The Deadly Deep

October 1, 2018
In his American debut, British naval historian Ballantyne (Bismarck: 24 Hours to Doom, 2016, etc.) tells the story of undersea warfare entertainingly, without skimping on technical details.The first hint of a vessel that could travel below the surface was in a sketch by Leonardo da Vinci. During the European wars of the 17th and 18th centuries, many tried to build a submarine, but it wasn't until the mid-19th century that a practical sub took to the waters: the Confederate submersible Hunley, which sunk a Union sloop in 1864. From that point, a number of designs were developed, and the modern submarine began to take shape, though many naval officers believed the future lay with the battleship. It was in Germany that the submarine became what it is today. The author chronicles the exploits of German U-boats in World War I and the measures taken to limit their depredations on enemy naval and merchant vessels. By the end of the war, every major combatant was deploying a submarine fleet, though not all were equally adept. The sub resumed its role in World War II, with both Germany and the U.S. making particularly effective use of the "wolf pack" strategy of ganging up on convoys. Ballantyne brings the story up to the present with a look at the role of missile-launching nuclear submarines in the Cold War and after. In the final pages, he speculates on whether a new balance can emerge between Russia and the West and whether other states will use subs to upset the uneasy balance. Much of the appeal of the book lies in the stories of submariners and their feats, such as the Japanese aviator who took off from a sub and fire-bombed an Oregon forest. Years later, he returned to apologize--and was made a citizen of the town he endangered. The book is full of such entertaining and moving stories, especially of the British submariners.An indispensable book for anyone interested in naval history and a great read for everyone else.

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October 15, 2018
In an effort to be comprehensive, Ballantyne (Killing the Bismarck: Destroying the Pride of Hitler’s Fleet) seems intent on recounting almost every wartime use of submarines in this exhaustive, and sometimes exhausting, history. He begins with ancient Egyptian and Greek efforts to hunt and wage war underwater and Leonardo da Vinci’s design for a submersible that he ultimately destroyed because it was too devastating a weapon. He reviews the role of such weapons in the American Revolution and the Civil War before devoting most of the book to the first and second world wars. The devastation submarines caused during WWI led to serious consideration of banning them as an “uncivilised, disgusting outrage” akin to poison gas. The weakening resolve of the Allies to keep Germany in check manifested itself in allowing the Nazis to flout the restrictions on submarine manufacture in the Treaty of Versailles. The account continues through to the present day, with the placement of nuclear cruise missiles in submarines. The length and level of detail (at one point, he discusses minor variations in the number of torpedo tubes in a particular 1930s model, without explaining the significance of the information) makes this work mostly suited to students of military history. Photos.

December 1, 2018

Ballantyne (Killing the Bismarck) arranges this work in roughly chronological order, beginning with the earliest ideas about undersea vessels then progressing through the eras, discussing the technologies of inventors David Bushnell and Robert Fulton, the H.L. Hunley Submarine used during the Civil War, and later the work of inventor John Philip Holland. The section on World War I covers not only submarines and U-boats but also Q-ships, the convoy system, and technologies for calculating firing solutions for torpedoes. A discussion of World War II occupies the majority of the text, touching on advances in submarine and U-boat design, German "wolf pack" tactics, the Enigma machine and codebreaking, and problems with torpedoes. The overall impact of submarine warfare is mentioned, along with figures emphasizing the dangerous nature of undersea warfare. The book ends with history of the Cold War era and the following decades, including the war between India and Pakistan along with modern-day diplomatic and naval issues among the United States, Russia, China, and other powers. VERDICT Ballantyne's latest is for anyone interested in naval history, presenting a solid work on the topic.--Matthew Wayman, Pennsylvania State Univ. Lib., Schuylkill Haven

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from November 15, 2018
Presenting a comprehensive history of the submarine, British naval journalist Ballantyne emphasizes their combat record. That was inaugurated by a primitive type, the American Turtle, in 1776, followed by the first to sink a ship (and itself), the Confederate Hunley, in 1864. Impressive first efforts, they did not create an effective underwater warship, which requires buoyancy, propulsion, maneuvering, weaponry, and life support; John Holland's boats of the early 1900s mastered these technical issues, and from his solutions, the submarine rapidly developed into ocean-stalking predators of deadly effectiveness. Chronicling Germany's attempt to win WWI with submarines, Ballantyne also includes lesser-known operations of the Allies, noting the profound effect the fear of surprise attacks from beneath the waves had and has on naval tactics and strategy. In recounting Germany's WWII U-boat campaign, Ballantyne tracks the Battle of the Atlantic as well as the havoc wreaked against Japan by U.S. submarines. After the war, a vulnerability of submarines, their need to surface and expose themselves to detection, was solved by the advent of the nuclear-powered and -armed submarine. With this overview of the revolutionary warship, Ballantyne ably introduces readers to a subject that boasts an immense bibliography. A great selection for any general-interest collection.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)