Dive! Dive! Dive! : Submarines at War - Tapa dura

In September 1776 British Admiral Lord Howe, in his 74-gun ship of the line, Eagle, was in New York port to support the forces opposing George Washington as they advanced on the city. Suddenly the sailors spotted a small egg-shaped vessel lying nearby just under the waterline. From it came another, smaller object which floated towards their ship. Wisely, they sheered off just as the object exploded, sending up a plume of water. The very first submarine-launched torpedo had gone off and made history. Hardly a rip-roaring success for its inventor, Yale graduate David Bushnell - but a foretaste of things to come. For the majority of people the world below the sea is hard to imagine and the fears and excitement of submarine warfare quite alien. The submarines of the Second World War were 200-feet long, about the size of four London underground carriages put together, and a good deal of the space was taken up by the engine and water tank. On the surface, with its deck so close to the waterline, the ship was subject to all the worst effects of wind and weather. Below the water the atmosphere was claustrophobic, and air quality soon deteriorated. This book conjures up the peculiar combination of physical hardships and the feelings of danger, excitement and camaraderie that are the submariner's lot.

Drawing on written records and dozens of interviews, the author tells the history of submarine warfare, focusing mainly on the two world wars and concentrating on the experiences of officers and men who served and fought - all incredibly young - from all the leading maritime nations. The resulting tale brings those perilous days vividly to life and will appeal to submarine aficionados and general readers alike.