Stalking the Red Bear: The True Story of a U.S. Cold War Submarine's Covert Operations Against the Soviet Union

by Peter Sasgen

Book Overview

Thrilling submarine espionage and an inside look at the U.S. Navy's "silent service"

Stalking the Red Bear, for the first time ever, describes the action principally from the perspective of a commanding officer of a nuclear submarine during the Cold War -- the one man aboard a sub who makes the critical decisions -- taking readers closer to the Soviet target than any work on submarine espionage has ever done before.

This...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312605536
• ISBN13: 9780312605537
• Release Date: March 2010
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 0.71 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.5" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Under the radar

Having read "Stalking" I now have a much better appreciation of the risks and responsibilities undertaken by our submariners during a very dangerous period the extent of which peril was unknown to me. One slip-up and the missiles would have been launched. While the book perhaps goes into too much detail about certain operations and procedures it does give one the feel that the author knows whereof he speaks. If you're looking for the high drama of Chinese Gordon fighting off The Mahdi and his minions at Khartoum, this isn't it. But given that the author was limited by what actually happened (and didn't have Charleton Heston in the inevitable film's lead role) the author did a commendable job of making interesting a story that was so often out of sight, under water, and under the radar. And while I wouldn't expect to see a movie based on this book at my local multiplex, I wouldn't be surprised to find one on the History Channel or on public television. Bravo.

Nice Memories

I also served on a 637 class attack submarine and agree with most of the sentiments of the prior reviews. I did find the book fun to read and very informative. It created a great source of memories for something I experienced almost 40 years ago as a junior nuclear trained officer. I feel that the author did a great job of surmising what was happening on the Russian side of the equation. This was something we did almost everyday while on patrol. I am giving this book to my friends who really want to know what we did back in the day . As the former CO said, it wasn't flashy but it was an interesting job. I am very happy that I purchased this book. The author did a nice job.

Great Book

Brought back allot of memories from my days on the USS U.S. Grant SSBN 631.

Unveiling the hidden side of the cold war

A hard book to put down. Extremely well researched view of sub duties from both sides. The most in-depth look at Soviet life and duties of submariners I've read yet.

NUCLEAR STRIKE SUBS: STALKING THE U.S.S.R. FROM UNDER THE SEAS.

Five COMPELLING Stars! In "Stalking the Red Bear", author Peter Sasgen investigates highly-classified U.S. Navy nuclear attack submarine operations that were conducted under the code name "Holystone", which according to the author encompassed clandestine Navy "covert submarine espionage operations against the Soviet Union". It began in the late 1940's and continued through the remainder of the Cold War and beyond. But this book is not a work of documented history, although it addresses incidents like the "Thresher" and the "Scorpion": it takes the reader on a fascinating, sometimes hair-raising journey made up of reconstructed operations, procedures, scenes, and conversations based on unlimited, unclassified access by the author to an actual 'Holystone' attack submarine commander: the payoff is that the reader follows a notional crew on a step-by-step spine-tingling deployment to the Barents Sea. it's a risky literary approach for a real-world book, but as one gets caught up in the undersea action, it works. A prodigious amount of information, 'word pictures', and history is imparted to the reader using this convention. Antisubmarine warfare (ASW) and intelligence gathering are major parts of thls book, but the hardships, tenacity, and dedication of the heroic 'submariner' personnel and their families are the real story. The U.S.S.R. once threatened to "bury" America, this book shows how seriously we took the threat of all-out war and how our un-trackable nuclear subs were the hammer the Soviets feared most of all. You may never forget the experiences of the pseudonymous "Captain Roy Hunter" and the "USS Blackfin". And do read the appendices which are loaded with anecdotes, such as some of the heroic exploits of "Lucky" Fluckey and Street, both Congressional Medal of Honor winners: well worth the time. My Highest Recommendation. Five HUGE Stars! (This review is based on a Kindle download.)