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Summary: NAVAL HEROES OF THE PAST ARE REMEMBERED
Review: THIS BOOK IS A MUST FOR ANYONE WITH AN INTEREST IN HISTORY, ESPECIALLY NAVAL HISTORY! I've just finished reading the book and to say that I found it exciting is an understatment! As a veteran submariner, I could feel the panic as the boat was going down as well as the intensity to get her on the surface. Also, having worked with salvage divers, I could feel the frustration when the resuce/salvage was not going well. Even though ADM Momsen was hailed and is a hero, let us not forget all the men who assited him in this effort as well as those men who served on the Squalus. All of them deserve our thanks. As was stated in earlier reviews I feel that pictures and diagrams of equipment, people and ships would have been beneficial. A book that others may find interesting and similar is Descent into Darkness by CDR Edward C. Raymer, USN (Ret.). This book describes salvage operations after the attack on Pearl Harbor, HI.
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Summary: Have your teenagers read this book!
Review: A great book which shows not only that "Swede" Momsen was a hero, but that the majority of ordinary people can respond in extraordinary fashion when the situation requires it. Read this book and ask yourself if you would have responded as well. The book was a quick read and well written. I really liked the style of writing. Real life is often more exciting than fiction, isn't it.
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Summary: Heroism and determination
Review: Peter Maas has turned out a real page turner! The story of Swede Momsen and his rescue of the crew of the Squalus was expertly told and a tribute to the stoical and heroic character of submarine crews and the dogged determination in the face of official indifference of Swede Momsen. I am sorry the editors did not think to add a diagram of the layout of the Squalus so I could more easily visualize the frantic efforts of the crew to save their boat. Aside from that, it is well worth the read.
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Summary: An illustrated edition is a good idea
Review: Maas provided a riveting read and a naval history lesson. Swede Momsen was truly a hero. The book is a tribute to his character and dedication to his work. The difficulty of raising Squalus while solving technical problems and performing scientific research critical to your mission at the same is so daunting that most men would have thought it impossible at the outset. Even today the task would be a near impossibility. I agree with other reviewers that illustrations and/or diagrams of the submarine, rescue operation, and diving apparatus would have been very helpful to the average reader. As an ex-submariner, I could easily visualize all of descriptions of scenes Maas recounted, but I can easily see how other readers less familiar with submarines could have difficulty with visualizing the predicament of the Squalus crew, their brave rescuers, and the extreme danger inherent in the entire operation. Well done, Mr. Maas. Now carry on with an illustrated edition.
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Summary: Unknown Til Now, But One of the Century's Best
Review: Peter Maas gives us a tale that brings the heretofore unknown Swede Momsen to the forefront of the American heroic tradition. In describing how Momsen performs the first deep sea rescue of a marooned submarine crew, Maas tells a first-class tale. He describes how Momsen became one of the Navy's best officers, often not by blindly saying "yes," but more often by challenging conventional wisdom and practicing relentless innovation -- even when it was not welcome or understood. He risked his life many times. The rescue of the crew of Squalus off the Isles of Shoals, New Hampshire, is enough of a story to merit a place for Momsen. But Maas proceeds to describe Momsen's entire naval career, which includes a hand in bringing about nuclear submarines and even a stint at solving the worst problem in the entire fleet -- namely, bringing order to the Navy's worldwide mail. Momsen has been dead for more than 30 years, but his life and work are a story about leadership, innovation, practical organization politics, and being personally effective. It's a great book, a real page-turner. The only drawback is an occasional spell of technical briefing which produced nothing more in me than a desire to skip a few pages and return to the spellbinding story of this man's life's work.
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Summary: Gripping
Review: Very exciting story telling with great characters
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Summary: great book: page turner
Review: Great book. Clean to read. A real page turner. The US Navy should canonize Momsen.
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Summary: Bravery, fear, courage - and the lessons of history.
Review: Peter Maas has a gift. His words make men and women whom we'll never know personally come alive. In his telling of the tale of the Squalus, Maas also provides a shocking glimpse into the rigidity of the pre-World War II Navy, presents a picture of domestic life that we no longer enjoy (and probably are worse off for it) and the willingness of men to willingly endure danger. It is also the story of one very brave, very determined man who fought a stolid bureaucracy in order to save the lives of his comrades. Maas' reporting - and that's what it really is - is solid. He never gets into phony histrionics, but his descriptions of the reality are frightening - you can imagine the terror of being trapped in a submarine, 240 feet below the surface, not knowing if you will be dead or alive in a matter of hours. Maas also captures the unassuming and unfailing courage of the rescuers who fight inadequate equipment, foul weather and fate itself. The Terrible Hours is adventure of the most terrifying kind because it recounts a reality most of us could never endure.Jerry
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Summary: A fitting tribute
Review: As a scuba diver, I found this memoir of a remarkable man, indeed a heroic man, to be a fittng tribute to his life and the contributions he made the the science of underwater exploration. Peter Maas has corrected an oversight of history and crafted a stirring tale of the sea.
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Summary: This book is a MUST read!
Review: This book is a MUST read for anyone interested in U.S. Navy history. Maas's account of the loss of the USS Squalus & subsequent rescue efforts is exceptionally well done. The reader truly feels what it must have been like for the 33 crewmen trapped in their crippled submarine at the bottom of the North Atlantic as they prayed for rescue. The book also provides a biography of U.S. Navy officer "Swede" Momsen. Often at the risk of his own life, & sometimes with minimal support from the Navy, Momsen developed the deep-sea diving devices that made it possible to attempt the rescue.
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