Silent Service

Australia’s Submariners are a group with an extremely strong sense of identity that goes well beyond occupational comradeship or the esprit de corps of military life in peace or war. Since 1914, the unique skills, attitudes, values and demands of the work they do and the environment in which they do it have forged unparalleled camaraderie. A camaraderie that extends beyond nationality, embracing submariners past and present of every other nation. No one but submariners understand the experience of diving deep beneath the waves in technology filled tubes of steel, each submariner totally dependent on the other for a safe return to the surface. The ethos of Australia’s submariners is based upon these factors and remains strong even when they leave the sea and take up other occupations. Australia’s future submarines will certainly present challenges in terms of sophistication, technology and capability however the characteristics of our submariners evolved over previous generations will remain much the same; trained and equipped to meet the challenges; just as they have been met and surmounted so many times, in silence, over a century of service.

When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, the U.S. Navy had a total of 111 submarines. However, this fleet was not nearly as impressive as the number suggests. It was mostly a collection of aging boats from the late teens and early twenties, with only a few of the newer, more modern Gato-class boats. Fortunately, with the war in Europe was already two years old and friction with Japan ever-increasing, help from what would become known as the Silent Service in the Pacific was on the way: there were 73 of the new fleet submarines under construction. The Silent Service in World War II tells the story of AmericaÕs intrepid underwater warriors in the words of the men who lived the war in the Pacific against Japan. The enemy had already begun to deploy advanced boats, but the U.S. was soon able to match them. By 1943 the new Gato-class boats were making a difference, carrying the war not just to the Japanese Imperial Navy, but to the vital merchant fleet that carried the vast array of materiel needed to keep the land of the Rising Sun afloat. As the war progressed, American success in the Solomons, starting with Guadalcanal, began to constrict the Japanese sea lanes, and operating singly or in wolfpacks they were able to press their attacks on convoys operating beyond the range of our airpower, making daring forays even into the home waters of Japan itself in the quest for ever more elusive targets. Also taking on Japanese warships, as well as rescuing downed airmen (such as the grateful first President Bush), U.S. submarines made an enormous contribution to our war against Japan. This book takes you through the war as you learn what it was like to serve on submarines in combat, the exhilaration of a successful attack, and the terror of being depth-charged. And aside from enemy action, the sea itself could prove to be an extremely hostile environment as many of these stories attest. From early war patrols in obsolescent, unreliable S-boats to new, modern fleet submarines roving the Pacific, the forty-six stories in this anthology give you a full understanding of what it was like to be a U.S. Navy submariner in combat.

'The Ministry of Defence does not comment upon submarine operations' is the standard response of officialdom to enquiries about the most secretive and mysterious of Britain's armed forces, the Royal Navy Submarine Service. Written with unprecedented co-operation from the Service itself and privileged access to documents and personnel, The Silent Deep is the first authoritative history of the Submarine Service from the end of the Second World War to the present. It gives the most complete account yet published of the development of Britain's submarine fleet, its capabilities, its weapons, its infrastructure, its operations and above all - from the testimony of many submariners and the first-hand witness of the authors - what life is like on board for the denizens of the silent deep. Dramatic episodes are revealed for the first time: how HMS Warspite gathered intelligence against the Soviet Navy's latest ballistic-missile-carrying submarine in the late 1960s; how HMS Sovereign made what is probably the longest-ever trail of a Soviet (or Russian) submarine in 1978; how HMS Trafalgar followed an exceptionally quiet Soviet 'Victor III', probably commanded by a Captain known as 'the Prince of Darkness', in 1986. It also includes the first full account of submarine activities during the Falklands War. But it was not all victories: confrontations with Soviet submarines led to collisions, and the extent of losses to UK and NATO submarine technology from Cold War spy scandals are also made more plain here than ever before. In 1990 the Cold War ended - but not for the Submarine Service. Since June 1969, it has been the last line of national defence, with the awesome responsibility of carrying Britain's nuclear deterrent. The story from Polaris to Trident - and now 'Successor' - is a central theme of the book. In the year that it is published, Russian submarines have once again been detected off the UK's shores. As Britain comes to decide whether to renew its submarine-carried nuclear deterrent, The Silent Deep provides an essential historical perspective.

The year is 1987. Military Intelligence has sent reports of an awesome new Soviet sub that no one in the West has ever seen before in the Russian-patrolled seas off the Kamchacka Peninsula. Now Tom Gorden, new commander of the Los Angeles Class submarine Pittsburgh, must transport a hand-picked team of U.S. Navy SEALs into hostile waters and go up against the phantom boat -- even at the risk of a shooting war. But the enemy has its own reasons for luring U.S. forces onto Russian turf. And there is a highly placed spy in the American ranks who may, even now, be leading a boat full of brave men to their doom.

This is a story of the silent service—the submarine crews which destroyed the Japanese merchant marine. A narrative taut with drama, told with the intimacy of a confession, it deals with two strong-headed men: their loves, their jealousies, and their destinies in the lonely and desperate struggle between the hunter and the hunted. Few war novels will rival Run Silent, Run Deep in the naked realism of its action. None will surpass its rising excitement and brilliant descriptions of men in combat. Unlike many war novels, here is a story that deals with war from the perspective of command. Edward Beach re-creates with fidelity the anguish, agony, and triumphs of command decisions. In Commander Richardson, he has created a character who embodies all that is fine, all that is human, in an excellent naval officer. In a sense, Run Silent, Run Deep is a monument, not to the misfits and the mistakes, but to those men who rose to greatness under the sometimes unbearable tensions of action.

This coloring book was developed to be a resource for children to learn about life on a submarine. It follows a crew as they go about their daily lives including: eating, sleeping, and communicating with loved ones.

The inspiration for compiling this book, The Silent Service Speaks (Vol.1), came from a simple premise: Imagine yourself meeting with a Cold War-era submariner at a neighborhood bar for an evening of conversation over a pitcher of cold beer. What would you ask him that he could truthfully answer, and what would most interest you about his story?Such story-telling comes easy for most seamen, but in the case of our submariner, there's a catch: a lot of topics that you might want to discuss are entirely off-limits. Such is the submariner's lament. He has so many stories that he could share, but he must constantly exercise tremendous discretion in determining what can and cannot be disclosed. Your imaginary evening at the local bar might be interrupted by fits and starts as he chooses his words very carefully.But what if we changed the ground rules, declaring upfront that we didn't want to delve into details that could compromise his oath of secrecy, instead just focusing on the many other non-classified aspects of submarine life that are fair game? For example, the pranks...or the camaraderie...or the intense training...or the meaning of the dolphins insignia. By keeping the focus on those experiences that didn't involve intrigue and confidentiality, we could get some sense of what it was like on board a submarine while still respecting those forbidden boundaries. Stated in another way, we sought to describe the "day to day" and not the "cloak and dagger" of submarine service. The stories presented here run the gamut from harsh to tender, unsettling to sublime, and sad to hilarious. They contain several common themes, including love for country, a sense of adventure, an affinity for gallows humor, the pride of well-honed teamwork, and a profound sense among shipmates that they were all key participants in a larger mission. Several of the contributors reflected that their lives were never more meaningful or focused and that some of their very best years were spent in the US Navy. As these Cold War-era submarine veterans have grown older, their senses of nostalgia and mortality have deepened. Those who wrote stories for The Silent Service Speaks (Vol. 1) did so because they believe that their memories have intrinsic historical value. They understand that although certain parts of their submarine experiences may never be discussed, a far greater percentage of their memories are worthy of sharing. Their stories are not "tell-all" narratives, but they do provide many important insights into the struggles, sacrifices, and rewards of submarine service. In that sense, this volume represents an important contribution to the written history of submarines in the modern era. The 33 contributors to our book span the entire Cold War period, from the late 1940s to the 1990s and beyond. The book contains more than 150 stories and over 300 photographs, most submitted by the authors themselves. It also includes several poems, interviews, and other recollections. The editorial process centered on readability, consistency in terminology, and historical accuracy, while maintaining the authenticity of each contributor's voice. Nearly a full year in the making, The Silent Service Speaks (Vol.1) paints an intimate portrait of life below the sea in the US Submarine Force. As with the previous two submarine books written by Charles and Frank Hood, "Poopie Suits & Cowboy Boots" and "Sub Tales: Stories that Seldom Surface", all proceeds from the sale of The Silent Service Speaks (Vol. 1) are donated to the United States Submarine Veterans, Inc. (USSVI) Scholarship Fund. This practice continues the authors' commitment to philanthropy and the desire to increase public awareness about the significance of the submarine community at large. As of June 2020 at the time of the initial publication of this book, the total proceeds raised for the USSVI Scholarship Fund have exceeded $32,000. Thanks for your interest.

THE STORY: When Henrietta Leavitt begins work at the Harvard Observatory in the early 1900s, she isn’t allowed to touch a telescope or express an original idea. Instead, she joins a group of women “computers,” charting the stars for a renowned astronomer who calculates projects in “girl hours” and has no time for the women’s probing theories. As Henrietta, in her free time, attempts to measure the light and distance of stars, she must also take measure of her life on Earth, trying to balance her dedication to science with family obligations and the possibility of love. The true story of 19th-century astronomer Henrietta Leavitt explores a woman’s place in society during a time of immense scientific discoveries, when women’s ideas were dismissed until men claimed credit for them. Social progress, like scientific progress, can be hard to see when one is trapped among earthly complications; Henrietta Leavitt and her female peers believe in both, and their dedication changed the way we understand both the heavens and Earth.