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Summary: A Separate Peace
Review: A Separate Peace is an amazing book, which explores the innermost thoughts of mankind. There is rarely a dull moment in the book. The author does an excellent job of creating a closeness with the reader and the characters. This book has many symbols in it. A Separate Peace teaches great life long lessons. Its main purpose is to show that every person fight a war within themselves and they spend their lives defending themselves against this inner enemy. These inner changes take place regardless of what is happening in the world. I would highly reccomend this book to all teenagers, but guys specifically.
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Summary: An Exceptional Individual Saving Men in Undersea Frontier
Review: After the loss of the Kurst a few years ago, there was an occasional mention of Lt Swede Momsen and all this very rare individual brought to the US Navy. Peter Maas does an excellent job of documenting Swede's contribution in rescuing the sailors from the Squalus in 1939. Momsen was responsible for the Navy's pioneering work with mixed gas deep water breathing, inventing a breathing apparatus for sailor to make free ascendants and developing the diving bell to save men from stranded submarines. Each one of the sailor who got off the Squalus can thank the remainder of the lives for Momsen for not giving up in the face of the Navy bureaucracy. One comes away from this book with an even higher level of respect for all those sailors endured during those terrible hours. An easy read that will keep your attention from beginning to end.
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Summary: The story of how one man can make a difference.
Review: Being intombed on a disabled submarine, with your air slowly becoming more and more poisonous with each breath you exhale, has to be one of the most frighting ways to die imaginable. Recent events aboard the Russian sub Kursk have brought to life a largely forgotten similar story of the USS Squalus in May of 1939. The story of the Squalus which has a somewhat a happier ending is detaled in this stunnig and compelling book by Peter Maas."The Terrble hours" is a detailed account of Charles Memsen a dedicated submariner who could only stand by helplessly when a sub was disabled years earlier codeming all aboard to a slow death. Memsen, moved by the experience devised plans as well as the equipment to rescue submariners trapped under water all the while having to also fight the navy buracracy."The Terrible Hours" is a well written true story how one brave individual can make a difference. This story could also make a great movie. Some pictures and or drawings to help the reader understand the layout of the Squalus as well as the equipment used in the rescue would have been helpful but otherwise this is an excellent book highly recomended
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Summary: The Terrible Hours a good book
Review: I found this book so interesting I didn't want to put it down. The story was amazing with attention paid to the suspense, the drama, the tragedy and the personal tales of the sailors who were part of it all. I was emotionally involved with the story and would count Swede Momsen as a hero of the Navy and our country. Maas' efforts to acquire for Momsen the recognition he deserves are flawlessly executed as an undercurrent to the story and a prologue. A fantastic read.
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Summary: The Terrible Hours
Review: I like the way that Peter Maas wrote the book cause you feel like you're in it by all the details in the book. But, I thought it was bad for all the men to go down, but I thought it was cool that all but one was rescued in the sub. It was a long time for them and it was not cool that they when down cause of the vents in the Squalas because the Christmas tree board. It was the best rescue under water ever in history. I thought it was a god idea that Momsen came up with the suit but, they didn't use that they used a chamber and brought and got all them men air before so, that they could live longer so, that they could be rescue I thought it was amazing that they got the sub and men back and the sub, back the work just under name Sailfish and not under the Squalas. So, I thought it a 4 Star book for history people to read.
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Summary: Swede Momsen's story, at last!
Review: If you followed the Russian submarine incident with interest, you must read Peter Maas' book "Terrible Hours". In the year 2000, Russian submariners perished while the whole world watched and waited. In the year 1939, an American submarine, disabled and sitting on the bottom in 250 feet of water, was located and its crew rescued, thanks to the determination and guts of one Swede Momsen. Maas does an excellent job bringing to light the early days of American submarine warfare and his portrayal of the pioneer days of underwater rescue is fascinating. The US Navy wasn't very kind to Momsen in his day. Maas notes that Momsen's efforts to develop and test rescue techniques and equipment were actually frowned upon by the brass. Momsen's accomplishments were achieved mainly on the sly and at great personal and professional risk. "Terrible Hours" is truly a must read, not only for those interested in submarines and submarine history, but for anyone moved by the gripping human drama of crewmen trapped on the ocean floor, waiting, waiting for that tap on the hull.
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Summary: A Gripping Tale of Heroism and Survival
Review: In May of 1939, The U.S.S Squalus, the Navy's newest submarine, was finishing her trials off the East Coast when something went terribly wrong. A hatch which was shown to be closed on the sub's control pannel was left open and thousands of gallons of water poured into the submarine as she was executing a test dive. The sub plunged to a depth of over two hundred feet. Thirty three men out of a crew of fifty nine survived as the sub landed on the bottom, but no crewmen had ever been rescued from such a depth. "Swede" Momsen, the developer of the Momsen lung and the submarine rescue chamber, was summoned by the Navy to assist in the rescue. It is in this part of the book where Maas does his best work. He tells Momsen's story with brilliant detail and puts the reader on the deck as the brave divers attempt to attach the diving chamber to the deck of the Squallus. Due to the heroic efforts of Momsen and his crew, the thirty three survivors are eventually rescued. But Momsen's work didn't end here. These same men also accomplished the amazing feat of actually raising the Squallus to the surface and returning her to port. This book describes in great detail the story of Swede Momsen and his heroic group of divers, who, despite over 600 individual dives, did not lose a single diver. This book also points out Momsen's other contributions to the submarine community, such as the development of wolfpacks, where a group of three submarines hunted enemy shiping as a group, and the correction of the faulty torpedo detonators which failed to explode. Swede Momsen had a huge part in the development of the American submarine fleet, and this excellent book is a fitting tribute to him and his brave men. I highly recommend this excellent book to anyone who enjoys submarines or good old fashioned heroism and courage.
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Summary: A Gripping Tale of Heroism and Survival
Review: In May of 1939, The U.S.S Squalus, the Navy's newest submarine, was finishing her trials off the East Coast when something went terribly wrong. A hatch which was shown to be closed on the sub's control pannel was left open and thousands of gallons of water poured into the submarine as she was executing a test dive. The sub plunged to a depth of over two hundred feet. Thirty three men out of a crew of fifty nine survived as the sub landed on the bottom, but no crewmen had ever been rescued from such a depth. "Swede" Momsen, the developer of the Momsen lung and the submarine rescue chamber, was summoned by the Navy to assist in the rescue. It is in this part of the book where Maas does his best work. He tells Momsen's story with brilliant detail and puts the reader on the deck as the brave divers attempt to attach the diving chamber to the deck of the Squallus. Due to the heroic efforts of Momsen and his crew, the thirty three survivors are eventually rescued. But Momsen's work didn't end here. These same men also accomplished the amazing feat of actually raising the Squallus to the surface and returning her to port. This book describes in great detail the story of Swede Momsen and his heroic group of divers, who, despite over 600 individual dives, did not lose a single diver. This book also points out Momsen's other contributions to the submarine community, such as the development of wolfpacks, where a group of three submarines hunted enemy shiping as a group, and the correction of the faulty torpedo detonators which failed to explode. Swede Momsen had a huge part in the development of the American submarine fleet, and this excellent book is a fitting tribute to him and his brave men. I highly recommend this excellent book to anyone who enjoys submarines or good old fashioned heroism and courage.
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Summary: Swede Momsen Made Sub Rescue Possible
Review: In this enjoyable nonfiction account, Peter Maas tells the story of Swede Momsen's life's work in making it possible to rescue trapped submariners; and how this work was successfully applied to the unfortunate sailors on the Squalus in 1939.
Although subs of the day did not actually go that deep (Maas makes the point that the sailors could be trapped in water no deeper than the distance from Home to Second Base), when misfortune occured there was nothing anyone could do until Swede Momsen came along. Momsen invented the Momsen lung and the diving bell and pioneered the use of inert gas along with Oxygen as a diving mixture. His personally trained divers were able to use these tools to retrieve the sailors of the Squalus, and ultimately the submarine itslef.
Maas does a good job of alternating between the plight of the sailors on the Squalus and telling us the story of how Momsen was inspired to come up with his innovations. Recommended for anyone who enjoys true life adventure stories and inspiring tales of invention.
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Summary: A Gripping Tale of Courage and Survival
Review: May, 1939-Europe was on the brink of war, and the United States had just launched her newest submarine, the Squalus. She was the pride of the submarine fleet and contained many features not found on older submarines, including air conditioning. However, on Tuesday, May 23, 1939, something went terribly wrong. A valve, which was shown to be closed on the submarine's contol pannel, was left open and thousands of gallons of sea water poured into the Squalus as she started one of her last test dives. Fifty nine men were suddenly trapped at the bottom of the Atlantic ocean. Never before had surviving crewmen ever been rescued from a sunken submarine-until now. "Swede" Momsen, a U.S. Navy officer, risked his own life numerous times to rescue the trapped crewmen. Momsen was the man who developed the Momsen lung, a breathing device which allowed crewmen to ascend to the surface by using controlled breathing techniques. But perhaps his greatest achievement was the development of the submarine rescue chamber; a bell-shaped device which attached directly to the submarine over the hatch. By using this apparatus, Momsen and his men were able to successfully rescue the thirty three men left alive in the submarine after she went down. However, Momsen's job was not finished. After the crew was rescued, attempts were made to raise the submurged Squalus, and Momsen's team was again at the forefront of these efforts. On September 11, 1939-after over 600 individual dives and over 100 days after disappearing into the Atlantic, the Squalus was raised. Momsen's contributions to the Navy did not end with this mission. He helped correct the problem that submariners were having with the detonaters on their torpedoes by test firing them against a rock cliff and designing a new detonator. Also, it was Momsen who came up with the idea of deploying submarines in "wolfpacks" to attack enemy shipping. The results of these "wolfpacks" were devastating to Japanese shipping. This is an excellent book of how a determined man and his crew risked their lives to save the lives of others. If you enjoy submarines or just good hero stories, then read this excellent book.
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