Rating: 
Summary: Fun and Wrong at the Same Time
Review: "An engaging, articulate,and suspenseful writer; Gripping; Enjoyable adventure": These are expressions that have been used in previous reviews of this book. For the non-archaeologist, or perhaps even for the terrestrial archaeologists, this book may be construed as "fun". In explaining the dangers of deep and cave diving, it is most certainly on the mark. It is even fun to say how "great" the author and his team are for having done such things in an adventure book. Unfortunately, for the professional archaeologists, this book is just an adventure book. The adventures are real, but many of the archaeological "claims" may be considered to be half-truths, or outright lies by those who were there first and along-side of SCRU. For instance, HMS Fowey was not first located by SCRU or anyone in SCRU. Lenihan was not able to see the crest of the Tudor rose on the cannon when it was found in the water, as it only became visible in the labortatory after conservation began. There appear to be more inconsistancies as well. All of these are probably just the result of leaving out a sentence or two in the narration. Whatever the case, too bad, because it is in print now. This may have otherwise been a useful book for professionals. If you want a rip-riding, roaring adventure, buy the book. If you want to know what real underwater archaeology is all about, do not buy this, read Keith Muckelroy or maybe even George Bass.
Rating:
Summary: Fun and Wrong at the Same Time
Review: "An engaging, articulate,and suspenseful writer; Gripping; Enjoyable adventure": These are expressions that have been used in previous reviews of this book. For the non-archaeologist, or perhaps even for the terrestrial archaeologists, this book may be construed as "fun". In explaining the dangers of deep and cave diving, it is most certainly on the mark. It is even fun to say how "great" the author and his team are for having done such things in an adventure book. Unfortunately, for the professional archaeologists, this book is just an adventure book. The adventures are real, but many of the archaeological "claims" may be considered to be half-truths, or outright lies by those who were there first and along-side of SCRU. For instance, HMS Fowey was not first located by SCRU or anyone in SCRU. Lenihan was not able to see the crest of the Tudor rose on the cannon when it was found in the water, as it only became visible in the labortatory after conservation began. There appear to be more inconsistancies as well. All of these are probably just the result of leaving out a sentence or two in the narration. Whatever the case, too bad, because it is in print now. This may have otherwise been a useful book for professionals. If you want a rip-riding, roaring adventure, buy the book. If you want to know what real underwater archaeology is all about, do not buy this, read Keith Muckelroy or maybe even George Bass.
Rating: 
Summary: Lenihan plumbs the depths
Review: Although I know little of underwater archeaology, I have done my share of contract land archeaology and am an avid sport diver. Mr. Lenihan gives bonechilling acounts of diving situations involving caves, polluted waters and other truly extreme variables. I have been a scuba diver here in San Diego for over thirty years and I have come with time to admit my limits. This man, wether crazy or not, has defied most the limits I am aware of, but you can't say he was clueless, he's still here to write this book. Being quite involved in the diving community for some time and also associated with some west coast based archaeologist, I have heard nothing but high regards for this mans reliability and profesionalism as an archaeologist.
I have read some of the reviews by other so called sport divers who are down on Mr. Lenihan. I am angered by their comments and dissappointed by their ethics treating ships. Essentially, they are treasure hunters and thier ethics are, "the gold I find while destroying sites for other divers is mine!" I fully admit that they know more about ship wreck diving than myself although I doubt Mr. Lenihan is in jeopardy of being overwhelmed by their "unselfish principles" or vast historical knowledge of the sites they desecrate. From the very positive articles I have read in such magazines as "Skindiver" or "Sportdiver" magazine, I am more willing to take them seriously. But thats just me. For anyone interested at all in the ethics of preservation or the insanity of adventure, wether you agree or not, this book will probably fullfill alot of those curiosities.
Rating:
Summary: submerged, enlightening information, remarkable stories
Review: Although I know little of underwater archeaology, I have done my share of contract land archeaology and am an avid sport diver. Mr. Lenihan gives bonechilling acounts of diving situations involving caves, polluted waters and other truly extreme variables. I have been a scuba diver here in San Diego for over thirty years and I have come with time to admit my limits. This man, wether crazy or not, has defied most the limits I am aware of, but you can't say he was clueless, he's still here to write this book. Being quite involved in the diving community for some time and also associated with some west coast based archaeologist, I have heard nothing but high regards for this mans reliability and profesionalism as an archaeologist.
I have read some of the reviews by other so called sport divers who are down on Mr. Lenihan. I am angered by their comments and dissappointed by their ethics treating ships. Essentially, they are treasure hunters and thier ethics are, "the gold I find while destroying sites for other divers is mine!" I fully admit that they know more about ship wreck diving than myself although I doubt Mr. Lenihan is in jeopardy of being overwhelmed by their "unselfish principles" or vast historical knowledge of the sites they desecrate. From the very positive articles I have read in such magazines as "Skindiver" or "Sportdiver" magazine, I am more willing to take them seriously. But thats just me. For anyone interested at all in the ethics of preservation or the insanity of adventure, wether you agree or not, this book will probably fullfill alot of those curiosities.
Rating:
Summary: Takes You Places You'll Probably Never Go Underwater
Review: An engaging, articulate,and suspenseful writer, Dan Lenihan shows the often daring and dangerous side of being an underwater park ranger. Not dry in the least, Submerged took me to eerie and beautiful underwater places I'd never have the courage to go myself but find fascinating. Often self-deprecating but never the egotist, Lenihan brought me into his inner circle to share the experience and the history of each place in wonderful detail. While they clearly had a lot of fun, Dan and his fellow rangers should be taken as seriously as the archaelogists on land uncovering Egyptian tombs or finding dinosaur bones. While many of the sites he discusses in Submerged are off limits to the public, Dan also wrote a handy Fodors book called "Underwater Wonders of the National Parks" which is a diving and snorkeling guide to areas open to the public. I'll be recommending Submerged to my diving and non-diving friends.
Rating:
Summary: The Hyped Mis-Adventures Of An Elitist Bureaucracy
Review: Daniel Lenihans book, "Submerged: Adventures of America's Most Elite Underwater Archaeology Team," should really be described as a futile exercise in historical revision written by an egotist that seemed to be mentally absent from a large part of his career. For the record he has turned a hobby, wreck diving, into a government profession and now wants to let the world know how efficient he was at it.Tens of thousands, if not more, of shipwreck diving enthusiasts around the world (who, I can assure you, have NEVER heard of Mr. Lenihan) spend millions of dollars a year on dive vacations just to dive old shipwrecks. Mr. Lenihan and his SCRU team not only get to do it for free, but they make a vocation of it using our tax dollars to dive exotic places around the globe. Even though
the overwhelming majority of the wrecks they dive are ones that sunk in the 20th century and have the very minimal of archaeological value, they justify it by calling it "Archaeology" (Although most true archaeologists are embarrassed by this.)
The Historic Shipwreck Salvage Community, who they so arrogantly despise, are actually the professionals who have located and recovered the majority of the true archaeological shipwrecks, i.e. - 15th, 16th & 17th century ships. They use their own finances to locate recover and preserve this material for posterity. They were also the first to develop the techniques and methodology that are now used in the new field of marine archaeology. Mr. Lenihans description of greed and destruction has no bearing whatsoever on how the professional shipwreck salvor conducts themselves. The jealousy of not being able to discover, recover and preserve REAL archaeological data has been a thorn in their side for many years, so they try to denigrate the professional salvors while they build a whimsical "bigger than life" perception of themselves and their work. Mr. Lenihan also goes to great length to try and win over the sport diving community by "allowing" and encouraging them to dive on shipwrecks. This is nothing more than a bureaucrat making promises he knows he can't keep. The following is an excerpt from an article published on the Institute of Marine Archaeological Conservation (IMAC) website. The Leagre Anchorage that is mentioned is the formal name of the area where the shipwreck H.M.S. Fowey that the National Park Service oversees and that the so-called SCRU team is so proud to have worked on. (I might also add that it was originally discovered by a sport diver and not Lenihan's crew.) "The Leagre Anchorage is an area that is shown on charts dating back to 1856. It is currently marked on NOAA Chart 11451, Note C, as a "CLOSED AREA"; closed to scuba diving, snorkeling, swimming, floating and any activity that involves placing persons or equipment on, in, or under the water. Use of any underwater viewing device including but not limited to face masks, glass
bottom boats, glass bottom buckets or cameras is restricted." This example of duplicity perpetrated by the infamous SCRU team is just a microcosm in the bigger picture of how the National Park Service has conspired to restrict the rights of this country's sport divers and salvors.
Another recent example was the NPS encouraging Spain to file a claim on two Spanish galleons in Virginia waters after a professional salvor spent over a million dollars of his own money and three years locating it. The NPS then sided with Spain in Federal Court against the Commonwealth of Virginia and its citizens. The two wrecks were given to Spain and the salvor lost
everything. Here is the most outrageous and chilling situation where a bureaucratic agency of our own government runs amuck and sides against a U.S. citizen for exercising, what use to be, his right to Free Enterprise in his own country. Mr. Lenihan certainly taxes his fertile and fanciful imagination into producing a narrative that seems to have little merit in truth, but yet gives some insight into how he perceived his ideal world. I believe that "world" could be summed up in one of his own words- "Elite". However, I believe in most literary circles it would be called- Fiction.
Rating:
Summary: Submerged is Superb
Review: I highly recommend this book about underwater archeology. My previous experience with archeology was Harrison Ford and the pursuit of the holy grail. The author's intriguing account of his career, from exploring a Civil War submarine to Pearl Harbor, reaffirms my belief that archeology is one of the most fascinating professions in research. It's a whole new world underneath those ocean waters. Give this book a chance, and you'll be submerged in a good read.
Rating:
Summary: It's my new bible
Review: I loved this book so much! I was truly saddened when i reached the end. Mr Lenihan obviously loves his job and brings these stories to life with vivid storytelling. I'm never letting this book leave my possesion.
Rating:
Summary: Gripping
Review: I purchased the book after listening to Mr. Lenihan on the "Lanigan and Malone" show here in Cleveland. I just do some occasional sport diving in the Caribbean but this book opened a new world for me--one I think I'd rather read about than enter. The underwater archeology on some of the modern wrecks, particularly around Isle Royale was the most interesting to me but I had never thought about the diversity of underwater environments on this planet including caves and reservoirs. The book was more intense than I expected and some of the scenes doing the park ranger work of recovering divers were very chilling but realistic. I would recommend the book to anyone, diver or non-diver though I might be careful with younger readers due to the realistic portrayals of the rescues. It has given me a whole new appreciation for the park service.
Rating:
Summary: Historical Diving
Review: I realy enjoyed Submerged. I found my self not being able to put the book down. Lenihan explains the importance of saving our submereged historical artifacts as well as those of other nations. I am a History Major as well as a Diver. This book has both of the two worlds. I would recomend this book to anyone interested in diving or history.
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