The Terrible Hours: The Man Behind the Greatest Submarine Rescue in History

Rating:
Summary: 5 Stars For Survivors, The Dead, Mr. Momsen, The Families,
Review: Everyone involved in the rescue, and for The Author for bringing this piece of History to one who was unaware of it. I do not have the technical expertise of many of the reviewers so I too would have found pictures or drawings very helpful. The story is not diminished by their absence, but for those who don't have the knowledge it would have helped to clarify and expand on certain issues and the equipment used. I read through the book almost without pause as there is no let up at all in the story, it is an excellent piece of historical writing, and if it hadn't happened, it would have made a great novel. I do not mean to infer it is light reading, simply very well written even though a few more details/explanations would have helped the layperson. My Father served in the Navy, and he always has spoken about the Men that served in the Submarines as people that were a "Certain kind of special, and who had a lot of guts". I didn't fully appreciate that comment until this book. These men were closer to amazing than just special. The craft they were using may have been state of the art in their day, but I don't know how much comfort could be derived from that fact. Mr. Momson, the rescuers, the crewmen that survived, and those that did not, are all heroes, as are their Families. I do not believe that we hear enough about heroes and heroines to the extent that we should. And the next comment may generate some nasty letters but that's fine. Today heroes and their female counterparts are often those who endorse sneakers and other forms of Athletic Equipment. Sports are important; excellence in sport should be celebrated, but kept in perspective. These submariners, their counterparts on ships, the men and women who served on the ground or in the air, are not celebrated nearly enough, our standards have gotten badly out of line. All that we enjoy, and all that we are free to criticize, and the lives we have to pursue our goals with, ALL are owed to the men and women who have served their Country in Peace and in War. I have never been to war, but for those who have given me my freedom a thank you, my respect, and a promise to raise my Children to know who gave them the Country in which they live, is what I can offer. It's not much compared to what you have done, but I believe many more citizens than not know they owe what we have to those who defended us.

Rating:
Summary: Great writing -- but no pictures
Review: Having read the original story about this submarine disaster, BLOW ALL BALLAST, I was disappointed that there were no pictures or drawings in this book to help the reader have a better graphical view of what he was reading about.

Rating:
Summary: An excellent, fun, fast read
Review: The Terrible Hours is a great read. It keeps you interested and glued to its pages. I too look forward to seeing Sean Connery as Momsen in the movie. If you liked "The Hunt for Red October" you will be entranced by this adventure.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent flow of action and documetation of pertinent facts
Review: As a former Navy Diver, 1st Class, I am quite familiar with the problems associated with deep diving on air as outlined in the book. Mr. Maas did an outstanding job of identifying these situations to the reader, who would not necessarily be from a diving background. The story is very compelling and one that I firmly believe HAS TO BE MADE INTO A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE. We need heroes and Swede Momsen was certainly one. There is no mention of how many men died using the Momsen Lung, which used pure oxygen as opposed to air for a breathing medium, but that would not have added to the story. I did, however, find two technical errors in the book that should not have been there, given the resources and people I am sure that Mr. Maas has at his disposal. I still rank this book with 5 stars. It is well worth reading. This is Naval History at its best.

Rating:
Summary: An enlightening book about an amazing man
Review: I served in the U.S. Submarine Service during the early 1970's and Momsen was a legend at that time. We were taught to use newer technology based on the Momsen Lung and appreciated what Momsen had done for us. But I never realized all of the other areas he made contributions in. This book made it crystal clear to me just how much my life was molded by Momsen's work. The book was an easy read and I had trouble putting it down. The lack of photographs and diagrams makes it a four star rather than a five star book. Readers with no familiarity of submarines may have trouble visualizing certain aspects of the story, but I would strongly encourage them to read it anyway. While the book deals with a lot of technical details, the real story is non-technical. It is about a man's devotion to duty and his single-minded pursuit of his vision. It's a powerful story and masterfully told. I think it would be very motivating for younger readers since it shows what can be accomplished in life when up against huge challenges.

Rating:
Summary: A small rewrite of Maas's first book The Rescuer
Review: A great story that deserves to be told, but unfortunately this is almost a word-for-word copy of Maas's first book The Rescuer. At least that one had pictures of the S-4, S-51 and Squalus operations.

Rating:
Summary: Very good book that would be great with some pictures.
Review: I share the positive comments of many of the other reviewers. I would add that as a diver, I found the early history of the oxygen/helium/nitrogen problem enlightening. However, the references to parts of the submarine, while necessary, are confusing. Overall a good read but the absence of sketches and pictures is a major oversight.

Rating:
Summary: I knew the outcome but I couldn't put this book down!
Review: I loved this book. The author is a master at setting a variety of stages and allowing you to experience the events he describes in a fairly non-technical manner. More than anything I gained a great appreciation for the visions and lifework of Mr Momsen. I am left in awe of his contribution to society - I knew of him, but never realized his mark on our lives was so significant.

Rating:
Summary: I just couldn't put it down.
Review: I received The Terrible Hours as a gift on my birthday. Late in the afternoon I picked it up to get some idea of what I was in for. Bedtime came and went while I stayed up to finish it. His writing is suspenseful from start to finish. Having served on submarines during my naval career, I found the pure narative style to be refreshing. It was easier to picture the boat's condition and the crew's composure without diagrams and photographs. Having been down there myself for extended periods with no certainty of reaching the surface, I can attest to the range of feelings and emotions that Maas artfully describes. The story touched my heart and fueled my imagination. Great job.

Rating:
Summary: As close to Momsen's own telling as we will ever get.
Review: Many times the early works of an author are offered again after the writer has attained 'best seller' status. The truth can not be changed, and so it stands to reason that the story told in THE RESCUER sounds familiar in THE TERRIBLE HOURS. I have read them both and see the similarities and the differences. It is good to tell the story again in a time when the world yearns for heroes, and to offer the truth in a world where honesty often takes a back seat. I have heard this story all of my life, as VADM Momsen is my grandfather. Peter Maas spent nearly a decade interviewing him and sharing his life before he died. This is not a small story. Peter told me just last night that in spite of all his forays up the best seller list that "this is the one that counts." He told me, "I have been as dedicated to your grandfather's story as he was to his work. The man was a true hero." My grandfather longed to tell the story himself - and I own his original attempt to do that. But he was an inventor, and Peter Maas is the writer - and Peter has taken the tale out of the scientific information and turned it into a wonderful story of an exceptional man. There may be tellings of the story by those who were on the Falcon from the start to the finish of the rescue, but they surely can not rival the story told by the man who developed the rescue devices in the face of skepticim and opposition, risked his own life to test them, and came at last to that certain hour when the lives of 33 men rested on the sum total of everything he had ever done or learned or dreamed. His whole life was dedicated to underwater rescue and the Navy's submarine service. It is time for the scope of his accomplishments to be told - or told again to a more listening world - and Peter Maas has done an exceptional job at the telling.