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Sub: An Oral History of US Navy Submarines
True tales of life and death as told by those who fought in the briny depths.
From the undersea warfare of World War II through the Cold War stand-offs in the deep to the cutting-edge technology of the modern U.S. Navy, submarines have evolved into the front line of our nation's defense at sea. And the men who sail them have become heroes above and below the waves. These are their stories.
Compiled from interviews and recollections from submarine veterans and accompanied by detailed photos and illustrations of both man and machine at work, Sub is a gripping chronicle of undersea warfare as told by those who know firsthand what it means to drop through the hull of a boat, to sink into the dark, freezing waters of the deep-and to have death never more than one torpedo away.
From the undersea warfare of World War II through the Cold War stand-offs in the deep to the cutting-edge technology of the modern U.S. Navy, submarines have evolved into the front line of our nation's defense at sea. And the men who sail them have become heroes above and below the waves. These are their stories.
Compiled from interviews and recollections from submarine veterans and accompanied by detailed photos and illustrations of both man and machine at work, Sub is a gripping chronicle of undersea warfare as told by those who know firsthand what it means to drop through the hull of a boat, to sink into the dark, freezing waters of the deep-and to have death never more than one torpedo away.
- GenresHistory
304 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 10, 2009
Mr. Roberts's book started out with great promise and a great premise however multiple misspellings and erroneous facts quickly dashed all hopes for the book. It is obvious that this book was not well proofread or many of these mistakes would have been caught. One example is that on page 195 he referenced Secretary of the Navy Nimitz however Fleet Admiral Nimitz was never the Secretary of the Navy and was dead at that moment in the narration. Mr. Roberts also lets his political views get in the way of his narration and attacks President Carter and any other official with whom he disagrees with and uses incorrect information by saying President Carter had commanded a submarine. Carter was qualified for command a step for him to be an officer qualified in submarines. Mr. Roberts political opinions mars the purpose of an oral history collection which is to let the participants own words describe their recollections of history.
Also there are many misspellings such as the Kanoupus (USS Canopus AS-9 is the correct spelling) to saying the Sailfish used to be the Whalen which in reality the Sailfish was the resurrected USS Squalus ((read Peter Mass' excellent The Terrible Hours for the Squalus' story)). A search of the "Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships" on the Naval Historical Center's website produced no record of a USS Whalen ever serving in the Navy. These two mistakes are easily found on page 8 of the book. Yet another example is the USS Toffey found on page 181 which sank due to a circular run, in reality the submarine he meant was the Tullibee SS-284. On last example of too many to count is on found on page 280 where Roberts says the hull number of the second USS Aspro was the SSBN-648 when it was the SSN-648. While this may seem nit picking it gives the reader false information and does not add to the historical record.
Roberts's book has good intentions but through obvious mistakes and inconstancies his book suffers and this book is a must avoid for submarine historians and readers.
Also there are many misspellings such as the Kanoupus (USS Canopus AS-9 is the correct spelling) to saying the Sailfish used to be the Whalen which in reality the Sailfish was the resurrected USS Squalus ((read Peter Mass' excellent The Terrible Hours for the Squalus' story)). A search of the "Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships" on the Naval Historical Center's website produced no record of a USS Whalen ever serving in the Navy. These two mistakes are easily found on page 8 of the book. Yet another example is the USS Toffey found on page 181 which sank due to a circular run, in reality the submarine he meant was the Tullibee SS-284. On last example of too many to count is on found on page 280 where Roberts says the hull number of the second USS Aspro was the SSBN-648 when it was the SSN-648. While this may seem nit picking it gives the reader false information and does not add to the historical record.
Roberts's book has good intentions but through obvious mistakes and inconstancies his book suffers and this book is a must avoid for submarine historians and readers.
September 9, 2016
This book is not only rife with typographical errors but factual errors as well. According to this book the U-505 submarine captured in WWII and sitting in Chicago, IL since 1954 has been moved to the Great Lakes Naval Training Station. I assure readers it is still in Chicago, since 2004 in its' own purpose-built room. The narratives of the sailors were sometimes entertaining and intersting, but without proper editting sometimes sounded like disconnected stream of consciousness writing. And the Author's "factual" timeline, spread throughout the book, not only contradicted itself when it came to names or dates (sometimes seperated only by a few chapters) but read like a teenager copying out of an encyclopedia for a homework assignment. This is by far the worst written, edited and proof read non-fiction book I have ever read - bar none.
October 30, 2017
Oral histories are always hit and miss. Some of those interviewed have really interesting stories to tell. Stephen Ambrose based several of his WWII histories on his extensive archive of personal interviews with the men who fought Hitler.
I gave up after reading just the first three chapters. Somehow, the author those three submariner's terrifying ordeal boring.
I gave up after reading just the first three chapters. Somehow, the author those three submariner's terrifying ordeal boring.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews