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Old Salt
Posts: 461
Location: Medina, OH | Subject: Help: Pick Favorite Books for Civilians
Recommended for civilian reading? Intent is to list top five in each category in my cookbook.
Keep in mind books are strictly for civilians with little or no awareness of the Submarine Force or submariners. There are so many nonfiction books based on particular submarines. Can you suggest several of these, as well as some others, for NONFICTION category?
Best NonFiction?
Blind Man's Bluff (Drew, Drew, Sontag)
Thunder Below (Admiral F)
Silent Victory: U.S. Sumarine War Against Japan (Clay Blair, Jr.)
Silent Steel (Steve Johnson) Torpedoman (Ron Smith) Big Red -- 3 months aboard Trident Nebraska (Douglas Waller)
Submarine (Clancy)
Any glaring missing ones for below "best fiction"??
Best Fiction? Pick top 5, please.
Das Boot, Lothar-Gunther Buchheim (English, German versions)
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Jules Verne
Hunt for Red October, Tom Clancy
Run Silent, Run Deep, Edward "Ned" Beach
On the Beach, Nevil Shute
Blow Negative, Edward Stephens
Ghostboat, George Simpson, Neal Burger
ICE AND STEEL, D. Clayton Meadows
The First Team, John Ball
Pride Runs Deep,R. Cameron Cooke
His Majesty's U-Boat, Douglas Reeman
Edited by nancy 2007-10-07 10:42 AM
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Old Salt
Posts: 256
| Subject: RE: Help: Pick Favorite Books for Civilians
Hi Nancy:
I love the WW II sub books, and don't read new 21st century scenario novels since Tom C. stopped writing... I think Blind Man's Bluff was a great book, it told a story about our marvelous sub sailors and the subs they manned.....It was better than a novel.......in many ways.  :
Proud to say that a young jg I knew some the men who carried out the missions Sherry described.
tincanman |
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COMSUBBBS
Posts: 3202
Location: Alexandria, Virginia | Subject: RE: Help: Pick Favorite Books for Civilians
Non fiction: All time favorites THEODORE ROSCOE...UNITED STATES SUBMARINE OPERATIONS OF WORLD WAR II....CLAY BLAIR'S....SILENT VICTORY. And don't forget our own first person chronicle RON "WARSHOT" SMITH'S....TORPEDOMAN and Ken "Pig" Henry's GALLANT LADY....Then there's our own deep water bard....Anything written by Capt. Edward L. Beach USN (ret)...a man who used saltwater for ink, can transport you to sea and drop you 400 feet below the surface. Show me a kid who didn't stalk Bungo Pete behind a geometry book in 11th grade study hall and I'll show you a lad who deserved to go Air Force. Ned Beach was the greatest recruiting tool the Submarine Force ever had. Admiral Eugene Fluckey (who just left us) gave us his first person remeniscenes and narrative of his WWII service in THUNDER BELOW. Admiral Fluckey was awarded four Navy Crosses and the nation's highest decoration The Medal of Honor. There is another biography written about him that contains elements of Fluckey's career that modesty prevented Admiral Fluckey from mentioning. It is Carl Lavo's GALLOPING GHOST. Then there's the soon to be published DEPTHS OF COURAGE co-authored by Ron "Warshot" Smith. I could go on and on....but what you have here would be a good begining and there are others here, to include Ken Henry, Don Gentry The Master of all things Submarine, Ron Martini and Chief John Clear, who have recommended titles to me and none of them have ever been wrong. Anything suggested by any of these gentlemen will be a CrackerJack read. DEX |
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Old Salt
Posts: 461
Location: Medina, OH | Subject: RE: Help: Pick Favorite Books for Civilians
Thanks Bob and Dex: Believe when I first began this project had about 80 fiction, nonfiction books listed. Dex: Within top five in each category, which should I add, which to delete? Keep in mind not my intention to slight ANYONE, especially within sub community. Believe Smith's Torpedoman was in original top 12 list. Not sure about Pig Henry book. Await responses from others. Remember, these are books that best tell the Submarine Force and submariners' stories to an unknowing public. Appreciation as always |
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Old Salt
Posts: 461
Location: Medina, OH | Subject: RE: Help: Pick Favorite Books for Civilians
Nonfiction now includes Silent Victory, Steve Johnson. It's been suggested I delete Big Red. Again, keep in mind top five in each category are for civilians with little or no knowledge about Submarine Force or submariners. Appreciation, as always.
Edited by nancy 2007-10-07 10:43 AM
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COMSUBBBS
Posts: 2673
Location: New Jersey | Subject: RE: Help: Pick Favorite Books for Civilians
Nancy,
Since you have Blind Mans Bluff topping your list I'd like to add one hell of a good book called Silent Steel, by Stephen Johnson. About the mysterious death of the USS Scorpion. Johnson is just reporting and not editorializing in this book. He discusses all facets and possible scenarios of how Scorpion died from official transcripts. Like how "Scorpion fell victim to a plague of maintenance problems that dogged the US Navy's submarine service during the 1960s". Unlike many "official" transcripts, this one is a book that demands to be read in one sitting.
Regards
Joe Roche |
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COMSUBBBS
Posts: 3202
Location: Alexandria, Virginia | Subject: RE: Help: Pick Favorite Books for Civilians
Nancy, We live in a "pick the best" world...a world of progressive diminishing order. To me, I have a several hundred book submarine library, many recommended by my SubVet shipmates and other folks whose opinion I respect. Each book has something to offer...a different prospective, a unique take. I personally tend to gravitate to books written by men who actually rode submarines...men who took the time to serve their country and qualify. Others to me are like sex manuals written by maiden ladies...no matter how much technical and theoretical knowledge you have obtained from study, unless you've hot sacked, tightened loose packing glands at 400 feet, breathed dead air, eaten green fur baloney or stood a bridge watch covered in rhime....you can't capture life aboard a petroleum powered submersible, in my opinion. The best books are written by dues payers..."been there, done that" lads who sucked snorkle air and had their names on Watch,Quarters and Station bills. Lads who butt buffed booth benches in bluejacket bars from Hell to Hong Kong and hauled their shipmates back to the fleet landing. No ranking of the worth and desirability, just undying admiration for the lads taking the time to capture it on paper. Thanks DEX |
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COMSUBBBS
Posts: 3202
Location: Alexandria, Virginia | Subject: RE: Help: Pick Favorite Books for Civilians
Nancy, There was a great fellow named Tom "Old Gringo" Parks...Back in the days of long ago, Old Gringo was a wonderful contributor to all the submarine boards...great sense of humor and very articulate writer. He joined the boats as a machinist mate in the mid to late 30's and was riding S-Boats out of Cavite when the Japs attacked in December of 41. He is mentioned prominently in PIGBOAT 39. Highly recommend the book. It was written by the wife of the skipper and gives a very good picture of the Far-East just prior to the opening of World War II. DEX |
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Old Salt
Posts: 256
| Subject: RE: Help: Pick Favorite Books for Civilians
Nancy:
Actually, you're attempting to cover too much ground by using two categories. There are many WW II sub books,
fiction and non-fiction that have real merit. However in the 21st century you're more limited......Thus Blind Man's Bluff comes in as a well done piece of documented late 20th century sub lore. Everything in the book is at least once removed, then you have memory etc questions.....You also have a question about real security......some missions were and should be highly classified. Now that we're back in the 21st century version of the Cold War, we're sending boats out on similar missions.......I'd try and have a "historic" category for both....
I agree that many of the stories told by the actual participants are gripping and must reads....Fiction needs to have thorough research behind the story and a writer who has first hand knowledge of the US Navy, 21st century weapons systems and tactics of both sides of the opposing forces......that's a lot tougher than it sounds.....In doing research for my sub book, I received a call from ONI....asking me why I was asking so many questions about the ASDS.....
After 20 minutes on the phone, the CDR told me, he'd help proof read the book.....Don't think I wasn't pleased, at least one person would buy the book.....Unfortunately, the ASDS project was put on the shelf.....so the only missions
she'll do, are in the book.....As far as I know I had the only 10 ASDS-1 USN sub baseball hats ever made up.....
seven in LA @ US Naval Office of Information.....
tincanman |
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Great Sage of the Sea
Posts: 618
Location: Issaquah WA, USA | Subject: RE: Help: Pick Favorite Books for Civilians
For a cracking good read about a cold war diesel submarine and how it REALLY feels to go on a northern run, read OF WIVES AND SUBMARINES. It's the story of a GII boat and crew, seen through the eyes of a junior officer. Written by Subvet Ed Jones of the Submarine Research Center.
Bruce Shick's "Whales Tales" is another excellent read. Go to http://www.submarineresearch.com/whaltale.html for more info on this one.
Edited by PatH 2007-10-08 8:27 AM
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Help: Pick Favorite Books for Civilians
