Subnuts' Book Review Thread

Subnuts · 01-05-08, 09:25 PM

Since I intend on writing a few book reviews in the next couple months, I think I'll be nice and keep them consigned to a single thread.

My first review of the New Year is Norman Polmar and Kenneth Moore's Cold War Submarines - The Design and Construction of U.S. and Soviet Submarines. I was pretty impressed with this one, as you can see.

Between August 1945 and December 1991, the United States and Soviet Union built 936 submarines, 401 of them nuclear powered. The Soviets put to sea more than 650, with at least 50 identifiable designs built in all. In western intelligence reports and in published naval references, speculation prevailed about the true capabilities of Russia's underwater warships, much of it disproved in retrospect. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, submarine buffs have sought a definitive volume on Cold War submarine design. Written by American naval analyst Norman Polmar and former submariner and technology analyst Kenneth J. Moore, Cold War Submarines: The Design and Construction of U.S. and Soviet Submarines is the first book to detail the parallel development of both superpowers' submarine fleets, and the political, engineering, and military reasoning that shaped their creation.

When the Second World War ended in Europe, the Russians, Americans, and British managed to acquire intact examples of the German Type XXI, and were shocked to learn that the Type XXI was vastly superior to it's allied opponents in many regards. The XXI and it's associated technology became the starting point for the American and Russian submarine fleets, with both countries building new diesel submarines based on the design, and refitting older ones with larger batteries, more powerful electric motors, and with smoother hulls. The Soviets were most appreciative of the design, and built 236 of the Project 613 (Whiskey), an improved copy of the XXI.

By the early 50s both countries became interested in nuclear submarines; the Americans built the Nautilus and several others, the Russians the November, Echo, and Hotel classes. The slab-sided XXI hull shape gave way to the "body of revolution" - hulls with circular cross-sections throughout their entire length. It was also during this time that the submarine design philosophies of both countries went in opposite directions - the United States began to build solely nuclear-powered torpedo and ballistic missile submarines, while the Soviet Union also built a plethora of anti-ship cruise missile submarines, diesel-electric boats, and one-off experimental submarines.

The wide variety of Soviet submarine classes built during the Cold War was a result of the large number of competing design bureaus in that country, as opposed to comparatively few American designs. While American submarines held an edge in terms of quietness, weapon and sensor capabilities, crew training, and reliability, their Russian counterparts were often superior in performance and survivability. Both nations also designed amphibious landing, cargo transport, and aircraft carrying submarines, none of which were actually built. In the end, both navies ended up with radically different submarine fleets for a number of different reasons.

I'd put off buying Cold War Submarines for a long time, because the price tag intimidated me. At long last, someone has written a comprehensive parallel history of the American and Russian underwater navies of the Cold War, and you don't have to be a naval architect to understand it. As evidenced by the lengthy bibliography and notes sections, Polmar and Moore spent an enormous amount of time and effort researching this book. Having studied formerly classified intelligence memos, Russian language articles, and interviewed several important figures on both sides of the Cold War, they uncovered a large amount of rare material on submarine design.

Cold War Submarines begins with the end of World War II, with chapters on postwar diesel and "closed cycle" propulsion submarines. It then proceeds to cover the entire history of Cold War submarine design in roughly chronological order, with each chapter focusing on a particular topics (i.e., "High Speed Submarines", "Advanced Diesel Submarines"), with most chapters describing both American and Russian developments in that field. Not only does this book describe the "nuts and bolts" of the subject, it also delves into the political, technical, and managerial issues of submarine design and construction throughout the Cold War.

A.D Baker III, the former editor of Combat Fleets, provides more than 70 crisp cross-section drawings, with the rest of the book illustrated with cleanly reproduced black & white photographs. The book's layout is typical of most military reference books, devoid of pretension or extraneous "fat." There are also plenty of tables, with each chapter having one that compares the specifications of each submarine described in the previous chapter.

Along with information on submarines that were actually built, Cold War Submarines delivers some surprising details on ones that never got off the drawing board:

The Boeing AN-1, a 498-foot nuclear-powered submarine aircraft carrier that would have carried eight ramjet-powered fighters in converted Regulus missile hangars.

For the first time ever published, photos of a model of the advanced CONcept FORMulation (CONFORM) submarine, which was axed in 1968 in favor of the less-capable Los Angeles class.

The original design for the November class, with a single giant nuclear torpedo that would have been fired into an enemy harbor.

The "Project 748" submarine tank landing ship, which would have carried 470 troops and up to 20 armored fighting vehicles.

The "Project 673" attack submarine, a small-scale variant of the Project 671/Victor that would have had a revolutionary sailless hull.

A real-life American Flying Sub that actually made it the model test stage before being cancelled.

I've always been more interested in diesel than nuclear submarines, but the mythos of the "Silent War" fought between the Americans and Soviets remains a fascinating one. Cold War Submarines belongs on the shelf of anyone seriously interested in the subject matter. The actual technical material is pretty light, and the writing style is fairly accessible for a book that threatened to be little more than an astute military history book before I read it. Actually, the technical material might be a little too light for a book of this type - I'm a bit of a glutton for punishment and I was actually expecting more. Hopefully, Polmar and Moore will one day expand this book into a trilogy, with a 2nd book on postwar diesel-electric submarines, and a 3rd on the nuclear submarines of Britain, France, China, and those currently under development by other nations.

In conclusion, Cold War Submarines is a goldmine for serious submarine buffs, filled with material you can't find anywhere else. You might want to buy the hardcover edition, since you'll be coming back to it time and again.

Cold War Submarines is 430 pages long, measuring 8 by 11 inches. It was published in November 2003 in hardcover and in March 2005 in paperback. There are 20 chapters, along with 5 appendixes, and the pages are printed on glossy stock.

Syneval · 03-26-08, 05:09 AM

Well you made me order the hardcover book off Amazon ... only 25 days of waiting left. It does look very interesting.

01-05-08, 09:25 PM	#1
Subnuts The Old Man Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Connecticut Posts: 1,658 Downloads: 14 Uploads: 0	Subnuts' Book Review Thread Since I intend on writing a few book reviews in the next couple months, I think I'll be nice and keep them consigned to a single thread. My first review of the New Year is Norman Polmar and Kenneth Moore's Cold War Submarines - The Design and Construction of U.S. and Soviet Submarines. I was pretty impressed with this one, as you can see. Between August 1945 and December 1991, the United States and Soviet Union built 936 submarines, 401 of them nuclear powered. The Soviets put to sea more than 650, with at least 50 identifiable designs built in all. In western intelligence reports and in published naval references, speculation prevailed about the true capabilities of Russia's underwater warships, much of it disproved in retrospect. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, submarine buffs have sought a definitive volume on Cold War submarine design. Written by American naval analyst Norman Polmar and former submariner and technology analyst Kenneth J. Moore, Cold War Submarines: The Design and Construction of U.S. and Soviet Submarines is the first book to detail the parallel development of both superpowers' submarine fleets, and the political, engineering, and military reasoning that shaped their creation. When the Second World War ended in Europe, the Russians, Americans, and British managed to acquire intact examples of the German Type XXI, and were shocked to learn that the Type XXI was vastly superior to it's allied opponents in many regards. The XXI and it's associated technology became the starting point for the American and Russian submarine fleets, with both countries building new diesel submarines based on the design, and refitting older ones with larger batteries, more powerful electric motors, and with smoother hulls. The Soviets were most appreciative of the design, and built 236 of the Project 613 (Whiskey), an improved copy of the XXI. By the early 50s both countries became interested in nuclear submarines; the Americans built the Nautilus and several others, the Russians the November, Echo, and Hotel classes. The slab-sided XXI hull shape gave way to the "body of revolution" - hulls with circular cross-sections throughout their entire length. It was also during this time that the submarine design philosophies of both countries went in opposite directions - the United States began to build solely nuclear-powered torpedo and ballistic missile submarines, while the Soviet Union also built a plethora of anti-ship cruise missile submarines, diesel-electric boats, and one-off experimental submarines. The wide variety of Soviet submarine classes built during the Cold War was a result of the large number of competing design bureaus in that country, as opposed to comparatively few American designs. While American submarines held an edge in terms of quietness, weapon and sensor capabilities, crew training, and reliability, their Russian counterparts were often superior in performance and survivability. Both nations also designed amphibious landing, cargo transport, and aircraft carrying submarines, none of which were actually built. In the end, both navies ended up with radically different submarine fleets for a number of different reasons. I'd put off buying Cold War Submarines for a long time, because the price tag intimidated me. At long last, someone has written a comprehensive parallel history of the American and Russian underwater navies of the Cold War, and you don't have to be a naval architect to understand it. As evidenced by the lengthy bibliography and notes sections, Polmar and Moore spent an enormous amount of time and effort researching this book. Having studied formerly classified intelligence memos, Russian language articles, and interviewed several important figures on both sides of the Cold War, they uncovered a large amount of rare material on submarine design. Cold War Submarines begins with the end of World War II, with chapters on postwar diesel and "closed cycle" propulsion submarines. It then proceeds to cover the entire history of Cold War submarine design in roughly chronological order, with each chapter focusing on a particular topics (i.e., "High Speed Submarines", "Advanced Diesel Submarines"), with most chapters describing both American and Russian developments in that field. Not only does this book describe the "nuts and bolts" of the subject, it also delves into the political, technical, and managerial issues of submarine design and construction throughout the Cold War. A.D Baker III, the former editor of Combat Fleets, provides more than 70 crisp cross-section drawings, with the rest of the book illustrated with cleanly reproduced black & white photographs. The book's layout is typical of most military reference books, devoid of pretension or extraneous "fat." There are also plenty of tables, with each chapter having one that compares the specifications of each submarine described in the previous chapter. Along with information on submarines that were actually built, Cold War Submarines delivers some surprising details on ones that never got off the drawing board: The Boeing AN-1, a 498-foot nuclear-powered submarine aircraft carrier that would have carried eight ramjet-powered fighters in converted Regulus missile hangars. For the first time ever published, photos of a model of the advanced CONcept FORMulation (CONFORM) submarine, which was axed in 1968 in favor of the less-capable Los Angeles class. The original design for the November class, with a single giant nuclear torpedo that would have been fired into an enemy harbor. The "Project 748" submarine tank landing ship, which would have carried 470 troops and up to 20 armored fighting vehicles. The "Project 673" attack submarine, a small-scale variant of the Project 671/Victor that would have had a revolutionary sailless hull. A real-life American Flying Sub that actually made it the model test stage before being cancelled. I've always been more interested in diesel than nuclear submarines, but the mythos of the "Silent War" fought between the Americans and Soviets remains a fascinating one. Cold War Submarines belongs on the shelf of anyone seriously interested in the subject matter. The actual technical material is pretty light, and the writing style is fairly accessible for a book that threatened to be little more than an astute military history book before I read it. Actually, the technical material might be a little too light for a book of this type - I'm a bit of a glutton for punishment and I was actually expecting more. Hopefully, Polmar and Moore will one day expand this book into a trilogy, with a 2nd book on postwar diesel-electric submarines, and a 3rd on the nuclear submarines of Britain, France, China, and those currently under development by other nations. In conclusion, Cold War Submarines is a goldmine for serious submarine buffs, filled with material you can't find anywhere else. You might want to buy the hardcover edition, since you'll be coming back to it time and again. Cold War Submarines is 430 pages long, measuring 8 by 11 inches. It was published in November 2003 in hardcover and in March 2005 in paperback. There are 20 chapters, along with 5 appendixes, and the pages are printed on glossy stock.

03-26-08, 05:09 AM	#2
Syneval Swabbie Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 12 Downloads: 33 Uploads: 0	Well you made me order the hardcover book off Amazon ... only 25 days of waiting left. It does look very interesting.