Product Description
In the worst peacetime disaster experienced by the Russian Navy, on 12 August 2000 the state-of-the-art nuclear-powered Kursk submarine sank with the loss of 118 officers and crew. The sinking was a humanitarian, environmental, and military catastrophe for Russia, and a powerful political reversal for President Putin But what really happened? Peter Truscott, former Foreign Affairs and Defence spokesperson in the European Parliament and Vice-President of the Security Committee, aims to provide the answers. An expert on Russia, with a modern history doctorate from Oxford University, Truscott has met President Mikhail Gorbachev, three Russian Prime Ministers, two parliamentary Speakers and the leaders of all Russia's political parties over the past decade. For this book, the author has also interviewed relatives of the crew; Russian, British and American nuclear submarine commanders; international torpedo experts; politicans; diplomats; British and Norwegian rescue teams and their leaders; submariners; seismologists and members of the defence and intelligence communities This work vividly re-creates the terrible final hours of the crew as they waited in vain for rescue at the bottom ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

A tragic story
This is a well-researched and taut account of the tragic sinking of the Russian submarine, the Kursk.It goes into graphic detail about the disaster and its effects on the crew, their families and the government of the day.The Russian Navy's attempted cover-up and the Kremnlin's intrigues are fully exposed.A very good read.

For Pete's Sake!
Am I the only one to notice that Peter Truscott seems to have anonymously reviewed his own book here? The second review here reads like a desperate CV - "Dr Peter Truscott has written the best book on the Kursk disaster. He has obviously interviewed all the key players ... He brings to bear ten years or so of experience as a Russian expert, and a doctorate ... from Oxford University."

Somehow I doubt that most people who are interested in this subject and read the book would retain quite so much biographical data on ol' Pete here, or find it necessary to boast that he went to "Oxford University."

This book is lousy, supercilious spite, peppered with the usual Russophobe barbs about evil Russian conspiracies. As we all know, the satanic "top brass" under direction of KGB killer Putin "cracked-down" on "independent media" to bring innocent orphans, Swedish human rights activists and the "independent media" under the "Kremlin's sway".

Frankly I'm always at a loss as to what "independent media" he is talking about. The Moscow Times, with its humourless agit-prop columnist hooker Pavel Felgenhauer, is one of the most anti-Russian publications around. It is written, published and distributed in Moscow. It may not be independent from the Dutch company that owns it, but has no connection to the Russian government. And what has that evil Putin done while supposedly clamping down on Human Rights and Press Freedom? Nothing. It is amazing how little words resemble actions among the pious proponents of the "independent media", whatever that is supposed to mean.

I passed 6 years of school at St. Mary's Primary. And I can tell that Pete's book is pathetic, and his attempt to covertly review his own book is laughable.

Dime a Dozen
As man with military experience who holds both UK and Australian passports, one who speaks Russian fluently and has lived many years there, I feel I can draw on my personal experience and offer a more objective appraisal of this publication.

I was introduced to this little book by a dear Russian friend of mine in London, who is a former submariner. He revels as much as he tires in reading the perspectives of "Russia Experts" in Britain. Like the tour guides in Windsor castle who grow weary of the an oft-repeated tourist question "why did they build it so close to the airport," the Russian community in London is unfortunately now used to such pious and ill-informed questions as "do you have refrigerators in your country?" and the defining "is there any free press in Russia?".

As a Briton, I am embarrassed that my fellow countrymen continue to hold such antiquated and pompous mid-sets. Dr. Truscott may have interviewed nuclear submarine commanders, but he will never understand the burden of command and the responsibility of bringing your men home alive to loved ones. I can't say I was ever a "Foreign Affairs and Defence spokesperson in the European Parliament and Vice-President of the Security Committee," but I do know what war is beyond academic journals and books by armchair admirals. These books are dime a dozen. There are no new perspectives here or any attempt to get past the massive stumbling block of anti-Russian attitudes common in Britain. I found nothing in the 224 pages to distinguish it from the slanted coverage of the tragedy I watched on the BBC in August-September 2000.

As an Australian, I see in Truscott's writing the kind of stereotypical elitist "Pom" attitudes that have driven many Australians to embrace the idea of a republic, cutting off all symbolic ties to a country that largely sees us as whimsical and uncouth "colonials." If that can be the mind-set to other English speaking people in the former British empire, it is hardly surprising that Russians come off as barely human.

Truscott asserts that the "West" offered to help Russia. What I would like to ask, is what exactly is the "West"? There is no such monolithic bloc that can make multilateral decisions in the way Mr. Truscott believes. Many economists equate the term "Western" with material living standards. From that perspective then, to Australian eyes, Britain is poverty-stricken, dilapidated and in chronic decline, certainly not a present-day shining example of the "West." If "Western" means a respect for the inheritance of the Age of Reason, learning, and respect for arts and sciences, it would seem Russian children who are interested in Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Mozart, and Robbie Burns would have a hard time getting along with non-Western British children who know only about David Beckham, Football and Robbie Williams.

And, what about the truth of the Kursk? Was there some sinister cover-up by KGB agents drowning in vodka of the kind Frederick Forsythe might have written about? No. There is no mystery, and I doubt there is any intrigue. It was a tragedy in which 118 predominantly young sailors died. If there is anything sinister, it is the idea that a man with a "doctorate from Oxford University" doesn't have enough moral integrity to understand it is wrong to make money off the memory of 118 hard-working sailors and the heartbreak of their loved ones, especially when it is done through such nakedly bigoted lenses.

Outstanding Book
Dr Peter Truscott's book is the most convincing to date on the Kursk disaster.Not only is he a Russian expert of over ten years standing, he also has a doctorate from Oxford University, and has clearly interviewed all the key players, including the rescuers and families of those who tragically died.He shows that the Russian government and military were more concerned with protecting their military secrets aboard the Kursk than the lives of their 118 submariners.What Truscott does here is also to show not only the harrowing effects of the disaster on the families and crew, but also the politcal background.We learn just why President Putin and the Russian top brass were reluctant to accept help from the West, and what influenced their Soviet mind-sets.He also debunks once and for all the idea floated by some other writers that the crew survived for several days.A careful reconstruction, based on specific scientific evidence, and the Russian government's own report on the sinking shows the crew were tragically all dead by the end of the first day.This is backed-up be eyewitness statements by relatives on the state of their loved-ones, and forensic evidence. He also explains why the crew could not escape from the rear escape hatch.
For those who want the true story of the Kursk sinking, with all the background you can expect from a real expert (covering also Putin's backlash against the independent media- which he virtually closed down after the Kursk sinking)- there is no better book

Grotesque Propaganda
In an appalling work of heartless provocation, Truscott uses a Russian tragedy, in which 118 men died, to demonise Russia. There can be few things lower - to take a nation's tragedy and use it as justification to attack it. And like most British books on Russia (and to a lesser extent, America), Truscott uses his spiteful magnum opus as a lecture on how allegedly morally superior the English are over Russians and other ethnic groups. This kind of intolerance drove many non-English Britons to emigrate in the 1960s. ... Read more

Product Description
In 1864, during the Civil War, the C.S.S. Hunley became the first submarine in the world to sink an enemy ship. The Hunley and its crew mysteriously vanished. What happened on that cold winter night? After over a century, scientists finally have some of the answers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Civil War Sub: The Mystery of the Hunley
The review discribing the book did not mention it was for children.I mistakely bought it for my 41 year old son.My 42 year old daughter did the same thing. I received my copy and was disgusted.I talked to my daughter and she had received hers and was equally disgusted.So I sent my copy to my neice because she home-schools and I knew she would like it.My daughter went ahead and sent it to her brother and he gave it to his kids.They liked it. He read it in 10 minutes!
My complaint is in the reviewing of the book in your listings. You should have put the age group with it. ... Read more

Product Description
Details on current equipment, refitting and fleet strengths in the world of underwater warfare.Entries include development history, and specifications such as size, weight, and operating parameters.Special tubular sections cover operational vessels, their ASW and MCM equipment, the numbers in service and where in use. ... Read more

Product Description
A guide to airborne, submarine-borne and ship-borne underwater warfare systems, this book covers anti-submarine and mine warfare, weapons and their launch systems, and associated warfare systems. Each entry gives features, method of operation and specifications such as power output, dimensions, propulsion, range and so on. Underwater systems and weapons covered include command and control systems, sonars, weapon systems, countermeasures and communications equipment for anti-submarine and mine warfare, acoustic management, hydrographic survey systems, signature management, training and simulation, torpedos, rockets and guided weapons and their launch systems. The information in this volume is also available on CD-ROM and by EIS. ... Read more

Product Description
Details on current equipment, refitting and fleet strengths in the world of underwater warfare.Entries include development history, and specifications such as size, weight, and operating parameters.Special tubular sections cover operational vessels, their ASW and MCM equipment, the numbers in service and where in use. ... Read more

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Covers the ships, commanders, harbors, bases, uniforms and insignia of the U-Boot Waffe in over 270 photos. ... Read more

Product Description
A riveting history of the world's first deep-diving submarine. Packed with colorful characters, close calls, and amazing discoveries, Water Baby provides a fascinating warts-and-all portrait of how science is actually done. Beautifully illustrated with sixteen pages of full-color and dozens of black-and-white photographs. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Water Baby:The Story of Alvin
This is the "biography" of Alvin, the first manned submersible vehicle developed for scientific research.The book tells the story of Alvin's adventures, from the sub's conception in the minds of a visionary scientist, through the uphill battles for funding and the dauntingtechnical problems in its design and building, to its many triumphs as apremier tool in pioneering advances in our knowledge of the seas.As ascience writer at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, Kaharl had access tothe people that made Alvin a reality, as well the sub itself.This isn'tthe neat, clear, lofty "science" portrayed in TV programs; thisis the nitty-gritty world of real science and real fieldwork, full ofdangers, surprises, and seat-of-the-pants decisions. ... Read more

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How does a submarine travel underwater? What is it like to live on a sub? Read this book and learn all about buoyancy and other facts of life in the water.

... Read more

Product Description

The Soviet nuclear submarine K-19 was the pride of the Soviet Navy, but on July 4, 1961, during its maiden voyage to the North Atlantic for war games, it suddenly and unexpectedly developed a serious leak in one of the reactors. In a race against time, the officers and crew worked desperately and brilliantly, under intense exposure to radiation, to improvise a coolant system, averting a Chernobyl-like nuclear disaster. The toll for their efforts was certain and devastating: Eight men died painful deaths from acute radiation poisoning within days of the accident, and the surviving crew returned home to await their unknowable fate.

Featuring a complete history of the actual events, with passages from the submarine captain’s memoir, and rarely published historic images, K-19 places readers at the apex of the Cold War’s brinkmanship between the USSR and the United States. It is the companion book to the upcoming National Geographic feature film about this gripping tragedy, K-19: The Widowmaker, starring Harrison Ford and Liam Neeson. Including information on the making of the film, with production stills, and cutaway drawings of the submarine, this powerful volume combines authoritative history and the magic of moviemaking to give the reader the real backstory to K-19.

Customer Reviews (16)

Shallow exploration of Soviet submarines
I'd already seen the movie, but picked up this book figuring I'd get the true story behind the movie.Unfortunately, though the book does get the history behind the story, it's information value isn't that much more substantive than the feature film.

The True Story: K-19 was the Soviets' first SSBN - nuclear-powered, ballistic missile sub.Like their USN counterparts, Soviet SSBN's of K-19's "Hotel" class were really modified attack subs.(Unfortunately, the Russians were a generation behind in nuclear sub technology: American SSBN's were based on the Skipjack class, a second generation SSN, while Hotels were modified versions of the "November" class - the very first Soviet SSN.)Particulars aside, K-19 suffered a series of maladies endemic to the Soviets' military-industrial complex, not the least of which were design flaws in its nuclear powerplant.In the heady days of the early 1960's, the Soviets were forced to relax their standards in order to field any nuclear powered ships which were unreliable, unsafe and loud enough to allow easy detection by western ships.As a result, the history of Soviet nuclear subs is a catalog of nuclear accidents, shoddy design and maintenance, poor training and morale, and numerous radiation related injuries and deaths.The feature film "K-19" depicted a fictionalized version of K-19's maiden voyage in which the ship's reactor suffered a catastrophic coolant leak and nearly exploded.A breakdown of crew morale nearly led to a mutiny, but the ship eventually made port, was refitted, and returned to sea.Future patrols of K-19 were similarly marked by near catastrophe - including a fire that trapped some of the crew in one darkened compartment for over three weeks.Ironically, K-19 survived these maladies while other ships went to the bottom, taking many crewmen with them.Soviet authorities cover these accidents up (reports try to shift blame to the crews; injuries from radiation exposure are typically masked as stress-related).

But we knew all of that.Well, we didn't know many details, but the story of the soviet navy as one beset by incompetence, cover-ups and nuclear accidents is an old one, the grist of Tom Clancy novels of a distant era.This book, which includes the memoirs of Nikolai Zateyev, who commanded K-19 on its infamous 1961 patrol, adds little to the lore of the hidden Soviet naval history, and amounts to little more than a thick addendum to books like "Blind Man's Bluff".We get names of many in the Soviet hierarchy, and many anecdotes of Soviet engineering blunders, but again, these are old stories fleshed out with some names.Because its not clear how many of these episodes were witnessed by Zatayev, it's unclear just how useful his memoirs are as a firsthand record of systemic problems in the Soviet navy.At about 211 pages, including a digest of Russian naval accidents, "K-19" is no heavy read, and I finished it off in a little more than a day.(The digest is largely redundant - since the text of "K-19" already recounts many of these accidents; an afterword by "K-19" director Kathryn Bigelow, and an insert of pictures of both the real K-19 and from the feature film further plump up the book's weight.)Hunting the depths of this book gave me the sense that the author gave up trying to get the real story of K-19, and decided to make up for lost text by simply recounting many already documented incidents (like collisions between Russian subs and American ships like the USS Voge and the submarine USS Gato, as well as the loss of the subs Komsomolets, K-219 and K-129) brought again to public attention with the 1998publication of "Blind Man's Bluff".In short, if you've read any histories of cold war submarines, Soviet or Western, this book will likely add little to your understanding.

Recommended
This book gives you the real story behind the dramatization presented in the motion picture: K-19: The Widowmaker. More than just a companion piece, the book provides passages from a diary maintained by the captain of K-19, extensive research materials on the incident itself as well as the Cold War Soviet Union conditions and motivations that contributed to the incident.

If that were not enough, a wealth of information is provided on other (known) incidents involving Soviet/Russian nuclear naval vessels/projects.Starting just after WWII and continuing up to the loss of the Kursk in Nov 2001, the bravery of the Russian sailors, the alarming loss of life and the environmental impact is well documented.

Too many pages
This book has 211 pages and some addendums that you can read or not depending on the mood you will be at the end of the book, so we will only count the 211 pages of the story.
The first 112 pages will tell you how to build a nuclear submarine and some tips on how to maneuver it. If you want to learn to do this it is fine to read it, but I think that if you only read this book to know how to build the nuclear sub you might find some trouble doing it.
The next 50 pages is the real story of what happened to the K-19 and it is interesting what was going on at the sub.
The last part of the book tells us why that happenedto the sub and tells us that the Russians didn't learn anything about this accident and maybe they had the same failure at Chernovil.
So, if you read from page 112 and read about 70 pages you will get the story.

The hidden side of the Russian navy
Normally I don't like reading books that are then used in movies. If the movie follows the book too closely then what is the point of both reading the book and seeing the movie. This book however is quite different to the film. They compiment each other nicely.

It was fasinating to read of the problem encounted by the Russians in trying to match the US navy particularly once they went to nuclear power. Once they did so the dangers both to themselves and the enviroment went up dramatically.

What I did notice while reading the book is that you get a feel of how much there is to get it right on a submarine. It certainly was a tribute to the Western navy designers that most of these problems did not occur like these in their ships.

I was also very impressed with the bravery and skill of the soviet sailors and commanders that went out in ships that were sub standard and how well under pressure they did behave.

"These are good weapons we're building,comrades!"
A great expose on the Soviet Navy.Although we all remember the Cold War and the phychological war between the USSR and the West,particularly the US.The massive buildups on both sides seemed to be without end.With the continual blustering of Russia,and continual expansion of communision we all wondered where it would all end.Little did we suspect that the powerful Soviet system would collapse from within with hardly a wimper.Many still don't understand how such a powerful system could fall apart so easily.Well,reading this book will show how the whole system was rotten to the core and totally inept in every aspect except brutality and deceit particularly towards their own people.It's amazing after all the slavery,sacrifice,brutality,forced labor camps,oppression and all the other evils carried out by the government, that so little was accomplished.
This book shows that while we feared these Soviet subs,the real threat was that they were so poorly designed,constructed,maintained and operated that the biggest threat was that they would have a malfunction and cause a major disaster.
To quote a little that sums up the Cold War from pg.210...
"The Cold War ,after all,was not just a military chess game,an effort to maintain the balance of nuclear power,with that wonderful concept Mutual Assured Destruction. It was also a war in a much more literal sense,a war of attrition.Our strategy in constantly upping the ante in the arms race was to push the entire Soviet system to the breaking point.And of course,that strategy succeeded.The Cold War is over,and we were the winners."
The book is well researched,well written and very informative. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A must-read in order to understand other u-boat litterature
This book is great. here's why:
1) Great disposition. Eases the reader into the subject. From basic to advanced stuff.
2) Thoroughly researched. Based on original sources.
3) Great pictures and u-boat layouts
4) Contains tons of facts, yet it is still extremely reader-friendly and har to put down.

This book has really helped me a lot when it comes to understanding every aspect of the uboat and the uboat war. A great aid when reading other uboat titles.

A must for Type VII builders!
A very good book with thorough technical details of the Type VII.If you are one of those who is building a Type VII model, or upgrading a Type VIIB to VIIC, this is a worthwhile purchase.More photos of hull detail would be useful, as there is not one photo showing the stern topedo tube. ... Read more

Product Description
A series about the most sophisticated and up-to-date military weaponry explained in vivid detail. Highlighting the profiles and uses of these weapons, reluctant teen readers will learn much about military technology. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

FAST ATTACK SEAWOLF
READ IT FROM COVER TO COVER IN ONLY 10 MINS -WAS REALLY SURPRISED AND DISSAPOINTED. WISH THERE WAS A SMALL DISCRIPTION OF THE BOOK. ... Read more

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Product Description
At the beginning of America's involvement in World War II, Galveston Island was a recreation center for area servicemen. Every evening throngs of soldiers, sailors, and Marines strolled along the seawall, basking in the warm sun and soft gulf breezes. Red, pink, and white oleanders bloomed in all their glory, sea gulls squawked overhead, and gentle waves swished over sandy beaches. It was paradise on earth.Small wonder that German U-boat commanders couldn't believe their eyes when they stealthily entered the Gulf of Mexico that year. All navigational lights glowed, and towns and cities along the coast shone brightly, illuminating every American ship traveling by. On Galveston Island the summer tourist season had just begun when Harro Schacht, commander of U-507, sailed up to the mouth of the Mississippi River and blew up eight ships.Catching Americans totally unprepared for a Gulf attack, twenty-four German submarines entered the Gulf of Mexico between 1942 and 1943 and attacked both American and Allied ships, sinking fifty-six merchant ships and damaging fourteen more. In May, 1942 alone, the blitz of the "Gulf Sea Frontier" gave German U-boats their greatest victories to that date in the war. From then until peace in 1944, Allied shipping in the Gulf sailed freely, secure from attack--but not until this surprising onslaught raised national patriotism to new heights and brought the war so close to home.Based on interviews with U.S. Navy, Merchant Marine, and German U-boat veterans, translated war diaries, and declassified military documents, Torpedoes in the Gulf tells a fascinating personal story with two sides. Readers will marvel at behind-the-scenes accounts of German U-boat spy maneuvers and as Galvestonians, fearing for their lives, raced to fortify their island, convinced at last that they were truly at war.Melanie Wiggins is a freelance writer living in Galveston. She is a member of the Galveston County Historical Commission and the Texas Gulf Historical Society of Beaumont, and she is the author of a book on the history of Bolivar Peninsula. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Good insight into how unprepared America was for WWII
This book provides good insight into how unprepared America was for WWII and how the Germans had a turkey shoot on the East Coast and the Gulf of Mexico during the early years of the War.

Nazi apologist documents early U-boat victories in Gulf
Using the Nurenburg excuse used by those Nazis convicted of attrocities against humanity, this author has the nerve to claim the U-boat sailors "were just doing their job." She takes obvious delight in the sinking of each American ship. She calls our Navy "inexperienced" and the Nazis "experts." Just before her evil heros finally start faltering later in the war, she discontinues her narative. The perspective of this book is only a few steps away from "Springtime for Hitler" except she doesn't mean it as a joke. Avoid it at all cost.

Was there
According to the person who got the book as a gift and was a member of the 22nd Squadron, the book is accurate and brought back many memories.The Squadron member remembers the days when he flew fondly - he received 11 Air Metals and two DFCs for his service in WWII.Anyone who wishes to see WWII from a Blimp should read this book.

Great WW II Sub book
You will learn somethings about German subs operating in US waters that you didn't know before.Very easy and interesting reading...and I'm not a reader.

Torpedoes in the Gulf, Galveston and the U-Boats 1942-1943
A very well written and interesting account about a subject not many people know about. Lots of good insight into the people of Galveston, as well as the U-Boats and the men who commanded them. The fact America was not prepared in 1942, but made the U-Boats pay in 1943 is well documented in the book. Great map of the Gulf of Mexico and the listing of where all 56 ships were sunk.

Highly recommended reading. ... Read more