"The Silent Deep - The Royal Navy Submarine Service since 1945" by Peter Hennessy and James Jinks. Publ. by Penguin Books in paperback, 2016. £14.99.
Speaking as a modeller with an interest in British submarines this book filled a large gap in my knowledge post 1945.
It is an excellent book but it may be described as a "winter read" with over 700 pages.
The co-author Peter Hennessy is a respected historian and he seems to have the common touch in that he clearly gains the trust of the many submariners that he talks with. Hennessy and Jinks write well with a good sense of action.
There is a lot of action too, with many accounts of cold-war scrapes with Russian subs. Something that was new (and rather scary) to me.
The development of the "independent nuclear deterrent" via the Polaris and Trident programmes is also covered well (and this is also scary!) It is also interesting to see how political factors are of such importance in this area and also how reliant the UK is on US cooperation and assistance.
The Falkland's conflict is covered in a good level of detail. The book also takes us up to the present with the Astute class. (Oh and the secrets of the "caravan of death" are revealed!)
So a very informative but heavy read.
David Forrest
Speaking as a modeller with an interest in British submarines this book filled a large gap in my knowledge post 1945.
It is an excellent book but it may be described as a "winter read" with over 700 pages.
The co-author Peter Hennessy is a respected historian and he seems to have the common touch in that he clearly gains the trust of the many submariners that he talks with. Hennessy and Jinks write well with a good sense of action.
There is a lot of action too, with many accounts of cold-war scrapes with Russian subs. Something that was new (and rather scary) to me.
The development of the "independent nuclear deterrent" via the Polaris and Trident programmes is also covered well (and this is also scary!) It is also interesting to see how political factors are of such importance in this area and also how reliant the UK is on US cooperation and assistance.
The Falkland's conflict is covered in a good level of detail. The book also takes us up to the present with the Astute class. (Oh and the secrets of the "caravan of death" are revealed!)
So a very informative but heavy read.
David Forrest
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