Rising Tide: untold stories of Russian subs in the cold war

[Kapitan]

Indeed the US has the Nautilus and the Russians K3 both are historic boats for their respective navies.

and to lie i wouldn't call it a lie, you see a lot of the Alfa designs and systems are still highly classified which include test depths and speed, it was hinted at while i was in St Petersburg that the USN publications are quite accurate.

The notion of 900m for a titanium boat which the Mike Papa and Sierra class are made of would fit the depth requirements, however the alfa was constructed using a titanium nickle alloy the USN puts their maximum depth at 750m which is still below USN submarines of the day which tended to be around 400m mark.

The soviets were great at over estimating things, not only that when the Americans over estimated something they didnt correct them they let them believe it, point in case would be the Mig 25 developments which led to the F15 being created the scare with the alfa which led to the development eventually of MK 48 ADCAP.

the truth is a lot of the alfa design and systems are still classified because some systems although modified and modernized are still used (last one was de activated in 1995) as are most of our own, for example HMS Ocelot decommissioned in 1991 became a museum ship yet her systems and logs remain classified and will do so until 2042 at the earliest.

[Commander Wallace]

Originally Posted by speed150mph

I just finished reading Rising Tide: The Untold Story of the Russian Submarines that Fought in the Cold War by Gary E. Weir and Walter J. Boyne. It proved to be quite the interesting read.

In this non-fiction thriller, the authors take us through the events of the Cold War from the perspective of the Soviet crewmen that surved and commanded the subs. From the 1950 era diesel boats like the whiskeys and romeos, to the advent of Soviet nuclear power, to the likes of the Victor and Alfa, we get a view of what it was like to be in command of these boats. We follow the Russians through the suffering of early soviet submarine life, through the nuclear accidents of the K-3 and K-19. The glory of surfacing in the arctic. The fear of surfacing in the middle of an American battle group off Cuba, and everything in between.

If you are a fan of submarines or Cold War history, this is a book you won’t be able to put down.

Thanks for the recommendation on Rising Tide. I was unaware of this book but will now look for it. If you are enjoy reading about cold war submarine operations, then " Blind Man's Bluff " by Sherry Sontag and Christopher and Annette Lawrence Drew is another good, factual read.


https://www.amazon.com/Blind-Mans-Bl.../dp/1610393589


This link not only lists Blind Man's bluff but other reads you may enjoy

Originally Posted by Kapitan

I read this many years ago having recently met Captain Igor Kurdin I can say they do appreciate the struggles they had in the early years but today they most certainly are much better and more advanced

If I recall this is the Russia version of blind mans bluff
Hostile waters is a good read too Igor was the XO on K219 and showed me the kettle which as we know is likely the only thing left of her now she has sunk

Thanks as well Kapitan for the recommendation on Hostile waters. I will look for both of these books.