[Subnuts]

Received my copy a few days ago, burned through it, and recently posted a brief review of it on Amazon. I gave it four out of five stars - not perfect, but a massive improvement over their U-boat manual.

http://www.amazon.com/review/RDCOSPQ...SIN=0857333895

Last year's "workshop manual" for the Type VII U-boat was such an awful, poorly researched and edited mess that I felt compelled to compile a list of every mistake I could find in it. Thankfully, this "manual" on the A-class submarine HMS "Alliance," recently restored and currently the centerpiece of the Royal Navy Submarine Museum in Gosport, England, is superior, sometimes vastly so, in every way possible. Written by a former Royal Navy submariner and genuine naval historian, this book feels like a genuine apology to this Haynes fan and submarine geek.

Although it contains brief sections covering the development of Britain's submarine fleet, the history of the Alliance, and what it was like to live and work aboard, the bulk of this book is a straight-up technical reference. Along with descriptions of many of the boat's major and minor systems and how they work, are procedures for carrying out evolutions such as diving the boat and firing torpedoes, and a large number of detailed color technical diagrams from the original technical manuals used by the crew. The overall level of detail is quite impressive, and fitting for a faux "workshop manual." A sample of the material contained within includes procedures for starting and running the high-pressure air compressor, diagrams of the air conditioning plant and distilled water system, exploded views of the propeller shaft and stern glands, a 17-step procedure for cleaning the centrifugal oil separator, specifications for the boat's guns, advice on periscope maintenance, and a breakdown of the crew complement in 1956.

Unlike the U-boat manual, this book is carefully put together and geared more towards people interested in the "hows and whys" of what makes a submarine work. The detailed procedures, diagrams, and descriptions elevate this title and make it a fascinating reference for serious submarine buffs. I'm glad that Haynes is finally getting away from the fluffy novelty books that has marred this series in the past, and producing works that stand up to actual scrutiny.

There are, however a couple of minor hiccups. For a technical study of a submarine, there's precious little on the boat's radar, sonar, and radio systems - barely a page, in fact! I noticed two examples of illustrations being repeated in different parts of the book. On one page, all of the Fahrenheit-to-Centigrade conversions are completely off. Some of the photographs of Alliance's interior are somewhat soft or overexposed, although I sympathize with how difficult it is to photograph the interiors of museum ships. A couple of nagging flaws aside, THIS is the book I was hoping the U-boat manual was going to be. Although casual submarine buffs might be bored by the lengthy procedures and technical descriptions, I found it rather engaging. I also recommend the "Anatomy of the Ship" book on the Alliance, which contains dozens of detailed cross-section and exploded view diagrams of all of the boat's systems.

Make more books like this, Haynes.