October Fury

AN excellent book to read, I really enjoyed reading what the Russian sailors had to tolerate and I am glad that part of our history is over. This book does a reasonably good job, in revisiting the Cuban crisis. Most definitely not a Tom Clancy book, but a good read never the less. It would have been a lot better had it also described what the enlisted personnel went through o both sides, as officers in both navies tend to think they actually run the ships. They pass the orders yes, run the ships how??. No doubt though this book is a great read especially for its historical revelations.

This book is a very detailed account of the Cuban Missile Crisis, as told by both the Russian submariners tasked to get through to Cuba and the American destroyers bent on stopping them. In 1962, the decision was made to station both land based nuclear missiles and nuclear armed bomber, as well as SSB submarines armed with nuclear missiles in Cuba. The land based portion, dubbed Operation Anadyr, would use cargo ships to deploy the land based missiles, bomber and troops. The Naval operation, Kama, was to be initiated by four Soviet Project 641 Foxtrot diesel attack submarines, sailing from the Kola peninsula bound for Cuba. These would act as an advanced guard, to be followed by seven Project 629 Golf class balistic missile submarines, each carrying three nuclear tipped missiles. The plan was for these submarines to be based out of Cuba, where they could threaten the southern US. Just prior to departure, each of the Foxtrot submarines received, in addition to their normal torpedo loads, one 10 kiloton T-5 nuclear torpedo. Admiral Gorshkov's orders were "You will use these weapons if American forces attack you submerged or force your units to the surface and the attack...." The fate of the world was thereby placed in the hands of four Russian submarine commanders. The book skillfully weaves the ensuing tale, alternating the Soviet submariner's stories with the American destroyer's ASW pursuits as the crisis progresses. A showdown in which USS Blandy drops small charges to force one of the submarines, B-130, to surface, leads to frustration for the submarine captain. He therefore orders loading and flooding, in preparation for firing, of the torpedo tube with the T-5 nuclear warhead. Fortunately, cooler heads prevail upon the captain to back down. Although overall a good read, I had a few minor quibbles. The author uses interviews to reconstruct conversations, and the places them in quotes. In fact it is highly unlikely that those represent the actual words spoken, as quotes imply. He also has tow Russian attaches taking the train to Boston in order to observe the submarines at the New London sub base when the train stops in New London. In fact, Electric Boat is visible across the river, but the submarine base and piers are not at all visible from the train. The closest approach of the train is on the bridge over the Thames River, still some distance, with the sub base some 3 miles away. Nonetheless, this book lends new insights into just how close the world really came to disaster during that alarming time in history. The author was on board one of the American destroyers, USS Blandy, assigned to the USS Essex task force group, and thus tells tale that from a first hand perspective.

Finally, a wonderful account of the United States Navy in action during the Cuban missle crisis....... I was aboard the U.S.S. Lowry DD770 during this time, and the author caught the excitement of those times. It was the U.S.S. Lowry DD770 who identified one of the Russian subs and steamed side by side with her for three days attempting to make verbal contact with their crew. We played dixie land music. A band brought over from the U.S.S. Randolph. Several interpreters were also brought over in our attempts at contact, to no success.How wonderful to read such an exciting story. Well done Mr. Huchthausen!

Peter Huchthasuen has captured the magnitude and scope of the Soviet effort to establish a foothold in the backyard of the US, in Cuba, just 90 miles away. The introduction of nuclear armed missles and torpedos to the theater was indeed chilling. The author's unmatched access to the personal stories on both sides makes for absorbing reading.

While most people know the basics about the threatening events of the Cuban Missile Crisis, I think this is the first book I've read to really unfold how close we actually came to nuclear war. These pages tell the gripping, yet frightening, encounter of US and Russian submarines in a the historic showdown at sea. The author brings this all-too-real Cold War story to life, re-creating the dramatic and harrowing events. Any lover of naval, military, or modern history should not miss this book.