[C-Wolf]

Thanks.

I'm aware of the Soviet efforts in non-acoustic wake detection. First you have to find a wake, then follow it to it's source, (while remaining undetected) which is no easy feat in a vast ocean unless you're laying in wait off a harbor entrance where you can be reasonably sure a boat will exit at some point.

In some cases, Norman Polmar's research has to be taken with a grain of salt, but he's one of the most visible, (and prolific) writers of some very niche subjects, so he ends up with more attention (and money!) He's a good historian, but a better writer, and to the best of my knowledge, never served in the Navy or even held a security clearance. With thirty books to his credit, he's a minor celebrity as well. And if there's one thing most celebrities believe, it's their opinions and ideas are more informed than the rest of the population. I'll read the Soviet side, just for fun.

Not everything that's written is true; especially where submarining is concerned. Anyone can make a claim, but the only ones who really know the full story are those who were present and those who read the mission reports.

My experiences with armchair admirals who make money writing books and have never been to sea has left me a skeptic over the years.

A few other authors come to mind - especially Drew and Sontag (Blind Man's Bluff.) They took a couple of often-told sea stories, wrote a book, and cashed in. Their research had numerous holes in it, but sometimes it's better to let someone run with a story that's not factual rather than confirming or denying the facts, which only helps the people you're trying to protect the information from getting to in the first place.

I experienced this firsthand.

In the early 90's, Drew called me at home while gathering source material, starting the conversation with, "Hi, We're writing a book about submarines during the Cold War and heard you'd be a good guy to talk to." It took me less than a minute to determine what they were really after, and we made plans to meet the next night at their hotel.

As soon as I hung up, I made a phone call to NCIS and the next day, every source in the area mysteriously dried up, and they left town empty-handed.

With their quest to try to land a Pulitzer by writing a meaty story, neither author could have cared less regarding the simple fact that the passage of time does not release anyone from their pledge to protect information that has not been declassified. They used several dubious methods to convince a few people otherwise, but most of their sources were second-rate. --So much for journalistic integrity or patriotism. I'm sure they made a few bucks trying to publish information the rest of us protect for free.

The end result is there is a tremendous amount of BS written (and repeated) online and in books masquerading as fact when it's anything but.

The old adage, "Those who don't know, talk. And those who do know, don't." is one of the reasons we call it the Silent Service.