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(Continued from OCTOBER FURY, page 4)
they surface, the relentlessly aggressive destroyers cause the submariners to fear being rammed. One submarine captain is driven to the brink of launching torpedoes, including one of the nuclear-tipped weapons, before he surfaces in accordance with American instructions.
The Foxtrots eventually commence an epic homeward surface transit. By late December the Soviet submariners, nearly starved and with their engines running on fumes, have all limped back to the wintry Kola Peninsula. There the crews endure a weirdly unique Soviet-style "greeting" process but eventually reunite with their families. The Soviet admiral who sent his submarines the unauthorized message that may have prevented a nuclear nightmare was forced to retire.
Despite some errors in description of sub operations, I greatly enjoyed OCTOBER FURY and recommend this book especially to those Chopper crewmen who served during those dramatic and stressful days.
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Editor's Note: Charlie Ryan is a former SIGINT rider who made patrols on several submarines. Although he never qualified in submarines, he retains a strong interest in the boats and belongs to the Seattle Base of US Submarine Veterans Inc (USSVI) as an Associate member.
There are two Project 641 (FOXTROT) submarines on exhibit in the US; one in Seattle, WA and the other in Long Beach, CA.
OCTOBER FURY is available from all good bookstores and online at Amazon or Barnes and Noble.com.
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