave their lives in doing so.

The nature of the divers' work dictated that it be done alone and unsupervised. The kind of officers that would normally try to micromanage things were only too happy to leave the terrifying work up to the enlisted divers once they experienced it themselves. This work involved painstakingly moving through fully fueled and armed battleships that were ripped apart and strewn with wreckage and debris. It was up to the individual divers to overcome countless problems and hazards that had never been encountered in peacetime salvage diving, whether it was jagged steel, the removal of 2,000lb high explosive shells from magazines or the deadly buildup of explosive gases. And because the work was inside sunken ships in water covered and saturated in fuel oil and debris, it was all done in pitch darkness and had to be accomplished with the help of radioed directions from ship's plans and done completely by feel – a feel that was finely honed in the months and years they toiled in the inky blackness. The cadre of divers were true pioneers who invented solutions and procedures that became adopted as standard later on. And from the Publisher's Weekly review, "Raymer's memoir is useful above all as a case study of the hands-on, un-bureaucratized approach to problem-solving that the U.S. brought to WWII from the beginning."

Raymer hilariously relates off-duty antics as the divers ingeniously circumvented prohibition (of liquor) in order outmaneuver an entire island of soldiers, sailors and Marines to secure female companionship for a series of covert beach parties. But he also sensitively treats the difficult subject of encountering the bodies of sailors still entombed in the ships. Phobias – fears of the dark, confinement, drowning and being buried alive all came into play as every day brought new challenges to be overcome. (Even arachnophobia was a problem in an incident that will either terrify or amuse, depending on one's feelings towards spiders).

Raymer and a fellow diver spent a hardly peaceful interlude in the jungles of Guadalcanal and the waters of "The Slot" between the Solomon Islands. Dodging the nightly "Tokyo Express" of marauding Japanese cruisers and destroyers, the sailors worked to repair ships and resupply the Marines on the island, for whom they gained a profound respect after observing and sharing in some of their hardships. A high point was doing underwater repair work in crystal clear sunlit waters – something they had not yet experienced in the war. The low point was the torpedoing and sinking of their home away from home, the repair ship U.S.S. Seminole.

After a 30-day survivors leave in San Francisco, Raymer returned to his brother divers and continued the work at Pearl Harbor on the USS Arizona, Utah, West Virginia, California and Oklahoma. He served as a liaison to news reporters and even a tour guide of the Oklahoma to none other than First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. Some of the battlewagons were beyond saving – the Utah was scuttled and the Arizona remained at the bottom of the harbor, becoming a sacred monument and a tomb for more than a thousand sailors. Others lived to fight again, like the lightly damaged Tennessee and the West Virginia, which was present at the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945, where the long, costly and bloody war was finally brought to a close.

If you're interested in history, curious about the "rest of" the Pearl Harbor story, love the salty vocabulary and tales of the Navy, are curious about working diving in canvas suits, weighted shoes and copper helmets in the days before SCUBA, wonder what it was like when important work wasn't weighed down with a web of nonsensical rules and regulations, or just want a good read, Descent Into Darkness is highly recommended.

[Sean Morrow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being a salvage diver sounds scary as hell. However, it often devolves into rather clinical lists of hatches opened or closed, bolts installed or removed, and patches manufactured and placed. It also includes some surprisingly candid descriptions of what the divers got into during their limited off time.

Me starting it on Pearl Harbor day was entirely a coincidence.

[Ryan Shane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Creepy, exciting, candid, engaging, informative, and deeply moving.

[History Geek · Rating 5 out of 5]

We've all seen the images of Pearl Harbor. The explosions and smoke billowing into the air, the ships listing in the water and settling in the mud, the Oklahoma capsized with her bottom sticking up out if the water, and the Arizona to this day peacefully resting just beneath the harbor's waters. This book tells the story of the men that tried valiantly to rescue their fellow sailors and Marines, and finally to salvage the fleet so it could carry on the fight. It's an excellent read about a part of the war you've never heard about.

[Jay & Laura McManus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Despite a morbid beginning, this book is hands down the best book that I have read all year! The history of 1941/2 Hawaii as told by the Author is very eye opening. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who is curious about that era.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating and horrifying, I could not put this book down.

[Barbara Freeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. Bought it at Pearl Harbor and glad I did.

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

On Dec 7, 1941, Edward Raymer was a newly dive-qualified Metalsmith First-Class in the U.S. Navy, stationed in Long Beach, CA in the 3rd year of his enlistment. On Dec 8, 1941, he found himself staring at the smoking ruins of Naval Base Pearl Harbor as part of a salvage team, hurried to the site of the attack on 2 hours notice. "Descent into Darkness" is the memoir of the first diver to explore the wreck of the USS Arizona, and the incredible accomplishments of he and his fellow salvors in the subsequent years of war.

This book is one of a kind, telling a story that is rarely mentioned in the annals of World War 2; specifically, the massive effort to recover from the damage inflicted on Pearl Harbor after Japan's attack. Raymer's book is raw, telling the story as a young sailor who bore the brunt of dirtiest, most dangerous, and indispensable work on the waterfront; the divers' primary mission was raising the sunken vessels in the harbor, so that they could be repaired and returned to battle. It cannot be overstated how dangerous was the work these divers undertook, all in complete darkness; because of the thick slick of oil in the harbor and the massive pollution from the attack, underwater lights were useless inside the ships. The divers were left to survey, salvage, repair, and inspect inside the hulls of massive battleships with nothing but their sense of touch, and walking directions from phone talkers reading ship's blueprints on the surface.

Morbidly of course, the sunken hulls were filled with hundreds of bodies of the deceased, floating in the overhead. Raymer tells how the divers developed a sixth sense, and could tell when a body was nearby. Disturbingly, as the divers would traverse a space, their movement would create a suction, such that the bodies would migrate towards the living. All unseen, but felt.

Most impressive in this story however is the daily ingenuity displayed by the dive team; they were faced with problems which had never been faced before, and drew upon their collective resourcefulness, cleverness, and experience to devise solutions to seemingly insurmountable barriers. Oftentimes the risks they took upon themselves to further the mission would be unheard of today; indeed, many of the safety best practices that are common today were invented out of necessity by these men in the thick of the fight.

The author also does an amusing job conveying the truly absurd liberty scenes outside of base, where men outnumbered women thousands to one, and the Army enacted prohibition.

I recommend this book to anyone who wishes to learn about the dirty, dangerous, unsexy but eminiently important work of putting together the pieces of a wartime disaster zone, and the unbelievable bravery it took to do so.

[David Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one fits in the category "you can't make this stuff up".

Hundreds of millions of unique stories could be told by people who lived through World War II. But some are more unique than others. Tens of millions of civilians faced hardship, millions of men saw combat on land, thousands survived having their warship sunk under them. Stories like Raymer's could be told by only a select few.

Raymer's writing won't win any awards. He tells his story well, but he was a diver, not a writer. I've read many books where the author spends a lot of time giving us the background and sometimes there's too much of that. Other authors go into great detail explaining some of the more technical aspects of what they did. Raymer doesn't waste pages on this stuff. There are times where I would certainly liked to have gotten a better understand of exactly what he did, but I don't think his story suffers from these shortfalls. A few diagrams would have cleared things up for me, but their lack isn't really that important.

Raymer jumps right in to the action. He doesn't tell us about his childhood or his parents, and we don't get an epilogue where we learn how his life went after the war. I'm curious about both, but I don't think the book would have been any better had he done so.

I've been considering reading Pearl Harbor: Why, How, Fleet Salvage and Final Appraisal by Admiral Homer Wallin. After reading Raymer's tale, I'm now more interested. Wallin's book, I presume, tells the overall story of the salvage whereas Raymer's is the personal one.

[Joe Nelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review: Descent into Darkness by Edward C. Raymer

I was drawn to Descent into Darkness because of an interest in the salvage operations following the attack on Pearl Harbor, and the book delivers that perspective in a way a purely technical account could not. Raymer’s first-person narrative gives the story immediacy and humanity, placing the reader alongside the divers rather than above the subject matter.

Although the book was written many years after the events it describes, Raymer does a very reasonable job of recalling fine details and moments from that period. The inclusion of personal background adds context and helps ground the technical aspects in lived experience, rather than presenting them in isolation.

What makes this account particularly valuable is its unique perspective on the Pearl Harbor aftermath — not the attack itself, but the long, demanding work that followed. The book captures a time of rapid development in underwater salvage techniques, evolving safety considerations, and the realities of early diving work. Raymer balances descriptions of nerve-racking, dangerous operations with the more mundane routines that defined much of the work, giving a rounded and honest picture of the job.

Overall, Descent into Darkness is an engaging and informative memoir that will appeal to readers interested in naval history, diving, and salvage operations, especially those who value personal experience over purely technical explanation.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd always been curious about the process of raising most of the battleships sunk at Pearl Harbor and refurbishing them and returning them to combat. Ian Toll's excellent history of the Pacific Theater of WW2 had a nice discussion of this, and referenced Edward Raymer's account.
Raymer's memoir is a worthwhile read for many reasons. The first is that he gives an insiders view into the Pearl Harbor salvage operations - the process, the innovations, the dangers, dealing with the remains of sailors, and some of the shady activity occurred. I wish there would have been a little more explanation context for some of the techniques and processes that were used, but it gives some great insights.
Raymer also gives an unvarnished view of military life during WW2 in Pearl Harbor - officers with shady, selfish agendas; the efforts to secure booze and women; what life was like for servicemen in Honolulu in 1942 and 1943.
In addition, Raymer volunteered for service in the combat zone, so he talks of a number of his experiences at Guadalcanal - providing support for the Cactus Air Force, his ship being engaged and sunk by a Japanese destroyer, life on the 'canal, and the repair work that enabled ships like the Sweat Pea (USS Portland) to escape and be repaired.
Just a great, unique read, all the way around.

[Victorina · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I wanted to enjoy this book and this soldier's stories about what is undeniably one of the more horrific events in our history, I found several points extremely uncomfortable.

The interspersed stories about the sailors seeking coochie, while expected, take away from the somber tone of the remainder of the book describing diving into pitch blackness with decomposing men floating around you. And as another reviewer noted, the absolutely gross description of one of the sailors trying to sneak in and have sex with one of the girls while she thinks it's the other one, was totally unnecessary.

But the real coup de grace for me that almost made me dnf this was a line on page 64 while describing the plight of the Hawaiian prostitutes pre-Pearl Harbor;

"Not even the N*gro slaves before the Emancipation Proclamation suffered greater deprivation of their freedom."

First of all, the language is abhorrent, particularly for a book written in 1996. Secondly, you're comparing the (admittedly poor experiences) of hookers to SLAVES??? Unbelievable.
Even if the point was to try and drive home that this was basically an early form of human trafficking, it is in extremely poor taste.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

An up close look at what went on after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Told by a Navy rescue diver who descended into the darkness of the oil laden Harbor only to find the horrors of unbelievable wreckage and remains of fallen soldiers. The author has many stories of he and his diving team that take place on the island and out on location during the war. A truly eye opening tale.
I had interest in this story due to the history it holds with my family.
My father is a survivor of Pearl Harbor, a 9 year old boy living on Ford Island while my Grandfather, a Navy Rear Admiral and also a survivor, was stationed there at the time of the attack. My father later achieved rank of Navy AT2 (Aviation Electronics Technician) and tells his story locally, at schools and through many news reports found on YouTube.

I highly recommend this to anyone interested in true history and from a unique perspective.

[Roland · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book offers insight into a the navy salvage efforts directly following the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor. A topic mentioned in many books but hardly gets a spotlight. This book is the best I've read on the topic so far. Though I haven't been able to find many.

The details shared in the book are harrowing and captivating. It explains well how the dive team functioned and the challenges they faced. This team came up with creative solutions to new problems. They operated in near total darkness. Navigating through upside down battleships full of dangerous gasses, twisted metal, and human corpses.

They had discovered an airtight compartment where a handful of men were trapped after the bombing. These men survived there until near Christmas before ultimately dying.

There are fascinated insights and stories shared here along with schemes for meeting girls and getting booze. And also about experience in the Pacific after they leave Pearl Harbor.

[Tekken · Rating 4 out of 5]

Värvikalt ja soravalt jutustatud memuaar mehelt, kes nägi Vaikse ookeani sõda enamasti vee alt. Autor kurdab küll iga natukese aja tagant, et tema kirjutada ei oska, aga samas tuleb täiesti juhuslikult välja, et ta on näiteks Kiplingit hoopis rohkem lugenud kui tavaline koolipoiss. Proloog algab ereda flashback’iga ja pinget jätkub loo lõpuni. Pole kahtlust, et Raymer on hea jutustaja ja tal on, mida jutustada.

Autor kohtub vaenlasega ainult korra ja sedagi mitte päris lahingus. See-eest pääseb ta mitu korda surmaohust, sattudes muuhulgas konflikti nii FBI, prostituutide, kaanide, rottide, krabide kui merejalaväelastega. Veel enne kui Raymeri ema saab mereväelt teate, et tema poeg on pärast laevahukku teadmata kadunud, jõuab kohale poja kiri, kust selgub, et temaga on kõik korras.

Raamatu lõpp on pühendatud müüdimurdmisele, aga tuleb tunnistada, et Raymer ise pole ka müüdiloomise patust puhas. Aga nii või teisiti, täitsa nauditav raamat.

[Jeffrey Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

The events of December 7, 1941 have been told numerous times in great detail. However, the aftermath is quite often overlooked. Commander Raymer, one of the U.S. Navy's first divers on scene in Pearl Harbor after the attack, gives us a gripping first-person account of the events that surrounded the salvage operation. Not only do we see the work that went into raising the fleet, but we get a chance to know who the divers were as people, and get a glimpse into WWII Hawaii, as well as other areas of the Pacific where Commander Raymer was assigned.

Raymer lays it all out for the world to see, and those of us who are reading this account over 75 years later are deeply appreciative. This was definitely worth taking the time to read, even if some areas are a little too technical for the average reader.

[Wayne Abrahamson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This biography is a gripping tale of the real-life adventures of a young American sailor who qualified as a US Navy hard-hat diver just before the bombing of Pearly Harbor. The compelling memoir details the gritty efforts by Raymer, and his fellow divers, as they tried to salvage what they could from the wreckage of the Japanese attack. After two years of that herculean task, Raymer found himself in the war as a salvage diver in the square on the front lines in the South Pacific where even the ship he was a crewmember of was sunk. While this review cannot cover all of the side stories and side bars in the novel, often personal and sometimes comedic, this book is a must read for those who want to better understand the role of the US Navy in WWII, and the nascent beginning's of modern underwater and maritime salvage.

[Marjorie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could not put this book down,it was so full of intense action that I had to keep reading.I was quite surprised to discover the many dangerous and life threatening jobs these Navy divers endured long after the Pearl Harbor attack.This book is a treasure trove of information about just how exstensive the damage to American ships was on that day and just how complicated the recovery and repair of the many ships in the Harbor.I was also very impressed with all the many new techniques these men had to invent simply to deal with saving these ships and not losing their lives,their contribution to underwater salvage can never be understated.This book is an excellent choice if you want to learn in depth about the aftermath of the Pearl Harbor attack from a truly "hands on" perspective.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I didn't understand some of the technical aspects of his diving service, I fully understood the bravery, adaptability, and horror of being amongst the crews that dove into the battleships sunk by the Japanese at Pearl Harbor and their ability and success in raising and righting a number of the vessels. Not everyone who serves is on the battlefront but that does not undercut their important contributions to the conflict. Not only did they get ships back into the fight, as well as honor the dead aboard the ARIZONA, but they likely saved many more lives by repairing ships so they could steam to safer harbors for repairs. An extraordinary life and service; an interesting read for anybody interested in the war and diving ion general.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic book! So well-written and informative. Raymer is a terrific story teller with a keen sense of timing. The life and death struggles inherent to the Navy divers’ assignment were unique to that time and place. This story deserves to be heard and its heroes honored by us all.

Unlike some readers, I felt the incidents mentioned re: the Honolulu “cathouse” were necessary to give a full and honest reporting of what life was like for these men. It didn’t feel overdone especially considering the tens of thousands of men in their 20s who were all facing their mortality every day; dodging bullets, bombs, torpedos etc.

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a scuba diver, this book has been on my list for a while. Edward Raymer did a good job of describing the conditions which they were diving in. I know I could only imagine even the slightest bit of what horrible conditions they were in. I cannot even contemplate the mental anguish that a diver would go through when entering one of the sunken battleships and the "debris" they just bumped into what in reality a deceased sailor and that would only get worse over time as nature took it's toll on the bodies.

The remainder of the book is just as wild of ride as the first half. It really gives a good insight to how chaotic WWII was at times.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. Easy to read except for maybe a few of the more technical explanations. I was really afraid this book was going to be all depressing and disturbing and thankfully I was shown otherwise. It was fun seeing the crews' activities: legal, semi-legal, and outright criminal. And I'm not surprised at his dissatisfaction with the various histories and how they differ from his own remembered experience. Especially once he compared them against ship logs and records.

I definitely suggest it for anyone interested in WWII naval activities or just the lives of regular military men.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent biography of one of the divers tasked with helping salvage the ships sunk at Pearl Harbor. I knew many of the ships were raised and eventually rejoined the fleet, but I had no idea the work that went into this process. Much of it was invented on the fly by these divers who risked their lives constantly. Fascinating from a technical point of view, but also from a human side as well.

Also, I would put this book near the top of my lists of books that I would not expect to include a sex scene, but there it was.