The novel Red Star Rogue is a novel about a particular submarine that served in the Soviet Pacific Fleet during the Cold War. The book follows the Golf Class submarine K-129 on her final mission which occurred in the spring of 1968. K-129 was a Soviet ballistic missile submarine whose purpose was to launch nuclear weapons at the United States in case of the commencement of hostilities between the two superpowers.
The author Kenneth Sewell, who is a former submarine officer (Hutchinson) does an outstanding job of not only describing the overall picture, but also breaking down not only the submarine, but also the men who served on her final mission. He provides personal information about everyone from the commanding officer all the way down to the junior enlisted sailors of K-129. As a former submariner, Mr. Sewell understands the strong bond that occurs between submariners. This bond may well have saved the world from nuclear destruction.
Mr. Sewell breaks his book into two different sections which helps the reader gain an understanding of K-129 but also the submarine’s second story. Near the end of the book, Mr. Sewell also suggests that the possibility of a revenge sinking of the USS Scorpion in May 1968. He hypothesizes that the Soviets trapped and sank the Scorpion in response to the loss of K-129. He goes on to elaborate that the Soviets believed that the USS Swordfish had rammed and sank their submarine, and were exacting revenge against a US vessel. The author breaks the book into two sections. To simplify the overall picture, I will break the novel into three sections.
The book opens with K-129 at a position of “24 degrees N and 163 degrees west,”(11) this places the submarine northwest of the US naval base at...
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...dence that Sewell offers to support his theory is strong. His sources are former CIA, KGB, Naval officers, as well as documents from both the US and Soviet archives. Sewell also uses several books that are widely regarded as being above reproach when it comes to their authenticity and knowledge of submarine operations during the Cold War. In 2013, the movie Phantom was made and was based on Red Star Rogue. Having seen the movie as well as read the book many times. I would consider the movie a failure and that was disappointing as Sewell was an advisor to the film. No book is perfect. There are failings in Red Star Rogue; lack of firsthand sources, the credibility of Soviet archives, the lack of cooperation from the CIA, and many others. However, this book is a must for someone who has an interest in the Cold War, or someone who enjoys a good espionage story.
On the morning of August 29, 1988, USS Dwight D. Eisenhower was returning to her homeport in Norfolk after conducting a six-month deployment in the Mediterranean Sea. She had performed extremely well in exercises and was set to receive the Battle “E.” The carrier had recently taken on approximately 500 Tigers in Bermuda, joining their parents for the final leg of the voyage. Also, the Secretary of the Navy was aboard that morning, and had been present on the bridge prior to his departure at 0807. 14 minutes later, at 0821 according to the deck log, the Eisenhower struck the Spanish bulk carrier Urduliz, which was anchored in a designated anchorage area, “A,” in berth “Z.”
It was July 30th around 11:30 at night. Hashimoto, the captain of the I-58 Japanese submarine climbed up on the bridge. He picked up binoculars. Hashimoto saw a ship because the moon was behind it and gave the order to dive. Hashimoto was very concerned that it was a destroyer ship coming to attack the submarine. Hashimoto could not get a good look at the Indianapolis because it was not zigzagging.
The pre-deployment part of the book shows where a lot of the future problems the unit would face are born. During the 1-502nd’s time at the Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC) and the National Training Center, both places designed to simulate wartime situations) we see the relationship LTC Tom Kunk develops with his Company Commanders and their First Sergeants. Kunk was a tough leader to deal with, and mostly all of his commanders did not agree with the way he treated them or fostered their development.
Thirteen Days is a historical account of the Cuban Missile Crisis. It is told from the perspective of Robert F. Kennedy, senator and brother to President John F. Kennedy. It is an account of the thirteen days in October 1962. It lasted from the 16th to the 28th. During this time many crucial events in the United States.
Operation Vengeance was the name given to the mission to kill the Commander of the Japanese Combined Fleet Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto. High ranking United States military officers in the Pacific theater had to make the hard decision to go after Adm Yamamoto. The problem that they had to face was the possibility of exposing the fact that the U.S Navy had been deciphering the Japanese Imperial Naval Codes. The first thing that they had to determine was the fact. Was this man worth going after with the information that the codes breakers had provided, and was it worth the risk to the war effort to possibly expose the U.S and British code breaking abilities.
Whether fortunately or unfortunately, the limits of innovation are often put to the test. In the case of a submarine launched to sea in 1938, the USS Squalus, bad luck proved disastrous. Within minutes of a test dive, twenty-six men drowned. Years later, Peter Maas compiled the known information about the tragedy into The Terrible Hours: The Greatest Submarine Rescue in History. Over the heartbreaking journey of hopelessness to hope, crisis to survival, and depths to ascension, Maas weaves the sad tale depicting the unknown dangers that technology possesses.
Captain Viktor Tupolev, a former student of Ramius and commander of the Soviet Alfa-class attack submarine V. K. Konovalov, has been trailing what he initially believes is an Ohio-class vessel. Based on acoustical signature information, Tupolev and his political officer realize that it is Red October, and proceed to pursue and engage it. The two U.S. submarines escorting Red October are unable to fire due to rules of engagement, and a torpedo from the Alfa damages Red October. After a tense standoff, Red October rams Konovalov and sinks it. The Americans escort Red October safely into the eight-ten dry dock in Norfolk, Virginia, where Ramius and his crew are taken to a CIA safe house to begin their Americanization, and Jack Ryan returns to London.
Tom Clancy's "The Hunt for Red October" is a thriller that goes into the life of a Soviet submarine captain who lost his wife to a drunken Russian surgeon. This tragic case of negligence was ignored because the surgeon was the son of a communist party high official. The loss of his wife has caused Captain Marko Radius’s hatred of the corrupt U.S.S.R. for years. But now, Ramius has the chance to take action. Captain Ramius has been given command of the newest Soviet prototype sub, the Typhoon-class missile submarine. When the Americans are given photographs of it, they are extremely curious as to why it is so special. Jac...
Thompson explains every details and makes all the events that led up to the Cuban Missile Crisis are well informed.When I read Robert Smith Thompson's The Missiles of October, it was obvious that the Thompson was not a fan of Kennedy. Kennedy’s scandals and secrets were laid out in the story along with the facts. This story treated Kennedy’s presidency as a failure because of all the failed events that happened during his time. This story is very controversial and it shows the bias against Kennedy, but also has the facts that do show that Russian leader Khruschev actually beat Kennedy.Thompson says the familiar accounts of the crisis is a myth.
When writing the book Into the Killing Seas, Michael P. Spradlin accurately explained the details and the historical value of the sinking of the U.S.S Indianapolis. Additionally, it's clear that he did a lot of research on his topic of the sinking of the U.S.S Indianapolis and what the remaining sailors had to deal with to survive. Switching Gears, his book is not only based on the WW2 sinking of the Indy, but The battles of Guam. He accurately described the terror people in history felt when the attacks happened.
In the thirty-eight years of the United States Naval Submarine Service no United States submarine had ever sunk an enemy vessel. With the ignition of the Second World War the poorly equipped and poorly trained Silent Service, nicknamed for the limited access of the media to the actions and achievements of the submarines, would be thrust into the position American submariners had longed for. The attack on Pearl Harbor left the United States Navy with few options for retribution. The three remaining aircraft carriers were to be “the last line of defense.” Commander Stuart S. Murray made the precarious situation clear to his skippers, captains, upon sending them on their first war patrol. He stressed the importance of smart sailing by warning them not “to go out there and win the Congressional Medal of Honor in one day. The submarines are all we have left.” We entered the war with 55 submarines, 27 at Pearl Harbor and 28 at Cavite in the Philippines. At first our submarine strategies lacked ingenuity and failed to use our subs to their full potential. United States subs were assigned to reconnaissance, transporting supplies, and lifeguard duty, picking up downed airmen and sailors. They were even, on occasion, sent to rescue high profile Americans on the run from the enemy or from islands under enemy siege. Although their ability was, unfortunately, wasted in our entrance to the Pacific Theater the Silent Service would soon gain the recognition its men yearned for.
Peebles goes into depth about the first sets of films that were recovered and developed in chapters four through six and then goes into depth about how this new satellite program revolutionized the capabilities that the Americans now had in aerial reconnaissance. Peebles covers the continuing evolution of the KH or “Key Hole” cameras used aboard the Corona satellites. The author talks extensively about the Kennedy administration and the Corona project, which lead to the increase of security as the project grew.
The article and the professor offer two differing views about the sources of stranger sounds called Quakers detected by the Russian submarines in the North Atlantic and Arctic oceans. While, the author lists the possible theories behind those sounds, the professor raises the doubts and refutes each of the theory being stated in the passage.
The movie Thirteen Days is 2000 docudrama and is directed by Roger Donaldson who is Australian and tries to portray the film in a serious manor. The movie is based on the 13 days of the Cuban Missile Crisis, and shows the perspective of the US political leadership, specifically Special Assistant to the president Kenny O’Donnell, President John F. Kennedy and the Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy. This film is not based on the book of the same name written by Robert F. Kennedy like the first docudrama film about the Cuban Missile Crisis, The Missiles of October; this film was meticulously researched and was based on The Kennedy Tapes: inside the white house during the Cuban Missile Crisis which was written by Ernest May and Phillip Zelikow. This is a positive for the film because Thirteen Days had the possibility to become an almost accurate film due to the declassification of important documents, but this was not the case due to the ‘Hollywood effect’ which is a key reason why this film is not history but entertainment. This film exposes how close America actually came to a Nuclear Holocaust. In this essay I shall cover all the positives and negatives to show whether or not the film is a good source of history but or actually was made for entertainment purposes. There are two main historical issues with this film that make it more entertainment than History; the first being Kevin Costner’s portrayal of Special Assistant Kenny O’Donnell, although the film is seen through his eyes and shows him to be in John F. Kennedy inner circle; in reality he may not have played an important role as the film portrays, since he was only Kennedy’s appointment secretary not the Personal advisor he is portrayed as in this film. Another historical w...
Stern, Sheldon M. The Cuban Missile Crisis in American Memory: Myths versus Reality. Stanford, CA: Stanford Univ., 2012. Print.