“To live, gentlemen, in the embrace of the sea…only here is there independence.” – Captain Nemo from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea 

Lost Subs

Lost Subs

As a child, I grew up only a few miles from the Atlantic Coast. All my life I have been in love with the ocean. Though I now live in a landlocked part of the United States, I still remember the smell of brine, I can hear the cry of gulls, and I feel the brush of sea air on my face. My favorite book, of all time, will always be 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and it was my first introduction to the world of science fiction literature. I was fascinated by Jules Verne’s descriptions of life lived beneath the surface, and with his enigmatic and passionate Captain Nemo. Fueling my adoration for submarines and seas was my grandfather. Grandpa Martin served in the United States Navy aboard the SSN-571 Nautilus, the world’s first nuclear powered submarine, named, of course, for Nemo’s magnificent vessel. My grandfather sailed for 20 years, serving his country during the Cold War on three different U.S. submarines. As a kid, I remember him regaling my siblings and I with tales of his voyages, of encounters with aquatic life, of “cat-and-mouse” games with the Soviet fleet, and, on more serious notes, the few times when his nautical life almost entombed him forever in the ocean depths.

Spencer Dunmore‘s Lost Subs: From the Hunley to the Kursk, the Greatest Submarines Ever Lost – And Found is a history of humanity’s venture beneath the ocean surface, specifically the development of the modern submarine through all its iterations, attempts, and its exploits in the theater of war. Whenever man challenges nature, nature wins many conflicts, and the history of submarines is no different. Along with the incredible achievement that is huge vessels that dive to great depths are those that never surface. But where tragedy transpires, often the indomitable spirit of man is revealed. Literally thousands of submarines lie on the ocean floor, the majority of which were deliberately sunk during wartime by one nation or other. But a few settled there before their time. In the last few years, with advancement in submersible technology and the hard work of researchers, underwater excavators have begun locating and documenting many lost subs.

The Russian submarine K-141 Kursk was lost with all hands on 12 August 2000. I remember watching the news footage on television. Four days earlier, the CSS Hunley, an American Civil War submarine, and the first submarine to participate in war, was raised from the sea near Charleston, South Carolina. She sank in 1864 after attacking, and sinking, a Union ship. How and why the sub sank is a question archeologists and historians are hoping to answer as they meticulously examine the remains of one of the oldest submarines in existence. Separated by 136 years, but similar in purpose and fate, the Kursk and the Hunley are only two of the incredible submarines that Dunmore reveals.

Moving chronologically, Dunmore traces the development of submarines, and discusses the most tragic lost subs. Submarines are usually lost with little to no knowledge of how, or why, or even where they settled forever. Requiring dedicated research, high level mathematical skill, and sometimes dumb luck, the search for sunken history is a spellbinding adventure. Dunmore’s prose is coupled with illustrations and breathtaking photographs, and his book is both a memorial to those who died at sea and a celebration of the enterprising spirit that made travel under the ocean possible. No matter what flag a sailor sailed under, or why he took to the waves, all are honored for their service and their fearlessness, while not excusing the horrible tragedy of war that fueled much of the submarine’s development.

Ultimately, I felt like Dunmore’s book focused a bit more on submersible history rather than stories about the loss and recovery of sunken subs, but at most that amounts to a slightly misleading title. Lost Subs was a fascinating read, both for the history, and the submarine nerd in me. Jules Verne was incredibly prophetic when he wrote about submarines in 1870 (six years removed from the sinking of the CSS Hunley), forseeing not only the SSN-571 Nautilus that my grandfather served aboard, but the danger that such excursions posed, as related by Spencer Dunmore.

 

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