Spy Sub

April 29, 1996
For nearly three decades, the U.S. Navy has maintained a tight security net around one of the most successful military operations of the Cold War: the treacherous undersea hunt in the late 1960s for a Soviet "Echo" class submarine, carrying nuclear missiles, that had sunk in the Pacific. Recently, the Pentagon cleared Dunham, who helped hunt for the sub, to tell the story, albeit in greatly curtailed form. So much secrecy still surrounds "Operation Hammerclaw," in fact, that Dunham reveals neither the true name of the American sub (here called the Viperfish) dispatched to find the Soviet craft, nor why the mission was so vital. But no matter: Dunham, a physician and medical thriller author (Final Diagnosis, 1993, etc.), spins a tense, nuanced tale that induces squirms of discomfort as he writes of the dangers of life on board a sub, not the least of which is what happens when a sub dives beyond its "crush depth." Interwoven among such terrifying events as a water leak and a man being washed overboard in the darkness are some of the more surreal aspects of sub duty. There is a memorable episode of mass seasickness, for instance, during which the ill celebrate their discomfort by lighting up cigars. Would-be Captain Nemos and other fans of undersea adventure will enjoy this vigorous memoir. Photos.