Rating: 
Summary: A Haunting Tale
Review: As I write this review, the world waits to hear of the fate of the Russian submariners aboard the Kursk. When the news first broke, I immediately thought of this book and Swede Momsen. That same night, my sister called me and said, "Have you heard? 'The Terrible Hours' is happening all over again." Neither of us had ever forgotten this book.Peter Maas does a terrific job of recounting Swede Momsen's career in the context of this spectacular rescue. You don't need to be interested in submarines or the Navy - just in what can be accomplished with creativity, persistence, and heroism. My one quibble is that I do agree with the reviewers who would like illustrations - that's why the four stars rather than five.
Rating: 
Summary: excellent
Review: I loved this book - the ending is terrific.
Rating:
Summary: the terrible hours
Review: The book the terrible hours was a great book written about the resuce of the saliors of a sunken submarine. The book is written form the view of a saloir and that impoves the book even more. It was one of the best submarine resuce books I have ever read. The book at some points cepted you want to know what happened nexted. I recomend this book to anyone who want a great book.
Rating:
Summary: STORY OF SQUALUS BEST EVER!
Review: To the author Peter Maas and all the brave men and women involved with that daring rescue; especially Swede Monson,my deepest respect for you all! You "will" never be forgotten! This story atracted my attention and fascination more than any story that I've ever read! I really could read this book over and over because it tells of how Swede Monson (USN) had many great ideas to help men in danger back in pre World War 2 . Story tells of how one of Swede's inventions; the aqualung, would help you breathe should a sub go down. Mainly this book tells about a bell assembly he invented to go uderwater to rescue members of the USS SQUALUS. This is first totally successful rescue of actual men in a life/death situation; and how Swede Monson's dive bell saved all remaining crewmembers on Squalus! Much adventure and a totally true story from October 1939! must read!
Rating: 
Summary: A good read -- not a great book
Review: This is a relatively short book, considering the topic. That and the writing style limit it. Regards the overwrought style consider some 'purple prose' from page 33: "everyone in the control room froze, hypnotized..."; "This could not be happening!" "With ferocious force, tons of sea were shooting into the engine rooms." Though many find alliteration effective, I feel that it reeks of 'TV journalism'. In many places "The Terrible Hours" gave me the feeling I had dropped into a 'TV docu-drama'. Another instance of Maas's irritating writing style: (p.145) "Robert Robertson was every bit as baffled by the high induction valve's failure to close..." Whenever someone asserts that another individual was thinking this, or feeling that, my own reaction is -- document it! A quote from Robertson would have established how he felt and what he was thinking, and would have been more convincing than the author's assertion. This is not a bad book. Though others may disagree, I did NOT find the lack of illustrations, schematics, and photographs to be a big problem. The technical terms made sense in context. In fact, since I had never before read anything about this pioneer submarine rescue, I found this work to be quite a good overview and introduction. But I finished reading it feeling that it was not as good as it could have been.
Rating:
Summary: Kept me awake!
Review: This book on tape was perfect for a journey from Boston to Rochester, New York. I found the miles flying by as I was drawn ever deeper into the suspenseful crisis of a trapped submarine. Even though it was clear that some of the men survived, because of the amount of first-person information that was given, I still found myself on the edge of my car seat as the minutes ticked by and the air in the sub became more and more toxic and colder. If you're looking for examples of real heroism and human ingenuity, this is a story to savor.
Rating:
Summary: Truth is more exciting than fiction!
Review: Peter Maas does an excellent job of bringing you into the life of Swede Momsen and the suspenseful rescue of the squalus. I have never served in the Navy but I could not put this book down.
Rating:
Summary: The Terrible Hours
Review: Absolutely fascinating! I could not leave this story alone until I was finished. The story almost seems to be fictionalized because the events are so simply unbelieveable. This is a great book for anyone who wants to know what it feels like to be in a submarine.
Rating:
Summary: Nail-biter
Review: The tapes are a spellbindingly written and narrated. They demand your attention and will have you at the edge of your seat for hours. This gripping story sent me searching for other material about "swede" Momsen and the sub. Squalus. Like so many good yarns, Maas's narrative is more fascinating than written history. Maas's Momsen, portrayed as an underwater genius, a man of umitigated courage and heroism, and father of modern nuclear subs., was eventually posted to the Naval Postal Service(Huh?).
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: This book keeps you entertained from the beginning to the end. It describes the details of an underwater rescue of a submarine in 200 feet of water,when such a task was unheard of, and the findings by the US Navy for the causes of the incident.
| 
