Shadow Divers . . .

I just finished a really fascinating book. "Shadow Divers," by Robert Kurson. Not a book about trawlers, and so not really a subject for this Forum, perhaps. But it is about diving (lots of divers on here), and about the sea, which we all are drawn to as moths are drawn to a flame. I give it five stars. Just saying.

Good book. Read it several years ago. Propelled those two guys to a lot of fame.

My wife had that for a book club book some years ago. I read it after she recommended it and it's well worth reading in my opinion.

jwnall said:

I just finished a really fascinating book. "Shadow Divers," by Robert Kurson. Not a book about trawlers, and so not really a subject for this Forum, perhaps. But it is about diving (lots of divers on here), and about the sea, which we all are drawn to as moths are drawn to a flame. I give it five stars. Just saying.

Click to expand...

The book is entertaining but sadly factually faulty. While the book is based on incidents that did happen, the book was written to glorify John and Richie. A work of fiction for which the movie rights sold for one million dollars. Many of the incidents that were credited to John and Richie were done by other people or were done in conjuction with other people. I second captained on the Seeker for several years on trips to the Andrea Doria. Many of the people in the book and callously ommitted from the book are / were friends and acquaintances of mine. Lots of hurt feelings when the book came out. Discovering the identify of the U-869 was a team effort......until the book came out.

As a side note the U-869 wasn't sunk by a circle run torpedo as John and Richie claim in the book. The U-869 was sunk by destroyer escorts Howard D. Crow and Koiner.

Ted

O C Diver said:

Many of the incidents that were credited to John and Richie were done by other people or were done in conjunction with other people. I second captained on the Seeker for several years on trips to the Andrea Doria. Many of the people in the book and callously omited from the book are / were friends and acquaintances of mine. Lots of hurt feelings when the book came out. Discovering the identify of the U-869 was a team effort......until the book came out.

As a side note the U-869 wasn't sunk by a circle run torpedo as John and Richie claim in the book. The U-869 was sunk by destroyer escorts Howard D. Crow and Koiner.

Ted

Click to expand...

Wow! Really interesting to have this input from one of the respected Forum regulars! Just goes to show that there are always other things that we would not otherwise know. Thanks for that, Ted.

My mom bought me a copy of this book several years ago, and I haven't gotten around to reading it yet. I guess maybe I should. With a grain or two of salt.

I just finished that book last week! I loved the read. Thanks OC for the inside info. I really wanted Nagle to pull it together. I guess that's what the writer wanted readers to hope for.

I appeared on a few of John and Richie's History Channel shows. The last were a couple of two hour episodes about the "Titanic". I spent a week with them on the ship and got to dive (in submarine) on the wreck and explore both halves as well as a lot of the outlying debris field.

http://www.cruisingonstrider.us/Titanic.htm

I don't know what to say about the negative comments above. They always seemed like very impressive and straightforward guys to me.

Roger Long said:

I appeared on a few of John and Richie's History Channel shows. The last were a couple of two hour episodes about the "Titanic". I spent a week with them on the ship and got to dive (in submarine) on the wreck and explore both halves as well as a lot of the outlying debris field.

Titanic Expedition

I don't know what to say about the negative comments above. They always seemed like very impressive and straightforward guys to me.

Click to expand...

Simple answer is that they didn't write the book. They contributed and are partly responsible for the content, but it's the author who rewrote history. In the preface, if the book had been described as "based on actual events", I don't think most people involved with the U-869 saga would have had much of a problem with it. Much like most movies are based on facts with Hollywood using poetic licence. When the preface states that everything is absolutely true and fact checked, then people get upset about the errors and omissions.

There is a section in the book when the Rouse father and son team die on one of the trips. The book paints the picture of John as superman in the rescue effort. A video tape of the event shows the crew of the Seeker making a group effort. John was certainly part of the effort, but they all participated, there was no super hero.

Ted