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Dark Waters: An Insider's Account of the NR-1, the Cold War's Undercover Nuclear Sub
Lee Vyborny , and Don Davis Manufacturer: NAL Hardcover ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover Similar Items:
ASIN: 0451207777 Release Date: 2003-01-07 |
Book Description
Operating alone and unarmed on the bottom of the sea, the U.S. Navy's smallest nuclear-powered submarine is one of its biggest weapons. Tied up at a pier, the boat with the bright orange sail looks absolutely minuscule, innocent and out of place beside its big brothers, the fleet's huge missile-carrying and attack submarines, but it can dive deeper, stay down for a month, and accomplish missions far beyond the capabilities of any of them. The ship has been cloaked in mystery. It wasn't commissioned or given a name, and even today it is hardly known beyond a select fraternity of sailors and scientists. They simply call it the NR-1.The little submarine was born in controversy, served in secrecy, survived potential catastrophe on numerous occasions, and is still in operation almost forty years after being conceived. It was and remains the only one of its kind ever built.
The story of the NR-1 is told against the tense background of the Cold War and peopled with such rich characters as the acerbic Admiral Hyman Rickover, ocean scientist Robert Ballard (who found the Titanic), the designers and builders who faced almost impossible tasks to give life to the ship, the unique officers and sailors who took the little boat down into depths on covert missions, and the families who waited for them on shore, unaware that there would be no escape if the boat ran into trouble.
"Dark Waters: An Insider's Account of the NR-1, the Cold War's Undercover Nuclear Sub" is a thrill-a-minute book of submarine adventure, imminent danger, personal bravery, technological wonder and historic discovery. It will be a proud addition to the shelves of readers who love stories of the sea, history and intrigue.
Customer Reviews:
NR-1 Crewmember revisits.......2007-03-15
A good solid read~!.......2006-06-27
Excellent history of a little-known submarine.......2005-12-29
Fascinating little known story.......2004-03-26
Lee Vyborny was one of the original crew members on the tiny NR-1, a sub that contained a midget nuclear reactor, which developed a mere 130 horsepower, of which only 60 could be used for propulsion. The crew quarters were tiny, and there was no stateroom for the commander, who would usually sleep on the floor next to the control panel. The reactor was designed so it could be operated by one man because the crew never exceeded eight people, usually only four on duty at any given time.
In an uncharacteristic mistake, Rickover tried to keep the cost of development and building down and required that as many of the ship's components as possible be purchased off-the-shelf. He was under the mistaken impression that the commercial deep sea industry was well developed and the parts standardized. At the same time, he insisted on testing these parts under the most extreme conditions. They had never been designed for the role he intended, and the result was costly failures and time spent to develop alternatives. The early computer they used was a midget and capable of only fourteen simultaneous operations, in contrast to the original PC, which could do many thousands at once.
Rickover's presence was ubiquitous. Everyone was suitably cowed, but he knew the bureaucracy well and how to manipulate them. The story of the two dead mice is illustrative. A habitability team was due for an inspection. Their job was to verify that a new ship was liveable. The NR-1 had so many discomforts for the crew, Rickover knew he might be in trouble, so he sent out an aide to find two dead mice and to hide them in the boat. The habitability team was delighted to find a dead mouse, thinking they would be able to reprimand the famous admiral. Instead, they were the ones on the receiving end. He told them they had done a terrible job and didn't belong in the Navy. "I know there were two dead mice on that boat," he shouted, "I bought them! You only found one! Get out of here!"
When lambasted by the General Accounting Office for the NR-1's cost overruns and asked to explain the excess, Rickover replied with a sarcastic letter, reprinted in full in the book, suggesting their analysis was similar to a review of Lady Chatterly's Lover by Field and Stream magazine. The letter concluded, "A cursory review of the subject report leads me to conclude that its authors, likewise, lack comprehension in the manner of accomplishing research and development. Therefore, I believe no useful purpose would be served by detailed comments on my part."
In order to withstand the enormous pressures at depths to which the little sub was expected to go, the hull had to be perfectly round. The twelve-and-a-half-foot diameter hull could be out of round by no more than 1/16th of an inch. That required special manufacturing processes. The crew had to undergo special psychological tests to see whether they could stand being cooped up in tiny spaces for long periods. Submariners who had been successful at resisting the stresses of a regular submarine wound up in fistfights after just a few days when tested under the conditions expected on the NR-1.
The boat was expected to remain under water indefinitely, but practical considerations limited the length of the voyages: food and waste. The ship had no galley, so the crew subsisted on TV dinners purchased in large quantities and kept frozen until they were needed, and when the waste tank was full, they had to surface.
Ironically, the NR-1 has outlasted larger and more famous mega-submarines. According to the author, it continues to conduct classified missions in addition to being a valuable resource for many universities and research institutes for tamer exploratory searches of the ocean's depths.
Muddy Waters.......2004-02-14
The book did move into the subs exploits, but due to the top-secret nature the stories that were told were not all that new or exciting. And that would not have been all that bad if the authors would have kept telling me about the non secret items like finding other wrecks at the bottom of the sea and weird fish they came upon. Instead they spent just a little too much time of live outside of the sub. Ok I know these guys have wife's and families, but to be fair I do not care. I want exciting submarine stories, not issues about home life. Overall the book was mostly interesting and well written. I could have done with more detail, but there is nothing I can do about that.
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Cold Water Burning
John Straley Manufacturer: Bantam ProductGroup: Book Binding: Mass Market Paperback Similar Items:
ASIN: 0553580760 Release Date: 2001-10-30 |
Amazon.com
Cecil Younger, the protagonist of John Straley's series of mysteries set in Sitka, Alaska, isn't exactly a slacker, but as PIs go, he doesn't invest his job with a great deal of energy or effort. In Cold Water Burning, his sixth outing, Cecil stumbles with characteristic good nature through his assignment: to find a missing man he himself helped acquit of burning a boat and killing its occupants. The man's vanished, along with $50,000 a tabloid advanced him for his version of how the crime really went down.A talented stylist whose prose sparkles like the sun on icy tundra, Straley excels at sketching unusually picaresque characters and painting brilliant word portraits of Sitka's beautiful and unforgiving setting. All the elements are in place for a satisfying thriller--the unsolved murders aboard the Mygirl, Cecil's role in helping the accused man go free, and the anger of the victims' survivors, which ultimately places our hero in the murderer's gun sights. But they take second place to Cecil's relationship with his most trusted mentor, George Doggy, and both the plot and the pace--not exactly a breakneck ride to begin with--suffer as a consequence. There's a brilliant scene right out of The Perfect Storm as Cecil heads out on a very large ocean in a very small boat to rescue Toddy, his autistic housemate. Straley manages to stitch the somewhat ragged edges of the plot together convincingly enough, but he may need to light a fire under Cecil if he expects him to continue to carry this series. --Jane Adams
Book Description
Award-winning author of The Angels Will Not CareCustomer Reviews:
Mystery and Suspense, Alaska Style.......2003-10-06
Cecil agrees, but when he doesn't act fast enough for Patricia, she takes matters into her own hands. Her attempt to interrogate a couple of the suspects ends in tragedy, leaving Cecil looking like the town villain, responsible for yet another miscarriage of justice. With almost everybody against him, Cecil doggedly plods on with tension building until another tragedy strikes the town. In a terrific conclusion to this five star tale, Cecil must battle not only a personal enemy but also the deadly forces of nature.
Reviewed submitted by Captain Katie Osborne
Local with a bias.......2003-04-09
It was quite obvious to me that John used his latest novel not only to entertain his readers, but to tip his hat to the people of Sitka who have provided him such good material and, more importantly, friendship over the past many years.
Many of the positive side characters and a few of the main ones in this latest novel are John's friends and neighbors. If not in total, at least enough to convey a "tip of the hat" from John to them. While this is not unique to this book or John as a writer, he references so many local people and in such a way that reading the book was like watching him shake hands and pat the backs of his fellow Sitkans.
I hope readers are able to pick up on this and that it allows them to feel perhaps even more immeresed in the Sitka by the Sea John describes so well.
Cold Water Burning.......2003-02-06
Couldn't Put It Down.......2003-01-04
I gave it only four stars because a truly great book has interesting ideas in addition to an interesting plot. In truth, I would have given it 4.5 stars if that was an option.
Straley's books are all consistently fun to read. The earlier novels are more rich with Native American folklore. This one has an intricate plot that keeps twisting this way and that all of the way until the end.
Read this book now. You won't be sorry.
Colder Water Burning is HOT!.......2002-10-17
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Beneath Cold Waters: The Marine Life of New England
Fred Bavendam Manufacturer: Down East Books ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover ASIN: 0892720689 |
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Fast & Cold
Andrew Embick Manufacturer: Falcon Distribution ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items:
ASIN: 1560442697 |
Book Description
Alaska's whitewater rivers offer kayakers and rafters unforgettable journeys of excitement and beauty. Fast & Cold is a comprehensive guide to seventy-nine of the best, including the five-star Alsek, Charley, Happy, and Kiagna Rivers. Fast & Cold was written by Dr. Andrew Embick, the leading authority on Alaskan whitewater. Embick has personally run sixty-three of the seventy-nine trips described, thirty-two of which were first descents. Embick is an adrenaline junkie, and his first-person accounts are spine chilling. At the same time, he thoroughly addresses the special concerns or running Alaska rivers, offering experienced advice on travel, camping, and safety. For each river, he gives access and flow information, a difficulty rating and description, as well as history. Embick also includes a special section of river stories to whet the reader's appetite for the thrills of Alaska whitewater. Whether you are already familiar with the beautiful and exciting world of Alaska's waterways or you are a Lower 48 floater planning the single best trip of your dreams, Fast & Cold is an indispensable book for your whitewater library.Customer Reviews:
REVEALING IN MORE THAN ONE SENSE.......2007-06-19
The Alaskan Whitewater Bible.......2002-02-19
Excellent 4 serious riverrunners or as a coffee-table book!.......1999-08-12
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Cold Water Corpse (Luanne Fogarty)
Glynn Marsh Alam Manufacturer: Memento Mori Mystery ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items:
ASIN: 0972507809 |
Book Description
The third in the Luanne Fogarty series of gripping mysteries, set in the swamps and underwater caves of northern Florida where Luanne serves as adjunct scuba diver for the sheriff's department. In it, Luanne investigates the denizens of a shabby backwoods carnival after discovering the bodies of several women in the cold springs. In a setting of circus clowns, a midget dominatrix, and a snake handler minus one snake, she searches for the cold-blooded serial murderer.Customer Reviews:
Tracking Luanne through the swamps.......2006-06-17
Hot Florida Nights!.......2006-06-16
A Captivating Return to Swamp Country Mysteries.......2003-03-23
The story unfolds during Fair week, as a ragtag carnival with a very odd assortment of performers and workers sets up for business. The patterns of a serial killer emerge, a seriously large snake is lurking about, and twists along the way hold the reader until the very end.
I especially enjoyed the way that Alam portrays Luanne's attempts to balance her professional, professorial duties and interactions with her University colleagues with her diving and detective work and interactions with the police and swamp people - some friendly and some not so friendly. All of this makes for another very entertaining time in swamp country.
Tracking a Cold Blooded Killer.......2003-03-21
This is the third Luanne Fogarty mystery, and it’s just as great as the others. The characters have grown and continue to develop in this story. I’m very interested to see where the author goes with a couple characters. And I loved watching Tony fight his pride whenever Luanne provided a good direction to go. The story moved along well with a couple sub-plots weaved expertly throughout. And the writing is still top notch. This book is set during the beginnings of winter, and Ms. Alam expertly brings the changing warm and cold weather and the changes to the swamps to life.
This series is wonderful. The mysteries are intriguing and the writing is outstanding. I just finished this book and already I can’t wait for the next. Don’t miss out.
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Water Is Never Cold: The Origins of the U.S. Navy's Combat Demolition Units, UDTs, and Seals
James Douglas O'Dell Manufacturer: Brassey's Inc ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items:
ASIN: 1574884115 |
Book Description
Naval Combat Demolition Units (NCDUs) and Underwater Demolition Teams (UDTs), both little-known predecessors of the Navy SEALs, played a crucial role in the Pacific and European theaters during World War II. As the vanguard for amphibious assaults, they were tasked with beach reconnaissance, depth sounding, and clearing obstacles, mines, and unexploded ordnance so the troops could land---often while exposed to enemy fire. Their work was as hazardous as it was essential.THE WATER IS NEVER COLD is based on painstaking archival research and interviews with veterans of the NCDUs and the UDTs, plus the people who influenced their development---the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Amphibious Scouts and Raiders, among others. O'Dell details the historical precedents that influenced the teams, as well as their innovation and experimentation with tactics, methods, and equipment. The narrative follows the NCDUs and the UDTs from their grueling training regimen through several of their key combat missions during the war. If not for the skillful work of these brave men, the successful landings at Iwo Jima, Okinawa, Normandy, and other critical battlefields might have been impossible.
Customer Reviews:
Men among Men.......2002-04-08
These were real men. The description of the training and missions is full of detail that brings the story to life. It helped me understand some things about a man who I spent a lot of time around. It explained some of the stories my Dad told me about when they both worked in a logging camp in Oregon.
The stories of the men in this book will make you appreciate the freedom you have today and the sacrifices they made over 50 years ago. They risked a lot for us and we owe it to them to learn about their sacrifice.
It's All Here.......2001-02-12
Where did they come from?.......2001-02-12
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Cold Water Diving: A Guide to Ice Diving (Diversification Series)
John N. Heine Manufacturer: Best Pub Co ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items:
ASIN: 0941332527 |
Book Description
A beautifully illustrated, comprehensive guide on the planning, preparation, and training for cold water diving. More than 100 full-color photos illustrating in detail the techniques and procedures for safe and comfortable cold water diving. Special sections on safety tips, dry suits, and diving equipment, including items for thermal protection, cylinder valves, and regulators. The author, past president of the American Academy of Underwater Sciences, is an ice diver with more than 15 years of cold water diving experience.Customer Reviews:
Very good info in this book.......2007-03-09
Great Book!.......2004-01-26
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A Practical Guide to Setting Up Your Cold Water Aquarium (Tankmaster Series)
Nick Fletcher Manufacturer: Barron's Educational Series ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover Similar Items: ASIN: 0764152726 |
Product Description
Barrons Books Practical Guide to Setting up a Cold Water AquariumBook Description
Plutarch (Plutarchus), ca. 45-120 CE, was born at Chaeronea in Boeotia in central Greece, studied philosophy at Athens, and, after coming to Rome as a teacher in philosophy, was given consular rank by the emperor Trajan and a procuratorship in Greece by Hadrian. He was married and the father of one daughter and four sons. He appears as a man of kindly character and independent thought, studious and learned.
Plutarch wrote on many subjects. Most popular have always been the 46 Parallel Lives, biographies planned to be ethical examples in pairs (in each pair, one Greek figure and one similar Roman), though the last four lives are single. All are invaluable sources of our knowledge of the lives and characters of Greek and Roman statesmen, soldiers and orators. Plutarch's many other varied extant works, about 60 in number, are known as Moralia or Moral Essays. They are of high literary value, besides being of great use to people interested in philosophy, ethics and religion.
The Loeb Classical Library edition of the Moralia is in fifteen volumes, volume XIII having two parts.
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Survival in Cold Water
W.R. Keatinge Manufacturer: Blackwell Science Ltd ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback ASIN: 0632052805 |
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