Written with the assistance of defense analyst John D. Gresham, Submarine is an interesting look at one of the most fascinating yet least seen warships in the United States Navy, the Improved Los Angeles-class nuclear attack submarine. While steering clear of revealing such closely guarded secrets as true maximum speed, diving depth, and the layout of the nuclear power plant, Clancy and Gresham manage to give the reader an unprecedented behind-the-scenes look at "the boat," its weapons, and more importantly, its officers and crew. For, as Clancy has often pointed out in both his novels and op-ed columns, it's not the machine or weapon that determines success in battle; it's the operator and his/her training and morale that matter on the battlefield.

Supplementing the section on USS Miami -- the boat Clancy and Gresham closely examine -- is a section devoted to the Royal Navy's smaller but still-impressive nuclear sub force. Clancy examines not only the workings and weapons of HMS Triumph, a Trafalgar-class attack sub, but he also delves into the differences in training between American and British SSN skippers. His comments may raise eyebrows among some American readers unaccustomed to even constructive criticism of the U.S. Navy, but at least Clancy is honest and doesn't shy away from speaking his mind about a branch of our military that he is otherwise very fond of.

The new edition leaves the original text as it appeared in 1993: there are no updates on the featured officers (namely, the skippers and execs of USS Miami and HMS Triumph) and their subsequent careers. However, Submarine does have a new section covering the entry into service of two new classes of SSN into Navy service, and the section on Other People's Boats has also been updated.

A word about the quality of this book. I like it enough to have both editions, true. It's informative (up to a point), but it's not exactly impressive, either. As an introduction to the topic of nuclear attack subs, it works. But is it as good as Clancy's depictions of SSNs in his novels The Hunt for Red October and Red Storm Rising? Perhaps, perhaps not.

10 of 11 found the following review helpful:


Entertaining but not for serious collectors  Nov 21, 1998 By dz27@cornell.edu
Actually I would give this book 3 and half stars. This book represents an effort to give a comprehensive introduction to modern nuclear attack submarine. This effort itself is respectful. But just like most other military technical books you find in an average bookstore, Clancy's work is filled with technical inacurracies. One obvious example: the side view of Kilo sub at the end of the book is totally out of proportion. And Clancy's USA-always-No.-1 arrogance is a bit annoying. In his tatical senarios, which are entertaining to read, he just assumes too little of the enemies' intelligence in blunt statement such as "the captain of the Russian boat tries the same evasion tactics as his American opponent, but they are probably not as effective." At another occasion he calls the Soviet Union a "babarian country."

In short, this book is adequate in providing amateur knowledge on attack submarine and is entertaining as a leisure reading. But maybe it's just not worth the money of serious collectors. The easily accessible accurate info. could be found in the menu of Jane's game 688I, Hunter/Killer (although it's quite dry to read), or US Submarines since 1945: an Illustrated Design History by Friedman and Chritley.

6 of 6 found the following review helpful:


This book needs to be updated  Dec 28, 1998
After reading about the submarine-launched cruise missiles used during Operation Desert Fox and hearing about the submarines, American and others, that have been commissioned and retired, I thought this book should be revised. The book has a copyright date of 1993 and much has taken place since then in terms of fleets, technology and weapons, for example. Clancy should also discuss Operation Desert Fox and other recent actions and exercises involving submarines. I also believe that this book could use an index to help submarine buffs such as myself find info on various topics pertaining to submarines. Even with all the errors that have been pointed out by the other reviewers and even with much of the information being out of date, Clancy's book is still a wonderful introduction to the silent service.

5 of 5 found the following review helpful:


excellent intro book  Jun 18, 2003
I encountered this book as I was trying to decide whether or not to join the US Navy as a submariner; one of the main things I was wrestling with was the fact that I knew virtually nothing about submarines. This book was an excellent introduction to a range of topics: the role of submarines in the Navy, the various types of submarines out there, a little bit about the weapons systems and sonar equipment, and most importantly for me, a glimpse of life aboard a submarine. I wasn't expecting a super-detailed report on every facet of submarines, but it delivered some interesting things that I didn't expect (particularly the parts about other people's navies and various combat scenarios). If you already know quite a bit about submarines, this would probably be rather boring, but as an intro book, it's an excellent choice. Heartily recommended for people considering joining the Navy, as well as civilians who want to know a little more about the lives of their submariner friends.

16 of 21 found the following review helpful:


Clancy: stick with fiction, or improve your research.  Dec 04, 1998
I'm not a historian, but I counted a dozen errors in fact and interpretation in the first four pages. Example? Robert Fulton did not demonstrate his Nautilus to the British in 1804, or ever. He built one Nautilus, and one only, which he scrapped in France. Nor did he "destroy a number of vessels in test runs," anywhere. My source is the "Navy Times book of Submarines," written by retired Navy Captain Brayton Harris. It's billed as a "Political, Social and Military History" and may be the most accurate overall history of the early years of submarine development . . . ever. The rest of Clancy's book? I found it a bit tedious.

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