Download or read book Tales of a Cold War Submariner written by Dan Summitt and published by Texas A&M University Press. This book was released on 2004-08-24 with total page 284 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Following the Second World War, Dan Summitt cruised the China Sea in a destroyer. During the Cold War, he worked with Adm. Hyman Rickover and commanded two nuclear submarines. In Tales of a Cold War Submariner, Summitt tells the dramatic story of his military life on and under the sea, focusing on his experiences with nuclear submarines and Admiral Rickover, “the father of the nuclear navy.” His stories, anecdotes, and detailed descriptions bring this tense era to life for the reader. Summitt recounts his service as commander of the USS Seadragon on its secret mission to the North Pole, where he rendezvoused with the USS Skate to conduct experiments under the ice. Following a posting to Naval Reactors, Summit then took command of the USS Alexander Hamilton, one of forty-one Polaris submarines in the U.S. fleet. A submarine of this class was 425 feet long and carried sixteen Polaris missiles, each 35 feet high and weighing 35,000 pounds. Summitt takes the reader on a tour of the spacious vessel, describing everything from its living quarters to practice missile launches to the coveralls worn by the crew. He recounts Christmas at the Duke of Argyle’s castle, discusses the difficulties of steering with a single propeller, and describes how the Alexander Hamilton was almost lost because of a faulty needle piston in the snorkel head valve cylinder, a reminder that even the most sophisticated machine can be undone by a simple mechanical failure. In the best tradition of naval literature, Summitt’s memoir offers a first-person view of life in the navy during a crucial period in our history. Readers will enjoy weighing anchor with Captain Summitt, and scholars will find his memoir an important contribution to the literature on the U.S. Navy and the Cold War.

Download or read book Submariner Tales written by Deans S. Lewis and published by AuthorHouse. This book was released on 2013-07-17 with total page 79 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Glorified in movies, but hidden beneath the waves in service, submarines have an indefinable mystique. They left harbour in the dark of night and returned the same way, their crews coming and going quietly, dressed simply as regular dock workers. It was for good reason that Canada's Cold War submarine service was known as the real secret service. The interpretive centre, to be built in 2014, will house an extensive collection representing the history of the Canadian Navy with an emphasis on the Cold War. The Museum of Naval History is a Sub-station of The Elgin Military Museum of St. Thomas, Ontario. Founded in 1978, the Elgin Military Museum is a charitable organization established to collect, record, preserve, interpret and exhibit items of Canadian military history, with an emphasis on Elgin County and its citizens. Official tax receipts can be issued for eligible donations.

Download or read book Submariner Tales Ii written by Dean S. Lewis and published by AuthorHouse. This book was released on 2013-10-24 with total page 85 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It is the second book of tales about submarines and submariners and the capabilities of both. The focus is during the peak of The Cold War in which WWIII did not happen but had been within in seconds of reality and that would have been a nuclear holocaust and life as we know it would have been a nightmare.

Download or read book Family Gram written by Phillip Norris and published by . This book was released on 2012-05 with total page 350 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Phil Norris chronicles his service as a Reactor Plant Supervisor aboard 5 nuclear submarines during the Cold War in this candid and intriguing autobiography. Phil focuses on his personal challenges and triumphs during his storied career in the nuclear submarine service. The name "Family Gram" refers to the 40 word messages that submarine sailors could receive from their family while they were on patrol. Phil writes this book as a collective reply to those Family Grams.

Download or read book Beneath the Restless Wave written by Tony Beasley and published by Casemate. This book was released on 2020-02-20 with total page 211 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Royal Navy submariner and hero of the Cold War reveals his incredible true story of covert ops against the Soviets in this military memoir. Tony Beasley was just a teenager when he joined the Royal Navy in 1946. Throughout his training and specialization as a telegraphist, he anticipated a life above the water, not beneath it. But with the Cold War brewing, new threats emerged, and Beasely was sent to work on submarines. In this candid memoir, he recounts his adventures patrolling the seas and spying on the Soviet Fleet. Tony took part in numerous missions, including covert operations in the Barents Sea. Before this mission, the crew of the submarine was advised that if anything went wrong it “never happened.” When things inevitably did go wrong, Tony emerged a hero. For many years afterward, he wasn't allowed to tell anyone where he had been or what he had done. Now in his eighties, Tony finally gets to tell his story.

Download or read book The Silent Service Speaks written by Frank Hood and published by . This book was released on 2020-06-16 with total page 674 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The inspiration for compiling this book, The Silent Service Speaks (Vol.1), came from a simple premise: Imagine yourself meeting with a Cold War-era submariner at a neighborhood bar for an evening of conversation over a pitcher of cold beer. What would you ask him that he could truthfully answer, and what would most interest you about his story?Such story-telling comes easy for most seamen, but in the case of our submariner, there's a catch: a lot of topics that you might want to discuss are entirely off-limits. Such is the submariner's lament. He has so many stories that he could share, but he must constantly exercise tremendous discretion in determining what can and cannot be disclosed. Your imaginary evening at the local bar might be interrupted by fits and starts as he chooses his words very carefully.But what if we changed the ground rules, declaring upfront that we didn't want to delve into details that could compromise his oath of secrecy, instead just focusing on the many other non-classified aspects of submarine life that are fair game? For example, the pranks...or the camaraderie...or the intense training...or the meaning of the dolphins insignia. By keeping the focus on those experiences that didn't involve intrigue and confidentiality, we could get some sense of what it was like on board a submarine while still respecting those forbidden boundaries. Stated in another way, we sought to describe the "day to day" and not the "cloak and dagger" of submarine service. The stories presented here run the gamut from harsh to tender, unsettling to sublime, and sad to hilarious. They contain several common themes, including love for country, a sense of adventure, an affinity for gallows humor, the pride of well-honed teamwork, and a profound sense among shipmates that they were all key participants in a larger mission. Several of the contributors reflected that their lives were never more meaningful or focused and that some of their very best years were spent in the US Navy. As these Cold War-era submarine veterans have grown older, their senses of nostalgia and mortality have deepened. Those who wrote stories for The Silent Service Speaks (Vol. 1) did so because they believe that their memories have intrinsic historical value. They understand that although certain parts of their submarine experiences may never be discussed, a far greater percentage of their memories are worthy of sharing. Their stories are not "tell-all" narratives, but they do provide many important insights into the struggles, sacrifices, and rewards of submarine service. In that sense, this volume represents an important contribution to the written history of submarines in the modern era. The 33 contributors to our book span the entire Cold War period, from the late 1940s to the 1990s and beyond. The book contains more than 150 stories and over 300 photographs, most submitted by the authors themselves. It also includes several poems, interviews, and other recollections. The editorial process centered on readability, consistency in terminology, and historical accuracy, while maintaining the authenticity of each contributor's voice. Nearly a full year in the making, The Silent Service Speaks (Vol.1) paints an intimate portrait of life below the sea in the US Submarine Force. As with the previous two submarine books written by Charles and Frank Hood, "Poopie Suits & Cowboy Boots" and "Sub Tales: Stories that Seldom Surface", all proceeds from the sale of The Silent Service Speaks (Vol. 1) are donated to the United States Submarine Veterans, Inc. (USSVI) Scholarship Fund. This practice continues the authors' commitment to philanthropy and the desire to increase public awareness about the significance of the submarine community at large. As of June 2020 at the time of the initial publication of this book, the total proceeds raised for the USSVI Scholarship Fund have exceeded $32,000. Thanks for your interest.

Download or read book The Cold War Submariner written by Jim Boswell and published by . This book was released on 2021-02-07 with total page 162 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In A Cold War Submariner Jim Boswell chronicles the four-year period in which he changed from someone dodging the draft of the Vietnam War to becoming a Cold War submariner, commanding control of one of the most powerful ships in the Navy, the USS Nathanael Greene (SSBN 636). Although Boswell tells us tales of missile launches, torpedo firings, patrol threatening equipment failures, it is more a personal story about the interactions between shipmates serving on the deadliest of ships, out of contact with their loved ones, hoping they would never be told to use the weapons they carried. Although laced with humorous antidotes, A Cold War Submariner does not shy away from telling us what it means to make the call to "man battle stations missile, man battle stations missile". Boswell does not overstate his own capabilities in his transition from a liberal arts student to a nuclear-trained submarine officer. In fact, he readily acknowledges that he struggled to keep up with his compatriots throughout his four-year service. Unlike other submarine stories, what makes The Submariner especially captivating is it is a "coming of age" story, written by a grandfather for his grandchildren for historical purposes. The deterrent submarine force and those who sailed in them were the heroes of the Cold War. Those boats and men never fired a shot in anger yet won the war. As the famous war strategist, Sun Tzu, said: "the highest form of warfare is to win the battle without fighting." So true.

Download or read book Poopie Suits and Cowboy Boots Tales of a Submarine Officer During the Height of the Cold War written by Charles Hood Frank and published by . This book was released on 2019-02-23 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Would you like to know all about the inner workings of a U.S attack submarine? This nonfiction book, told through the eyes of the personal experiences of one of the authors, and greatly expanded now in its third edition with the input of dozens of other submarine veterans, explains how submarines are designed, built, manned, and operated. Key concepts such as buoyancy, navigation, periscope function, sonar and weapons are discussed in detail. You'll enjoy the format of this coming-of-age story of a young Navy man during the late 1960s and early 1970s, and along the way you'll learn about the intense training required for nuclear submarine service. Then you'll come aboard as the narrative turns to day-to-day details of life aboard a submarine--the missions, the routines, the psychological pressures, and the deprivations of living underwater for weeks at a time. The Silent Service, as this group is known, has a wonderful human story that has largely escaped the public domain, in part because of the classified nature of their missions. This book eschews the covert details and instead dwells on the human-interest side of submarine service. Filled with wonderful stories--some hilarious, others sad--and buttressed by 19 historical submarine essays, over 100 photos, and a detailed glossary of terminology, the book is a compelling read that will inform you and give you a newfound pride in the men and women who maintain our sea defenses 24/7. Also, all proceeds from the sale of the book benefit the Scholarship Fund of the USSVI. Makes a great gift for that Navy veteran in your life!

Download or read book Poopie Suits Cowboy Boots written by Charles Hood and published by . This book was released on 2020-01-21 with total page 438 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The new and improved fourth edition of the well-received Poopie Suits & Cowboy Boots benefits from comprehensive overhauls of all chapters. Over 1,000 changes were made to improve syntax, accuracy, and clarity. A few remaining historical, technical, and spelling errors from the third edition were corrected as well. The authors, Frank and Charles Hood, relied on the collective expertise of two dozen veteran submariners to help with proper language choices and more detailed explanations of key concepts. The submarine glossary has been expanded by 50%. The layout has been improved as well, resulting in a handsome publication that belongs on the bookshelf of any aficionado of submarine history.Poopie Suits & Cowboy Boots is a semi-autobiographic trip through the process of training and deployment aboard a fast-attack nuclear submarine during the height of the Cold War. The reader follows Frank's progression through NROTC at Purdue, his unforgettable interview with Admiral Hyman Rickover, commissioning into the U.S. Navy at college graduation, and intensive post-graduate training stints at Mare Island, Idaho Falls, and Groton on the way to his assignment as a junior nuclear officer aboard the USS Seahorse (SSN-669) based out of Charleston. Filled with tremendous detail that touches upon many of the relevant cultural touchstones of the late 1960s, the story hits its stride with vivid descriptions of life aboard a nuclear submarine. More focused on the day-to-day rather than the cloak-and-dagger, Poopie Suits & Cowboy Boots capitalizes upon Frank's journey aboard the Seahorse to explain many key concepts of submarine operation: staffing and organization, weapons systems, sonar, periscope function, communications, and much more. The reader will learn in clear language how Admiral Rickover oversaw the implementation of nuclear technology aboard submarines; how a submarine nuclear reactor functions; how submarines manipulate buoyancy to vary depth; how a target is acquired before torpedo firing; and how important sound analysis is for surveillance. Additional topics of discussion include food storage and preparation, the qualification process (earning one's dolphins), the challenges of polar navigation, the generation of oxygen and water necessary for life, and the process of arriving in port.Some very significant personal events, both happy and tragic, affected Frank during his four-year period of service, and these are described in poignant detail as well. The reader is also provided with a rich tapestry of interesting submarine history along the way. Through engaging storytelling--drawn from Frank's experiences aboard the Seahorse--the reader will gain tremendous insight into the whole ethos of submarines. This memoir provides a rare glimpse inside a world that few others have any familiarity or understanding.The story is greatly enhanced by more than 100 fully captioned photographs as well as a detailed cutaway of the Seahorse to give the reader a useful visual aid while reading about the virtual walking tour aboard the submarine. Finally, the fourth edition features 13 original "interlude" stories scattered among the chapters; these vignettes explore specific historical topics important to the legacy of the Submarine Force. All profits from the book have been donated to a single charity since the very first book was sold in 2018. As of January 2020, more than $27,000 has been raised through sales of Poopie Suits & Cowboy Boots, and all donated funds are earmarked for the Scholarship Fund of the United States Submarine Veterans, Inc. (USSVI). This fund primarily assists family members of submarine veterans with tuition expenses, among other philanthropic aims. The authors are proud of this affiliation, and readers who buy the book can rest assured that their purchase will count toward this ever-increasing total.

Download or read book Cold War Command written by Dan Conley and published by Seaforth Publishing. This book was released on 2014-06-30 with total page 408 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A British nuclear submariner sheds critical light on the Royal Navy’s Cold War operations in this revealing military memoir. The role played by the Royal Navy's submarines throughout the Cold War remains largely shrouded in secrecy. In Cold War Command, Captain Dan Conley, RN (Ret.), offers an insider’s look at commanding nuclear hunter-killer submarines. As captain of the HMS Courageous and HMS Valiant, Conley was tasked with covertly following Soviet submarines in order to destroy them should there be any outbreak of hostilities. Conley recounts his early career in diesel submarines, as well as his exceptional success against the Soviet Navy at the height of the Cold War. He was involved in the initial deployment of the Trident nuclear weapon system and divulges previously unknown facets of nuclear weapons strategy and policy during this period. He also describes the Royal Navy's shortcomings in ship and weapons procurement, assessing how these failures led to the effective bankrupting of the Defense budget as it entered the 21st century.

Download or read book Poopie Suits and Cowboy Boots written by Frank Hood and published by . This book was released on 2019-02-23 with total page 480 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Would you like to know all about the inner workings of a U.S attack submarine? This nonfiction book, told through the eyes of the personal experiences of one of the authors, and greatly expanded now in its third edition with the input of dozens of other submarine veterans, explains how submarines are designed, built, manned, and operated. Key concepts such as buoyancy, navigation, periscope function, sonar and weapons are discussed in detail. You'll enjoy the format of this coming-of-age story of a young Navy man during the late 1960s and early 1970s, and along the way you'll learn about the intense training required for nuclear submarine service. Then you'll come aboard as the narrative turns to day-to-day details of life aboard a submarine--the missions, the routines, the psychological pressures, and the deprivations of living underwater for weeks at a time. The Silent Service, as this group is known, has a wonderful human story that has largely escaped the public domain, in part because of the classified nature of their missions. This book eschews the covert details and instead dwells on the human-interest side of submarine service. Filled with wonderful stories--some hilarious, others sad--and buttressed by 19 historical submarine essays, over 100 photos, and a detailed glossary of terminology, the book is a compelling read that will inform you and give you a newfound pride in the men and women who maintain our sea defenses 24/7. Also, all proceeds from the sale of the book benefit the Scholarship Fund of the USSVI. Makes a great gift for that Navy veteran in your life!

Download or read book Cold War Submarines written by Norman Polmar and published by Potomac Books, Inc.. This book was released on 2014-05-14 with total page 649 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Submarines had a vital, if often unheralded, role in the superpower navies during the Cold War. Their crews carried out intelligence-collection operations, sought out and stood ready to destroy opposing submarines, and, from the early 1960s, threatened missile attacks on their adversary's homeland, providing in many respects the most survivable nuclear deterrent of the Cold War. For both East and West, the modern submarine originated in German U-boat designs obtained at the end of World War II. Although enjoying a similar technology base, by the 1990s the superpowers had created submarine fleets of radically different designs and capabilities. Written in collaboration with the former Soviet submarine design bureaus, Norman Polmar and K. J. Moore authoritatively demonstrate in this landmark study how differing submarine missions, antisubmarine priorities, levels of technical competence, and approaches to submarine design organizations and management caused the divergence.

Download or read book Three Knots to Nowhere written by Ted E. Dubay and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2014-03-03 with total page 223 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book follows the author's experiences in the United States Navy from 1966 through 1972. They include a personal background, boot camp, electrician's school, the U.S. Naval Nuclear Program, assignment to the USS Henry Clay during an overhaul in Charleston, South Carolina, subsequent transit to Hawaii, and deterrent patrols out of Guam. The work begins with the crew of one of the most powerful weapons on earth, the fleet ballistic missile submarine USS Henry Clay, manning Battle Station Missile. What follows is a fresh perspective on the secret world of submarine life, ranging from behavioral insights and humorous anecdotes to many undocumented attributes of submarine life, exposing aspects of life under the sea no one else has revealed. This book is the most complete representation of submarine duty to date, with a high level of detail. The narrative focuses on the enlisted men--the backbone of the submarine service.

Download or read book Standing Watch written by Jonathan Li-Chung Leung and published by University Alabama Press. This book was released on 2019-04-30 with total page 225 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first book to capture and preserve the inside story of the exclusive brotherhood that manned the front lines of the Cold War Featuring interviews from seventeen veteran submariners, Standing Watch: American Submarine Veterans Remember the Cold War Era offers the perspective of the submariners themselves—lending them a voice and paying homage to their service. Jonathan Li-Chung Leung provides an original glimpse into a world of unique challenges and characters, a life isolated and submerged, and a duty defined by the juxtaposition of monotonous routine and unparalleled excitement. These personal accounts of life below the surface offer readers a front-row seat to close encounters with Soviet submarines and the naval blockade during the Cuban Missile Crisis, as well as an intimate understanding of daily life onboard the vessels, the culture of military discipline, and the religious-like fervor exercised in honoring traditions big and small. By applying first-hand perspectives to a larger thematic overview, this book uses authentic narratives to deliver a lively and colorful picture of the Silent Service. Set against the backdrop of sobering geo-political disputes and their own role as the nation’s defenders against a seemingly ambiguous super-enemy, these veterans focus on their responsibilities and reflect on careers built on the simple axioms of pride and service. This invigorating and unalloyed account is an unprecedented addition to the existing literature on naval and military history.

Download or read book Under Pressure written by Richard Humphreys and published by Harlequin. This book was released on 2020-04-07 with total page 267 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is the world of the submariner. This is life under pressure. What’s it like to spend three months without sunlight, sharing what little space you have with over a hundred fellow crewmen and more firepower than all the bombs dropped in World War II combined? This is the world of the submariner. This is life under pressure. As a restless and adventurous eighteen-year-old, Richard Humphreys joined the Royal Navy submarine service. For five years during the Cold War, he served on the nuclear sub HMS Resolution. Nothing could have prepared him for life beneath the waves. He existed in a world without natural light, surrounded by 140 other men, all eating the same food, breathing the same air, smelling the same putrid smells and surviving together in some of the most forbidding conditions imaginable. Based on Humphreys’ firsthand experience, Under Pressure is the candid, visceral and incredibly entertaining account of what it’s like to live, work, sleep and eat—and stay sane—in one of the most extreme man-made environments on the planet.

Download or read book Secrets of the Conqueror written by Stuart Prebble and published by Faber & Faber. This book was released on 2012-10-12 with total page 214 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: HMS Conqueror is Britain's most famous submarine. It is the only sub since World War Two to have sunk an enemy ship. Conqueror's sinking of the Argentine cruiser Belgrano made inevitable an all-out war over the future of the Falkland Islands, and sparked off one of the most controversial episodes of twentieth century politics. The controversy was fuelled by a war-diary kept by an officer on board HMS Conqueror, and as a young TV producer in the 1980s Stuart Prebble scooped the world by locating the diary's author and getting his story on the record. But in the course of uncovering his Falklands story, Stuart Prebble also learned a military secret which could have come straight out of a Cold War thriller. It involved the Top Secret activities of the Conqueror in the months before and after the Falklands War. Prebble has waited for thirty years to tell his story. It is a story of incredible courage and derring-do, of men who put their lives on the line and were never allowed to tell what they had done. This story, buried under layers of official secrecy for three decades, is one of Britain's great military success stories and can now finally be told.

Download or read book Sub Tales written by Frank Hood and published by . This book was released on 2019-12-11 with total page 438 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Charles Hood and Frank Hood, the co-authors of the popular book Poopie Suits & Cowboy Boots, are pleased to announce the release of their follow-up volume, entitled Sub Tales: Stories That Seldom Surface. The new book presents a fascinating compendium of stand-alone stories drawn from the rich annals of American submarine history. Painstakingly researched and vetted, many of these stories are not widely known by even veteran submariners. Broken into sections based on content, Sub Tales explores a variety of topics ranging from the tragic sinking of the USS F-4 in 1915 to the inspiring survival story of George Rocek during World War II. Individuals highlighted in separate chapters include Admiral Chester Nimitz, Captain John Wesley Harvey, and four U.S. presidents, whose visits aboard submarines are described with proper historical context. Additional topics discussed include ordeals at sea, such as the improbable rescue of a Filipino sailor from the North Atlantic Ocean by the USS Scamp in 1987 and the daring landing of a stricken Navy helicopter aboard the USS Corporal in 1956. Lighter fare includes a discussion of the filming of the 1959 movie Operation Petticoat aboard a submarine painted pink, an explanation of submarine pay over the years, and the first baseball game played at the North Pole in 1960. Essays discussing the heavy-handed plot to steal the USS Trepang in the late 1970s, the novel delivery of U.S. mail using a submarine-launched missile in 1959, and the genesis of Dick O'Kane's lucky cribbage board are among the 35 original stories presented in Sub Tales. All stories have been thoroughly reviewed and edited by more than twenty submarine veterans from all boats, disciplines, and eras. The addition of these men to the editorial process helped immeasurably to assure both technical and historical accuracy as well as the proper use of naval terminology. In several stories, the gripping narratives are further enhanced by the inclusion of first-hand perspectives, provided by the very men who participated in these important slices of history. Capping off the book is an intriguing set of submarine "lists" gleaned from the vast readership of the authors' Facebook page ("Poopie Suits and Cowboy Boots"). These lists are compilations of responses to such weighty questions as "What one trait learned aboard the boats served you well after the service?" and "What is the one aspect of submarine duty that you struggle the most to explain to a civilian?"More than 130 photographs are included, fully captioned, to amplify the written material for each chapter. By popular demand, the essay "How to Spot a Brother of the 'Phin" is reprinted from the Hoods' first book, along with expanded versions of stories recounting the USS Squalus rescue of 1939, the experimental nature of the USS Albacore in the 1950s, and the refuge sought by the USS Narwhal at the bottom of the Cooper River during a hurricane in 1989. The Hoods have organized this book for opening randomly at any chapter and becoming absorbed by a new story. The stories are grouped by general topic but do not follow any sequence, making Sub Tales that perfect bedtime companion for a short story or two before sleeping. A great gift for the veteran submariner, Sub Tales is also engrossing reading for anyone who with an interest in the U.S. Submarine Force. As with the first book, all profits from the sale of Sub Tales are earmarked for the Scholarship Fund of the USSVI. This fund awards stipends to deserving family members of veteran submariners to help defray college tuition expenses. The response to Poopie Suits & Cowboy Boots has been overwhelmingly positive, and proceeds from book sales have resulted in the cumulative donation of more than $26,000 to this fund as of December 2019. Not only will you thoroughly enjoy reading Sub Tales but also you will be helping out a very worthy and appropriate philanthropic effort. Thank you for your support!