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Unknown Waters: A First-Hand Account of the Historic Under-ice Survey of the Siberian Continental Shelf by USS Queenfish
Charting the Siberian continental shelf during the height of the Cold War
Unknown Waters tells the story of the brave officers and men of the nuclear attack submarine USS Queenfish (SSN-651) , who made the first survey of an extremely important and remote region of the Arctic Ocean. The unpredictability of deep-draft sea ice, shallow water, and possible Soviet discovery, all played a dramatic part in this fascinating 1970 voyage.
Covering 3,100 miles over a period of some 20 days at a laborious average speed of 6.5 knots or less, the attack submarine carefully threaded its way through innumerable underwater canyons of ice and over irregular seafloors, at one point becoming entrapped in an “ice garage.” Only cool thinking and skillful maneuvering of the nearly 5,000-ton vessel enabled a successful exit.
Unknown Waters tells the story of the brave officers and men of the nuclear attack submarine USS Queenfish (SSN-651) , who made the first survey of an extremely important and remote region of the Arctic Ocean. The unpredictability of deep-draft sea ice, shallow water, and possible Soviet discovery, all played a dramatic part in this fascinating 1970 voyage.
Covering 3,100 miles over a period of some 20 days at a laborious average speed of 6.5 knots or less, the attack submarine carefully threaded its way through innumerable underwater canyons of ice and over irregular seafloors, at one point becoming entrapped in an “ice garage.” Only cool thinking and skillful maneuvering of the nearly 5,000-ton vessel enabled a successful exit.
242 pages, Hardcover
First published January 22, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 8, 2020
The author of UNKNOWN WATERS, Alfred McLaren, may have been a highly effective submarine commander and overall naval officer; unfortunately, however, his expertise does not extend to the written word. From beginning to end, UNKNOWN WATERS is replete with naval military acronyms and the “boilerplate” phraseology that is to be found in every letter of commendation and every citation ever awarded to sailors, soldiers and airmen. Broad generalizations and banalities abound.
If this weren't bad enough, McLaren demonstrates a military predisposition to hinting at events that he can't tell the reader about because, presumably, they're still classified as military secrets, the fact that they all occurred during the so-called “cold war,” which is long over, notwithstanding. And, if we can stand one more critical description, he is the most self-centered, egocentric author I've encountered in some while, frequently indulging in self-congratulation and even at one point listing all his military awards and recognitions. The book, in fact, is as much an ego trip for the author as it is a description of the under-ice voyage of USS Queenfish.
But don't take my word for these traits. Does this really communicate anything to anyone not already intimately familiar with a submarine: “Queenfish's crew, moreover, had the responsibility for preparing the requisite valve and/or switch lineups and operating instructions for all modes of operation and emergencies for each fluid and electrical system installed....”? Non-communicative wording of that sort is part and parcel of a military unit commendation letter.
Sometimes, the author can't make up his mind as to whether a trip is long or short, either: The first paragraph on page 49 refers to “the long transit to Seattle,” while the very next one, speaking of the very same trip, describes “the relatively short … transit to Seattle.” By the way, McLaren's boat never travels, glides, drifts, or even moves. It always “transits.” Official-sounding and repetitious jargon such as this permeates the writing and leaves the reader searching in vain for any sort of imaginative or truly descriptive verb somewhere—anywhere—in the text.
Though not excessively so, McLaren can be quite ungrammatical, too: “Standing very high on the list of desirables was, without a doubt, a very careful review by the supply and commissary officer …, the chief of the boat..., and I [sic] of the food stores and freeze-box load for the Arctic voyage.” Using the nominative pronoun “I” after the preposition “by” is not something an educated person does. And what is a “freeze-box load” anyway?
Euphemisms are no stranger to McLaren's writing either. Describing an inept watch officer who could not perform his duties, the author writes, “This was not so much his personal fault as it was the less-than-optimum detailing by the Navy Bureau of Personnel....” The bureau mis-assigned this guy. It failed to evaluate his abilities correctly. The personnel clerks really messed up! “Less than optimum detailing”? Oh, please!
The photographs are even lacking in interest—unless, of course, one wants to see the author depicted in every conceivable pose. A few other members of the Queenfish's crew make it in but usually while standing beside the author. Two photographs of a polar bear and her cubs taken through the periscope are the only notable exceptions to a run of ho-hum pictures.
So we can conclude that the writing style is atrocious, but what about the trip itself? Except for a very brief reference to having maneuvered into an ice-surrounded cul-de-sac, the reader is treated to endless repetitions of the boat's surfacing in polynyas (open water surrounded by ice) and “transiting” between ice overhead and the ocean floor below. If the trip was as boring as the description of it is, that any member of the crew survived is nothing short of amazing.
Can I think of anyone at all who might really enjoy reading UNKNOWN WATERS? Perhaps a current or former submariner would be able to relate to many of the descriptions on a personal level and would not have to constantly refer to the glossary in the back of the book to interpret the acronyms that are liberally sprinkled throughout the text. Anyone else will likely be bored to death.
If this weren't bad enough, McLaren demonstrates a military predisposition to hinting at events that he can't tell the reader about because, presumably, they're still classified as military secrets, the fact that they all occurred during the so-called “cold war,” which is long over, notwithstanding. And, if we can stand one more critical description, he is the most self-centered, egocentric author I've encountered in some while, frequently indulging in self-congratulation and even at one point listing all his military awards and recognitions. The book, in fact, is as much an ego trip for the author as it is a description of the under-ice voyage of USS Queenfish.
But don't take my word for these traits. Does this really communicate anything to anyone not already intimately familiar with a submarine: “Queenfish's crew, moreover, had the responsibility for preparing the requisite valve and/or switch lineups and operating instructions for all modes of operation and emergencies for each fluid and electrical system installed....”? Non-communicative wording of that sort is part and parcel of a military unit commendation letter.
Sometimes, the author can't make up his mind as to whether a trip is long or short, either: The first paragraph on page 49 refers to “the long transit to Seattle,” while the very next one, speaking of the very same trip, describes “the relatively short … transit to Seattle.” By the way, McLaren's boat never travels, glides, drifts, or even moves. It always “transits.” Official-sounding and repetitious jargon such as this permeates the writing and leaves the reader searching in vain for any sort of imaginative or truly descriptive verb somewhere—anywhere—in the text.
Though not excessively so, McLaren can be quite ungrammatical, too: “Standing very high on the list of desirables was, without a doubt, a very careful review by the supply and commissary officer …, the chief of the boat..., and I [sic] of the food stores and freeze-box load for the Arctic voyage.” Using the nominative pronoun “I” after the preposition “by” is not something an educated person does. And what is a “freeze-box load” anyway?
Euphemisms are no stranger to McLaren's writing either. Describing an inept watch officer who could not perform his duties, the author writes, “This was not so much his personal fault as it was the less-than-optimum detailing by the Navy Bureau of Personnel....” The bureau mis-assigned this guy. It failed to evaluate his abilities correctly. The personnel clerks really messed up! “Less than optimum detailing”? Oh, please!
The photographs are even lacking in interest—unless, of course, one wants to see the author depicted in every conceivable pose. A few other members of the Queenfish's crew make it in but usually while standing beside the author. Two photographs of a polar bear and her cubs taken through the periscope are the only notable exceptions to a run of ho-hum pictures.
So we can conclude that the writing style is atrocious, but what about the trip itself? Except for a very brief reference to having maneuvered into an ice-surrounded cul-de-sac, the reader is treated to endless repetitions of the boat's surfacing in polynyas (open water surrounded by ice) and “transiting” between ice overhead and the ocean floor below. If the trip was as boring as the description of it is, that any member of the crew survived is nothing short of amazing.
Can I think of anyone at all who might really enjoy reading UNKNOWN WATERS? Perhaps a current or former submariner would be able to relate to many of the descriptions on a personal level and would not have to constantly refer to the glossary in the back of the book to interpret the acronyms that are liberally sprinkled throughout the text. Anyone else will likely be bored to death.
August 3, 2015
This fascinating book was written by the man who captained of the USS Queenfish during her voyage beneath the Arctic Seas in an historic assignment to map the often treacherous areas which could only have been done by a nuclear submarine. I got comfortable with a cheap atlas, and a free world map from Doctors Without Borders ( which I interest-folded to the Arctic) and settled in to join the captain and crew on their exploration. Although maps are flat, McLaren naturally gave latitude/longitude references, making it easy to follow along. Certainly, there is a lot of navy/submarine jargon, but Dirk Pitt/Clive Cussler aficionados will have no problems with that. There are numerous historical references to much earlier explorers, as well as the journey of the USS Nautilus, given with appropriate respect.
It is also a brief of McLaren's professional life and gives some insight into naval life and politics for those of us who have never been in that field. And how many of us could really have willingly faced the dangers, boredom, and claustrophobia of such a life. Not important to most, but one of those was a man who served as SONAR technician. This man had a masters degree from Juilliard in the cello!
If you have any interest in Arctic exploration, submarines, and the evolution of such adventures, you will, indeed, enjoy this well-written book.
Jack Chekijian did an outstanding performance and probably deserves a medal just for his facility in pronouncing all of the Russian place and explorer's names. Hearing this book was a marvelous experience.
It is also a brief of McLaren's professional life and gives some insight into naval life and politics for those of us who have never been in that field. And how many of us could really have willingly faced the dangers, boredom, and claustrophobia of such a life. Not important to most, but one of those was a man who served as SONAR technician. This man had a masters degree from Juilliard in the cello!
If you have any interest in Arctic exploration, submarines, and the evolution of such adventures, you will, indeed, enjoy this well-written book.
Jack Chekijian did an outstanding performance and probably deserves a medal just for his facility in pronouncing all of the Russian place and explorer's names. Hearing this book was a marvelous experience.
August 20, 2008
still reading but wanted to share thoughts: while a bit jargon-heavy and the narrative can be awkward in places, this book is really interesting. i'm forgiving of the narrative because after all, it is a story being told by a submarine captain, not an author.
i found this book based on a NYTimes'review, it piqued my interest in the Arctic and submarines. it's an exciting account of an under-ice journey in the shallow seas off the Siberian continental shelf. USS Queenfish must not only navigate unfamiliar seas, it also has to try not to crash into the ice: which in some areas is extends over sixty feet below the surface. In some areas, Queenfish is actually moving between the ice and the bottom of the sea, like a mole in a tunnel.
Queenfish is twice a pioneer: one for the mission and one for paving the way for nuclear submarines.
**update** finished the book this week. ending was a little flat but then again, all the did was travel back from the Arctic to Pearl Harbor. great photos, descriptions and a sense of wonder at the Arctic through all the jargon. my favorite part was when a polar bear family swam by the periscope, almost nose-to-nose with it.
i found this book based on a NYTimes'review, it piqued my interest in the Arctic and submarines. it's an exciting account of an under-ice journey in the shallow seas off the Siberian continental shelf. USS Queenfish must not only navigate unfamiliar seas, it also has to try not to crash into the ice: which in some areas is extends over sixty feet below the surface. In some areas, Queenfish is actually moving between the ice and the bottom of the sea, like a mole in a tunnel.
Queenfish is twice a pioneer: one for the mission and one for paving the way for nuclear submarines.
**update** finished the book this week. ending was a little flat but then again, all the did was travel back from the Arctic to Pearl Harbor. great photos, descriptions and a sense of wonder at the Arctic through all the jargon. my favorite part was when a polar bear family swam by the periscope, almost nose-to-nose with it.
December 1, 2010
It's only recently become clear how much the US has invested over the years in learning how to drive submarines under the polar ice in the Arctic Ocean. Captain McLaren commanded the USS Queenfish, a Sturgeon-class attack submarine, on a technically demanding 1970 cruise in the Arctic Ocean, visiting the North Pole and exploring the Siberian continental shelf north of what was then the USSR. This is his tale of the journey.
For the most part it's a very dry read. The book reads like a combination of a PhD thesis and a declassified US Navy official report, which is probably what it is. You won't see a lot of characterization or dialog here, just careful technical writing and some not-well-designed illustrations. That said, anyone interested in submarine technology, the Arctic Ocean, or Navy life will find much of interest.
For the most part it's a very dry read. The book reads like a combination of a PhD thesis and a declassified US Navy official report, which is probably what it is. You won't see a lot of characterization or dialog here, just careful technical writing and some not-well-designed illustrations. That said, anyone interested in submarine technology, the Arctic Ocean, or Navy life will find much of interest.
September 4, 2008
Since I am a submariners wife, this was a very interesting peak into the live on board. It is a little technical, he used a bit of the alphabet soup that the military uses. He explained it the first time he used it, but I lost a little bit of the story in looking back to see what it meant. Overall, it was a good and interesting read.
May 2, 2013
Reading this book brought back the memories of serving aboard Queenfish. I wish I could've been part of this historic journey. I feel any submariner would enjoy this book, but I recommend it to anybody who enjoys a good read.
June 12, 2022
Retroactive Review (11 Jun 2022): I didn't even realize I had ever read this book until going through my list of books. It was an account of surveying under the ice, as the title indicates, but more than that is anyone's guess.
July 13, 2010
Laborious. Filled with the kind of detail that is only interesting to the author and those mentioned by the author.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews