 UNDER
ICE: Waldo Lyon and the Development of the Arctic Submarine, By
William M. Leary. College Station, Texas: Texas A&M University Press,
1999, $32.95. [Available on Amazon.com through the Navy League website.]
Reviewed by
Gordon I. Peterson, Senior Editor
It has been said
that one can usually determine the caliber of a man by the amount of
opposition it takes to discourage him. By this measure, William M. Leary's
biography of Dr. Waldo Lyon provides an inspiring account of how one man's
lifelong tenacity in the face of bureaucratic lethargy and skepticism can
make a difference in translating a vision to reality. During the early
years of World War II, Lyon began his quest to develop an Arctic submarine
for the U.S. Navy that would be fully capable of operating in one of the
most challenging operational environments imaginable--beneath the frozen
surface of the Arctic Ocean. For 55 years, he championed--at times
single-handedly--a research effort to provide the Navy with the
information it would need to design a submarine that could operate safely
and effectively in the world's most poorly understood ocean.
In the words of
retired Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Frank B. Kelso II, "The
nuclear submarine made Arctic operations possible, but without the
knowledge of Waldo Lyon I doubt our Navy would have ventured under the sea
ice to the [North] Pole." Lyon's painstaking efforts to acquire this
knowledge are meticulously detailed by Leary in references to numerous
interviews with Navy submarine commanders, declassified patrol reports,
and the scientific journal that Lyon compiled for more than five decades.
As a result, Under Ice provides an authoritative and comprehensive
account of the U.S. Navy's under-ice operations and of Lyon's pioneering
role in making those operations possible--as was recognized by his
selection for the President's Medal for Distinguished Federal Service
during the Kennedy administration.
It is noteworthy
that, prior to the USS Hawkbill's under-ice expedition to the
Arctic in 1999, the submarine's commanding officer required every officer
on board to read chapter seven of Leary's book--a description of USS Sargo's
hazardous 1960 Arctic cruise.
With the design
of the Sturgeon-class boats during the 1960s, the Navy finally constructed
nuclear-powered attack submarines with greatly improved under-ice
capabilities. Recognition of the strategic importance of the Arctic Ocean
had reached new levels during the height of the Cold War--because, as Lyon
wrote, "The Arctic Ocean is the submariner's private sea, hence, his
sole capability to exploit and control."
In his foreword
to Under Ice, retired Vice Adm. John H. Nicholson writes that the
Navy would do well to heed Lyon's warning concerning the need to maintain
a robust under-ice capability and not lose its hard-earned polar
expertise. Unfortunately, with the retirement of the Sturgeon class of
attack submarines and the planned reduction of the submarine force to 50
boats by 2003, the Navy's Arctic submarine operations will unavoidably
decline in the face of higher-priority warfighting and intelligence
requirements. As the number of sophisticated high-endurance conventional
submarines continues to proliferate around the world, it remains to be
seen if the Department of Defense and U.S. political leaders will heed
Lyon's counsel and restore the submarine force to the numbers required to
meet current and projected operational requirements--and sustain the U.S.
Navy's Arctic
preeminence.
List Price: $32.95
Our Price: $23.07
You Save: $9.88 (30%)
Availability: This title usually ships within 2-3 days.
Hardcover - 320 pages
1 Ed edition (January 1999)
Texas A&M University
Press; ISBN: 0890968454 ; Dimensions (in inches): 1.26 x 9.52 x 6.41
 TODAY'S
MILITARY WIFE: Meeting the Challenges of Service Life, by Lydia
Sloan Cline. Mechanicsburg, Pa.: Stackpole Books, 1998. (fourth edition)
320 pp. $16.95 (paperback). [Phone: (800) 7323669; E-mail: sales@stackpolebooks.com]
With almost 60 percent of military personnel now married, the need for a
compact and easy reference book for service wives (husbands as well) has
never been greater. The 13 chapters in this latest edition of Today's
Military Wife cover virtually everything service spouses want and/or
need to know. The chapter headings serve as a useful quick reference to
the topics covered: "What Does Your Husband Do for a Living?"
"Big Benefits," "Socials and Protocol," "Your Own
Career," "Making a Home," "Living Overseas,"
"Sponsoring a Family," and "Separation." In her
introduction, Cline makes a point to emphasize the importance of the World
Wide Web to today's military spouse. Internet addresses are among the many
recent additions. With index, glossary, chapter sources, reproductions of
commonly used forms, and three helpful appendixes.
List Price: $16.95
Our Price: $13.56
You Save: $3.39 (20%)
Availability: Usually ships within 24 hours.
Paperback - 308 pages
4th edition (November 1998)
Stackpole Books; ISBN:
0811729419 ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.96 x 8.95 x 5.97
THE
SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR: Historical Overview and Selected Bibliography, by
Michael J. Crawford, Mark L. Haures, and Michael D. Sessions. Washington,
D.C.: Naval Historical Center, 1998. 136 pp. $9.00. [Phone: (202) 5121800;
Internet: history.navy.mil] This slim but readable and well-researched
volume provides a brief overview of the key events leading up to and
during the Spanish-American War, and a selected bibliography of the
principal reference materials available. Original pen-and-ink
illustrations by the well-known naval artist Capt. John Charles Roach,
USNR. With index and 24 black-and-white illustrations.
Note: All phone numbers and Internet
addresses are believed to be current as of 1 June 1999. If no number is given, the
information was not available at the time of publication.
Unless otherwise noted, the preceding
book reviews were written by Production Editor Jennifer M. Price. |
