Rating: 
Summary: The story of the Iowa explosion and the Navy coverup.
Review: A Glimpse of Hell is a page turner which reads like a combination of a Tom Clancy novel and a detective story. In April 1989 the center gun of number two turret on the battleship Iowa exploded killing 47 men. The men who manned the turret had been writing their families telling of a dangerous situation with ancient equipment and inadequate training. After the explosion the Navy quickly launched a coverup which settled on false allegations of homosexuality about two members of the turret crew and an alleged suicide plot by one of them. Thompson, the author, a newspaper reporter and TV producer, and a former naval gunnery officer, got involved when a crew member came to him shortly after the accident. The resulting scandal, still brewing after 10 years, is one source of morale problems which bedevil the Navy's recruiting. In the end the truth comes out thanks to Thompson and other investigative reporters. Anyone who cares about the military will devour this book. I read it in two days.
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Summary: Abuse of power in the US Navy
Review: After watching the television movie based on A Glimpse of Hell, I had to read the book. To say the least it was not disappointing. I fully believe every word of the story that came from Charles C. Thompson II, a former US Naval officer and reporter. He, of all people, would want to cast a positive light on the Navy, yet he told truth. This event reminds me of the movie Rules of Engagement. As long as they had a scape goat, why bother with the facts, which consisted of anything from unauthorized testing of missles to old, faulty wiring in the turrets to the use of untrained personnel in the turrets. Those high ranking officers who knew the truth and did nothing, should have been court martialed and jailed. The government bears some of the burden too because if the money wasn't available to run these large battle ships safely, they shouldn't have been put out to sea expecting them to defend this country while protecting those men that ran them. It is a disgrace to us all and especially those whose families will forever be affected. This book reveals a great deal about the chain-of-command and the power that those in command can wield over decisions that affect so many, even the innocent. It is a must read for anyone who enjoys true investigative work and finding truth in the midst of dishonesty.
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Summary: "A Glimpse of Hell" is a definite must-read!
Review: An absorbing and gripping account of the disaster aboard the USS Iowa. With painstaking attention to detail and a fast-moving narrative, the author conveys both the inadequacies of the navy command at that time, and the deep frustration of those who either knew or sought the truth. The author puts into perspective one of America's greatest tragedies.At the risk of using a cliche, this truly is one of those books you can't put down. I highly recommend it.
Rating: 
Summary: There are no answers.
Review: Anyone expecting a definitive answer concering the explosion in Turret Two will be dissapointed. The information provided in this book is nothing new. Mr. Thompson has just added some melodrama provided by an Ensign turret officer and a perpetual first class GM with an axe to grind. Who does Mr. Thompson expect us to believe? Admirals with agendas? Former COs trying to cover their behinds? A sister looking for publicity and insurance money? Vengeful congressmen looking to end the Battleship program? NIS agents trying to act like Johnny Law? An ensign turrent officer with an economics degree? NAVSEA civilians trying to save their careers? Everyone had an agenda in this tragedy. Would anyone, even remotely familiar with the military, believe that a master chief was conducting "illegal" and "unsafe" "experiements" by his own direction? Sadly, Mr. Thompson interviews the same sad players and discredits several honorable officers and enlisted personel on his way to making a buck.
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Summary: Read before joining the Navy.
Review: Anyone with a son or daughter considering enlisting in the U.S. Navy should read this book. It accurately reflects the U.S. Navy of the 1980's; sad to say, it still reflects how things are in the Navy today. In A GLIMPSE OF HELL you may be shocked at how much power Naval officers have over enlisted personnel. A running theme of the story is the contempt officers have for the enlisted members of the crew. Nothing has changed. Enlisteds assigned to ships today, regardless of jobs for which trained, serve tours as servants to officers, performing duties as waiters and maids. Enlisteds are even assigned to make beds for officers. On the USS IOWA, the Commanding Officer had a power unique to shipboard officers. Under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, he was allowed to impose punishments without allowing members Trial by Courtmartial (where rules of evidence apply). The CO could, as punishment under Article 15 of the UCMJ, reduce pay, restict crewmembers to the ship away from their families, ruin a career by reducing someone in rank. On the most junior personnel he could even impose 3 days confinement on bread and water! He could declare someone guilty using evidence that would never stand up in court room or military courtmartial. Quite a bag full of intimidation tools. Today U.S. Navy shipboard CO's have the same powers! Nothing has changed. If you know a young person thinking about joining the military, tell them to consider the Air Force or Marine Corps. If they are thinking about the Navy, tell them to read this book first. Take it from someone who has been part of the Navy for over 22 years, an old seadog who opened his eyes very late in the game.
Rating:
Summary: True life stuf- not recommended for prospective USN recruits
Review: As a former department head who served aboard BB-61 before, during, and after the explosion, I strongly recommend "A Glimpse of Hell" to anyone with either an interest in what actually happened during the Turret Two incident or what life aboard a Navy man-of-war is actually like. This is the best publication to date which captures the command environment surrounding the explosion. The personal relations among the key leaders could be characterized as a powderkeg waiting to be ignited. The book does a good job of recognizing the differences of two of the Iowa's Commanding Officers- Captains Moosally and Seaquist, falls short of doing an adequate comparison and contrast of their leadership styles. Neither was without fault, but the book is especially lacking in failing to highlight or even mention BB-61's highly successful convoy escort missions into the Persian Gulf of reflagged Kuwaiti tankers. The 87 deployment was a milestone for the battleship and deserves some recognition as how the crew proved that they could "do it right" under the proper leadership. The goal of the book was not meant to focus on the role of the senior leadership. It tries to give a balanced view of what went wrong, but falls short due to a lack of input from Capt Moosally. Even without his side of the story being provided, the book reads well and will hold the readers interest from cover to cover. As a footnote: it would have been nice to see some of the royalties/proceeds from the sales of the book go to the Scholarship fund for children of the turret victims. The author tells a good story but at times is a little too self serving and high and mighty in his role as the investigator. He, too, has his agenda and motives which are not always as altruistic as he would like the reader to believe.
Rating:
Summary: True life stuf- not recommended for prospective USN recruits
Review: As a former department head who served aboard BB-61 before, during, and after the explosion, I strongly recommend "A Glimpse of Hell" to anyone with either an interest in what actually happened during the Turret Two incident or what life aboard a Navy man-of-war is actually like. This is the best publication to date which captures the command environment surrounding the explosion. The personal relations among the key leaders could be characterized as a powderkeg waiting to be ignited. The book does a good job of recognizing the differences of two of the Iowa's Commanding Officers- Captains Moosally and Seaquist, falls short of doing an adequate comparison and contrast of their leadership styles. Neither was without fault, but the book is especially lacking in failing to highlight or even mention BB-61's highly successful convoy escort missions into the Persian Gulf of reflagged Kuwaiti tankers. The 87 deployment was a milestone for the battleship and deserves some recognition as how the crew proved that they could "do it right" under the proper leadership. The goal of the book was not meant to focus on the role of the senior leadership. It tries to give a balanced view of what went wrong, but falls short due to a lack of input from Capt Moosally. Even without his side of the story being provided, the book reads well and will hold the readers interest from cover to cover. As a footnote: it would have been nice to see some of the royalties/proceeds from the sales of the book go to the Scholarship fund for children of the turret victims. The author tells a good story but at times is a little too self serving and high and mighty in his role as the investigator. He, too, has his agenda and motives which are not always as altruistic as he would like the reader to believe.
Rating: 
Summary: Very Disappointed
Review: As one of the survivors of Turret Two, I am amazed at how so many fairy tales got into print without checking them out first. It should be sold as fiction vice as the absolute truth. I recommend not to waste your money on this, instead buy something from Tom Clancy instead.
Rating:
Summary: Could have been better
Review: Can't help but be a compelling story, but the author at times seemed to be relying on hearsay, footnotes would have helped. Interesting when the author himself appeared as part of the story in mid chapter, so maybe he wasn't as objective as he could have been, which to me was the major drawback of the book. Especially since the book cost 27 bucks. Wait for the paperback.
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Summary: Finally, the truth about what really happened!
Review: Charles Thompson has taken a long time to write this book, but it was absolutely worth the wait! For those of us who have lost family members that fateful day in 1989...this will put everything in perspective once and for all. Although we may never know what actually caused the turret two explosion on April 19, 1989, the one thing that we know for sure is that is was definately not caused by GMG2 Clayton M. Hartwig. What in the world were those in charge of the investigation thinking? Did they not think that his family, friends, and shipmates would fight these lies until the bitter end? The Navy was wrong to do this to this innocent young man who was not around to defend himself, and I hope that they have learned a lesson, and never, ever try to do this to anyone again!
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