Abstract
The early Cold War saw some dramatic developments when it came to submarines. They went from the diesel-electric boats of World War II vintage to nuclear-powered submarines that hunted the depths or carried the means of wiping out nations. Over this same period of time, submarines took on a variety of high risk missions in support of Cold War goals like intelligence gathering and reconnaissance. While these missions were usually aimed at the Soviet Union in some way, they also provided a wealth of information regarding areas of the oceans not often explored, such as the Arctic. A major participant in these operations, Captain Alfred Scott McLaren USN (Ret.) conducted over 20 Cold War patrols and served on several submarines transitioning from diesel-electric submarines like the USS Greenfish (SS 351) to the nuclear fleet on board the USS Seadragon (SSN 584), and Skipjack (SSN 585). respectively. Over the duration of his career, he was an active part of three Arctic expeditions including the first transit of the Northwest Passage, a Baffin Bay expedition and as commander of USS Queenfish (SSN-651) his boat explored the waters under the North Pole and surveyed the Siberian Continental Shelf.
Capt. McLaren also went on into academia, earning his PhD in 1986 from the University of Colorado. This academic bent has meshed wonderfully with his submarine experiences to produce Silent and Unseen: On Patrol in Three Cold War Attack Submarines published by the Naval Institute Press. A memoire of his experience on board three submarines, Greenfish, Seadragon, and Skipjack, starting as a very young officer and following him up through the ranks, Silent and Unseen produces an interesting series of remembrances of life within the submarine community and the unique world of submarine operations. To facilitate this, the author breaks up the text into three sections, one for each of the submarines in question. Each section is broken up into six or seven chapters covering McLaren’s time in the boat. Wrapped up with an introduction and short epilogue, the author provides an interesting read into the daily life on the boats both at sea and on shore.
While a great deal of the information is anecdotal, and aimed at describing many of the everyday experiences for an audience that has no understanding of life in submarines, the stories actually produce a unique sense of life. From gambling and tales of sailors on the town to the nuances of inter-personal relations within the hierarchy of command on a submarine to the need to qualify as a submariner, what is probably most surprising is the very normality of it all. Life is life after all, and while the work environment is bizarre because of the time spent submerged, to most of us the experiences seem very human. The need to eat, sleep, work, and blow off stress are normal and really transcend the submarine environment to make it a tale of the human experience.
To some extent this should be expected. After all, any operational issues remain classified at this time so any account of life on these three submarines must focus more on the mundane and the personalities involved. And some of these personalities are big ones. Admiral Hyman G. Rickover for example, the father of the nuclear navy, played a direct role in choosing the initial officers for the nuclear submarine fleet and that includes the author. While most of us understand Rickover’s role in the creation of the first nuclear submarines, his pervasive influence even extending to the choosing of officers to begin training for these boats tells us a great deal about his impact on the fleet. Sadly, the weakness of a memoir approach becomes manifest. Here is probably the most important person for the submarine fleet but because of the memoire approach the depth of his impact is not examined. Equally as frustrating, the author often mentions important developments for submarine development but fails to examine or elaborate on them effectively. For example, the GUPPY conversion of the Greenfish to make the boat more streamlined and versatile is mentioned but not really broken down sufficiently. It played an important transitional role for the submarine fleet, keeping them viable while the nuclear fleet was developed. Yet the absence of more detail make this a teasing addition to the text. Likewise, the author talks about the problem of unexploded sea mines in the Pacific post war. These mines, laid in extensive minefields that were often lost due to the destruction of maps, often broke loose and floated to the surface. The author produced a fascinating story of their presence and the threat they presented. This is a huge area never discussed in the post-war literature and thus a tantalizing glimpse into a critical issue. Unfortunately it is not elaborated on and leaves the reader wondering about how important the issue was or its impact.
While a fascinating read, this text should be taken for what it is, a memoir. While it is fascinating and an enjoyable read which captures the imagination, it is not a scholarly study. It presents a selected vision into life in the boats, filtered for security issues and by the recollection of the author. It gives a series of glimpses and points the reader to some potentially huge issues, but it fails to produce more than an anecdotal account. While there are a few citations, they are generally to secondary sources and do not produce a solid counter to potential bias issues. Should you read the book? Oh yes, do so and enjoy it for what it is, a well-written and enjoyable account of life. But do also accept the fact that it is a memoir and thus has limits. Hopefully it will inspire more research into the field.