Red November: Inside the Secret US-Soviet Submarine War, by W. Craig Reed
http://www.amazon.com/Red-November-Inside-U-S-Soviet-Submarine/dp/0061806765
Saw this review elsewhere. Thought some of you might want to check it out.
In October 1962, the Soviet Union came close to firing nuclear-tipped torpedoes during a harrowing underwater chase with the United States. It was just one of many underwater battles and espionage operations that brought the world to the brink of nuclear warfare during the Cold War. For years these underwater skirmishes have remained shrouded in secrecy-until now.
Red November pulls back the curtain on the secret aspects of America’s Cold War with the former Soviet Union. A gripping true-life adventure that reads like a fast-paced Tom Clancy thriller, the book reveals previously undisclosed details about the most dangerous, daring and decorated missions during the entire Cold War period, from 1945 through 1992.
“Many of us who served frontline in the underwater Cold War signed gag orders to maintain our silence for decades,” explains W. Craig Reed. “Our duty to each other also held our tongues until the passage of time could ensure we would not violate our oaths as submariners. Now, for many of us, our days of silent running are over.” A former U.S. Navy recon diver, weapons technician and fast-attack submariner, Reed served on two espionage operations. His father was a top naval intelligence specialist who spearheaded the deployment of a secret submarine detection system that played a pivotal role in preventing four Soviet submarines from firing nuclear torpedoes on U.S. ships during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Reed’s status as an insider gave him unprecedented access to dozens of navy divers, espionage operatives, submariners, government officials-and Soviet submarine captains. In Red November, these brave underwater warriors share their personal accounts of the most daring and decorated missions of the conflict, including the top-secret Ivy Bells, Boresight, Bulls Eye and Holystone operations.
The author also recounts his own near-death experience surviving a devastating collision between the submarine USS Drum and a Soviet Victor III-class sub. For days, a large contingent of Soviet vessels chased the Drum before nearly sinking the sub in the Sea of Japan. Had it not been for a second collision between the USS George Washington and a Japanese fishing boat a day or two later, which diverted half the Soviets in pursuit, the Drum might not have survived. President Reagan denied the incident at the time, and it has never been revealed to the public until now.
Transcending traditional submarine, espionage and Cold War accounts with its level of detail and first-person perspective, Red November is an up-close examination of one of the most dangerous periods in world history and an intimate look at the lives of those who participated in our country's longest and most expensive underwater war.
Saw this review elsewhere. Thought some of you might want to check it out.
In October 1962, the Soviet Union came close to firing nuclear-tipped torpedoes during a harrowing underwater chase with the United States. It was just one of many underwater battles and espionage operations that brought the world to the brink of nuclear warfare during the Cold War. For years these underwater skirmishes have remained shrouded in secrecy-until now.
Red November pulls back the curtain on the secret aspects of America’s Cold War with the former Soviet Union. A gripping true-life adventure that reads like a fast-paced Tom Clancy thriller, the book reveals previously undisclosed details about the most dangerous, daring and decorated missions during the entire Cold War period, from 1945 through 1992.
“Many of us who served frontline in the underwater Cold War signed gag orders to maintain our silence for decades,” explains W. Craig Reed. “Our duty to each other also held our tongues until the passage of time could ensure we would not violate our oaths as submariners. Now, for many of us, our days of silent running are over.” A former U.S. Navy recon diver, weapons technician and fast-attack submariner, Reed served on two espionage operations. His father was a top naval intelligence specialist who spearheaded the deployment of a secret submarine detection system that played a pivotal role in preventing four Soviet submarines from firing nuclear torpedoes on U.S. ships during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Reed’s status as an insider gave him unprecedented access to dozens of navy divers, espionage operatives, submariners, government officials-and Soviet submarine captains. In Red November, these brave underwater warriors share their personal accounts of the most daring and decorated missions of the conflict, including the top-secret Ivy Bells, Boresight, Bulls Eye and Holystone operations.
The author also recounts his own near-death experience surviving a devastating collision between the submarine USS Drum and a Soviet Victor III-class sub. For days, a large contingent of Soviet vessels chased the Drum before nearly sinking the sub in the Sea of Japan. Had it not been for a second collision between the USS George Washington and a Japanese fishing boat a day or two later, which diverted half the Soviets in pursuit, the Drum might not have survived. President Reagan denied the incident at the time, and it has never been revealed to the public until now.
Transcending traditional submarine, espionage and Cold War accounts with its level of detail and first-person perspective, Red November is an up-close examination of one of the most dangerous periods in world history and an intimate look at the lives of those who participated in our country's longest and most expensive underwater war.