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Summary: The loss of the S-5 and the saving the submarine crew.
Review: A great book about the rescue of the crew of the submarine S-5 in 1920. There have been a number of books about the loss of submarine crews but fortunately this book has no deaths (at least in this sinking). Captain Cook or Savvy as he is known manages to keep his crew alive by shifting the water in the sinking sub. He manages to tilt the submarine on end and then drill a hole in the back end of the sub, where he motioned a passing ship to save his crew. The sub turned out to be a total loss but the crew was saved.
There are better submarine books out there, but none that describes this particular sinking. The author is a medical doctor, but he does a great job of giving the reader a thrilling adventure. Great job A.J.
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Summary: A Submariner's Review
Review: A J Hill is a non-fiction equivalent to Tom Clancy. As a former nuclear submariner, I found myself unable to tear my eyes from the book. While the technical details are well-described and accurate, the marvelous thing about the book is its portrayal of its characters. Savvy Cooke was a tortured man, having suffered and persevered through the sinking of two ships he commanded and the suicide of his first wife. Men like these are the between-the-wars heroes Herman Wouk described in The Caine Mutiny. Hill paints Savvy Cooke with the same brush. When's his next book?
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Summary: Heroic sailors, not a riveting storyteller
Review: Although this story should be told, a better storyteller is needed. A.J. Hill doesn't keep the tension as high as I am sure it was in that sub. There are too many off topic discussions that draw the reader away from the story instead of giving background information. I was moved more by Terrible Hours by Peter Maas.
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Summary: Under Pressure
Review: Doctor Hill has done a great job relating the tale of a group of true American heros.
He brings the right amount of submarine history and the history of many of the members of this fantastic story.
Without this book the story would have been lost.
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Summary: Action, adventure, heroism ... and true
Review: Eighty years before the ill-fated Soviet submarine Kursk sank, killed its entire crew, and inspired a major movie, another sub full of American sailors faced certain death on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean. But the resourceful crew of the U.S. Navy's S-Five didn't suffer the same fate as the Kursk's crew. And their story is recounted in vivid detail in "Under Pressure." "No matter how dire and hopeless things may seem," Hill says, "life is worth fighting for." His book is a remarkable story of true heroism in a time of heroes.
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Summary: A great read!
Review: I can honestly say that this is one of the most suspenseful and exciting books I've ever read. In fact, in many places it was so absorbing I simply couldn't put it down.
The story of how the S-Five sank and how Savvy Cooke and his men fought to survive afterwards is amazing, but the author has done such a great job of research that it's all believable. It's educational too. I didn't know much about submarines when I started the book, but I do now. The technical stuff was explained so clearly that I never had trouble understanding what was happening,. but the explanations never got in the way of the action.
If you liked The Terrible Hours, you'll love this book!
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Summary: Crew Members
Review: I enjoyed the S-5 as a former Stetson Home brother, Frank Somes was on the S-5. It would have been nice if all the members of the crew were listed. After all, this was their story
Rating:
Summary: The loss of the S-5 and the saving the submarine crew.
Review: I've read tons of submarine storys and prefer the true ones over the fiction so this one already had a plus. The men of the S-5 should have counted their blessing everyday to have gotten out with their lives. Imagine trying to drill through the hull of a sub with a hand drill? not to mention all the other trouble they were faced with, WOW. Very good story that'll keep your attention from front to back, and great photos to go along with it.
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Summary: A Real-Life Thriller!
Review: The story of the S-5 is one I've been familiar with my whole life, the executive officer LT Grisham (whose nickname was "Jim" not "Charlie") was my grandfather. He and his wife Mary were not getting ready to start a family, my mother was four years old at the time. I don't want to give away the ending, so I think I needed to make clear that my existence was not predicated on LT Grisham's survival.
The book is a real page-turner, I read it in one sitting. Although I was well aware of the outcome, Mr. Hill kept me enthralled. My heart was beating fast and my hands were sweaty. It is an inspiring book, uplifting to read about the honor and valor of men in terrifying predicaments.
It's also a graphic description of the conditions aboard submarines in the early days of the silent service.
A MUST-READ
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Summary: A.J. Hill puts you in the sunken sub with the crew
Review: This incredible story, which I'd never heard about before, took place in 1920 in a fairly primitive submarine (by today's standards). However, I believe it remains the only instance where the entire crew of a sunken sub was rescued. Lt. Commander Savvy Cook is as cool and calm and as great a leader of men in dire straits... Since they all survived, wrote letters, articles, and left a good first person record through official Navy records, Hill is able to place the reader on board the S-5 alongside with Savvy Cooke and his men. It is as gripping as any story of survival and rescue--think of how we all reacted to the recent rescue of the 9 trapped coal miners in PA. As exciting as any submarine or naval story ever written,... I can't recommend this book enough--this book is a gem. There's even an unbelievable photo of the stern of the S-5 sticking out of the water.
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