Under Pressure

April 15, 2020
Life aboard a Polaris missile submarine, a serious business most of the time. The son of working-class British parents, Humphreys was bright enough to win a scholarship, but the experience of an English public school convinced him that a life of adventure trumped education. After an unsuccessful attempt at professional soccer and rejection from the French Foreign Legion at age 17, he joined the Royal Navy in 1985. Britain's fleets no longer ruled the sea, but the country did possess four Polaris missile-firing nuclear submarines. Before beginning five years of service, Humphreys experienced basic training, which "is pretty consistent across the armed forces," involving ceremony, interminable drills, draconian inspections, and staff dedicated "to making your life a misery." Being fit and a veteran of public school bullying, he made it through mostly unscathed, and he delivers much wry commentary. Moving on, Humphreys delivers a vivid description of a profession that requires technical skill, obsessive multitasking (men routinely perform several jobs), and absolute absence of claustrophobia: He explains the unique experience of living in cramped quarters with 143 men breathing the same stale air during three month patrols away from sunlight and family. To avoid detection, missile submarines never "transmit sonically." The author reminds readers that the Cold War hadn't yet ended, and no one doubted that an order to fire missiles meant Armageddon. For the most part, readers will enjoy an expert account of nuclear submarine technology, operation, command structure, and culture. Regarding the last, the author describes how smoking was permitted, as was drinking to excess--although that was curbed after an intoxicated sailor murdered his captain in 2011. The humor often centers on bad smells and the overworked toilets. The author also includes a helpful diagram of the sub, an officer hierarchy, and a glossary. An amusing addition to the rare genre of submariner memoirs. (b/w photos)

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April 17, 2020

First-time author Humphreys pens a colorfully entertaining account of the five years he spent as a submariner in the Royal Navy during the Cold War. Assigned to one of Britain's elite Polaris nuclear submarines at age 18, Humphreys found himself enduring three-month patrols on secret missions to locate and track Russian submarines operating in the North Atlantic. With frank honesty and good humor, the author describes the challenges of adjusting to life beneath the sea, chief among them the cramped quarters and lack of fresh air and sunlight. Skillfully summarizing technical issues such as sonar operations and nuclear fission for civilian readers, Humphreys also delves into personal experiences with bullying by other crew members, the physical and emotional toll taken by shifting watches, and the ever-present risk of catastrophic mechanical and systems failures. Humphreys also touches candidly on his struggle to reconcile his day-to-day duties with the horrible purpose for which the Polaris submarines were designed. VERDICT For the vast majority of people who will never experience life in a submarine, Humphreys's work delivers an engaging glimpse into what they're missing out on--and what they're definitely not.--Sara Shreve, Newton, KS

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