EARLY NOTICE - This Submarine Book Eagerly Awaited

Hat tip for M.E.'s EARLY NOTICE goes to Fred Grandt of Ohio. At this writing,"Watertight: How I Survived the Submarine Service Without Losing My Mind" had only 36 views on YouTube (linked 5 paragraphs below). The short video is a concise and intriguing explanation by the author of his soon to be available book. Heckman not only has the background to write a great book, he wants to give submariners their due and tells why in plain words.

Formerly ET1 (SS) Heckman served over 9 years as an R.O. on USS Seawolf (SSN 575) and USS Parche (SSN 683). Excerpts from the YouTube (linked below) explain how Heckman came to write his book:

"Fascinating as it could be, there is also a horrendous amount of stupidity that comes with any monstrous, bureaucratic organization, and Uncle Sam's canoe club is definitely a large bureaucratic organization. An amazing amount of craziness and silliness happens when you put 125 men in a steel tube and lock the door for a couple of months. Practical jokes take on a life of their own. A fart could be immortal. At the same time, given the need, those same jokers are quite capable of selfless acts. Submariners are famous for making the right move at the right time and saving the day.

Taking a submarine to sea and traveling around the world underwater is a hazardous enterprise. Dangerous situations happen all the time. Submariners are on their own. They simply have to deal with these situations with whatever they brought with them. Without their smarts, their training, including training of their judgement, and a bunch of spare parts, they may not come back.

I wrote Watertight for three reasons: Number one, so the people who have never been there could experience the thrill of going to sea on a nuclear submarine; Number two, so people could appreciate the arduous life of submariners and have a few laughs seeing what they do to survive and the lengths they go to to thrive in their unnatural environment; Number three, to give submariners their due. ... Watertight, the book, does not bash the officer corps. Well, maybe a little..." - author Karl Heckman

Today's enlisted submariners, many officers, especially JOs, are as likely to appreciate what Heckman has to say about giving submariners their due as folks who have never been there. Just listen toward the end of his Watertight YouTube for hints that will ring true to submariners.

M.E. knows Vigilis will want to add the promising book Watertight: How I Survived the Submarine Service Without Losing My Mind (details here) to his vast, but highly selective submarine library. Readers will understand why.

Submarines are always silent and strange.