The Greatest Submarine Rescue in History - The Terrible Hours

Maas provided a riveting read and a naval history lesson. Swede Momsen was truly a hero. The book is a tribute to his character and dedication to his work. The difficulty of raising Squalus while solving technical problems and performing scientific research critical to your mission at the same is so daunting that most men would have thought it impossible at the outset. Even today the task would be a near impossibility. I agree with other reviewers that illustrations and/or diagrams of the submarine, rescue operation, and diving apparatus would have been very helpful to the average reader. As an ex-submariner, I could easily visualize all of descriptions of scenes Maas recounted, but I can easily see how other readers less familiar with submarines could have difficulty with visualizing the predicament of the Squalus crew, their brave rescuers, and the extreme danger inherent in the entire operation. Well done, Mr. Maas. Now carry on with an illustrated edition.

The Terrible Hours by Peter Mass portrays the sinking, rescue and raising of the Squalus, a United States navy submarine. The novel is mostly told through the eyes of the sunken submariners and Charles "Swede" Momsen who is one of the greatest unsung heroes of military history. Its thrilling plot and exquisite details capture the danger, suspense and horror of the hours spent by the crew. Sitting at the bottom of the ocean, they waited for Swede to implement his prototypes for rescuing the divers. Trying out these untested devices come with many hazards; unforeseen problems hamper the rescue efforts and push the sunken submariners to the edge of their lives. The plot and style of the novel make it the most suspenseful non-fiction novel ever created. The story, which is told through the eyes of many characters, moves along at a grueling pace and never lets you set the book down.

However, apart from the gripping plot and details, the novel lacks the ability to create full and complete characters and often slips away from the main purpose of the story into excess facts and useless details. In addition, The Terrible Hours, at times, reads almost like an encyclopedia, emotionlessly listing out facts and statistical data for no apparent reason. Peter Maas commonly adds too much information, that can take away from the plot.

If you can weed through the weaker aspects of the novel and realize the captivatingly suspenseful plot laid out by Mass, the Terrible Hours is definitely worth reading for anyone interested in the navy, submarines, or simple action and excitement.

An excellent account of the incident. This book would have greatly benefitted from diagrams and/or pictures. If you are not familiar with submarine lingo and technology, it is an incomplete picture. Especially the last chapter regarding the salvage of the submarine. However the development of the rescue techiniques was fascinating and very inspiring. Thank God for men like Swede.

This is probably the most suspence riddled book I have ever read. From beginning to end, it was hard to put down. It put you first in the sub. when it is going down. Then the suspence of the rescue is breath taking. All the way through the book,I had a hard time finding a place to stop so I could go to sleep at night. I strongly recommend this book.
Roadrunner 6 Out

Peter Maas has turned out a real page turner! The story of Swede Momsen and his rescue of the crew of the Squalus was expertly told and a tribute to the stoical and heroic character of submarine crews and the dogged determination in the face of official indifference of Swede Momsen. I am sorry the editors did not think to add a diagram of the layout of the Squalus so I could more easily visualize the frantic efforts of the crew to save their boat. Aside from that, it is well worth the read.

Reading this book in the aftermath of the Russian Submarine Kursk disaster really gave me the chills. The author does a great job explaining how horrible the conditions are when you're sitting hundreds of feet down on the ocean floor in a dead submarine hoping that someone on the surface can find and rescue you before your oxygen runs out or you freeze to death.
The book really shows how a few ingenious American heroes overcame huge obstacles and saved the lives of sailors who surely would have perished if it were not for their quick thinking.
I really enjoyed reading this book and would highly recommend it to anyone who is as interested US Submarine history.

The story is great, but the narrator of the unabridged audio is not. His misplaced emphasis and intonation are very distracting -- instead of listening to the story, I keep noticing the poor narration.
This is a dense enough story, with many characters, that it would have been a little difficult to listen to anyway. But of the 15-20 audiobooks I've listened to, this had the worst narrator.

A real page turner. Content of this story made me believe that there are still true American heroes, and "Swede" Momson was one of them. The story is written as though you very much cared and knew the men trapped on that sub. I felt with Maas' descriptions, that I was actually in the sub suffering the cold and horror that the men endured during their entrapment. I highly recommend this book as it is a true story and the writing is as excellent as it is fast paced and descriptive.

The tapes are a spellbindingly written and narrated. They demand your attention and will have you at the edge of your seat for hours.
This gripping story sent me searching for other material about "swede" Momsen and the sub. Squalus. Like so many good yarns, Maas's narrative is more fascinating than written history.
Maas's Momsen, portrayed as an underwater genius, a man of umitigated courage and heroism, and father of modern nuclear subs., was eventually posted to the Naval Postal Service(Huh?).

The Terrible Hours is a great read. It keeps you interested and glued to its pages. I too look forward to seeing Sean Connery as Momsen in the movie. If you liked "The Hunt for Red October" you will be entranced by this adventure.

A yeoman manning the earhones in the control room of the submarine USS Squalus hears the sound of death, "The engine rooms are flooding". The Squalus then plunged into the black depths of the North Atlantic. Lt. Commander Charles "Swede" Momsen was summoned to help with the rescue. This book is about the determination of this one man who engineered the greatest submarine rescue in history.

A great book which shows not only that "Swede" Momsen was a hero, but that the majority of ordinary people can respond in extraordinary fashion when the situation requires it. Read this book and ask yourself if you would have responded as well. The book was a quick read and well written. I really liked the style of writing. Real life is often more exciting than fiction, isn't it.

A Separate Peace is an amazing book, which explores the innermost thoughts of mankind. There is rarely a dull moment in the book. The author does an excellent job of creating a closeness with the reader and the characters. This book has many symbols in it. A Separate Peace teaches great life long lessons. Its main purpose is to show that every person fight a war within themselves and they spend their lives defending themselves against this inner enemy. These inner changes take place regardless of what is happening in the world. I would highly reccomend this book to all teenagers, but guys specifically.

This is a well-written and researched book that keeps the reader on the edge of his/her seat. It's only flaw is that the author did not include any pictures or diagrams in the book, so that it is bit hard to understand what the various rescue ships, people and (most importantly) technology looks like, as well as where the various compartments of the sub are. Overall, an excellent summer read!

I am a freshman at a highschool in Littleton, CO. I have just recently finished this book and thought that it was beutifully written. It talks about Swede Momsen and his ideas with the diving bell and the Momsen Lung. Swede's supperiors always put down his ideas, but he someohow got what he wanted. It is also about a submarine captain and his crew. I'm not going to give anymore away so....

A great story that deserves to be told, but unfortunately this is almost a word-for-word copy of Maas's first book The Rescuer. At least that one had pictures of the S-4, S-51 and Squalus operations.

I share the positive comments of many of the other reviewers. I would add that as a diver, I found the early history of the oxygen/helium/nitrogen problem enlightening. However, the references to parts of the submarine, while necessary, are confusing. Overall a good read but the absence of sketches and pictures is a major oversight.

The Terrible Hours enthralls from the beginning. I find Charles Momsen's story to be one of a true hero, perserving because he knew it could be done, and because it had to be done. Peter Maas narrative kept the pages turning and transported me both back in time and to the depths of the Atlantic. I was glad my flight was delayed for 2 hours, so I could keep reading! A great story.

Excellent read. While this story is centered around a dramatic submarine rescue, the first of its kind, it's also about answering challenges and beating back the adversity that comes with them. Momsen's perseverance more than 60 years ago has saved countless lives since. He is a true hero. It amazes me that he is not a better known figure in American history.

This book is expertly written by a very popular author and contains every emotion you can imagine. It's a true life story of a dangerous rescue at sea set off the New England coast. It's hard to put this book down. It's as exciting as the most well written mystery. It's truly one you will remember.

Absolutely fascinating! I could not leave this story alone until I was finished. The story almost seems to be fictionalized because the events are so simply unbelieveable. This is a great book for anyone who wants to know what it feels like to be in a submarine.

This book keeps you entertained from the beginning to the end. It describes the details of an underwater rescue of a submarine in 200 feet of water,when such a task was unheard of, and the findings by the US Navy for the causes of the incident.

The Terrible Hours by Peter Mass portrays the sinking, rescue and raising of the Squalus, a United States navy submarine. The novel is mostly told through the eyes of the sunken submariners and Charles "Swede" Momsen who is one of the greatest unsung heroes of military history. Its thrilling plot and exquisite details capture the danger, suspense and horror of the hours spent by the crew. Sitting at the bottom of the ocean, they waited for Swede to implement his prototypes for rescuing the divers. Trying out these untested devices come with many hazards; unforeseen problems hamper the rescue efforts and push the sunken submariners to the edge of their lives. The plot and style of the novel make it the most suspenseful non-fiction novel ever created. The story, which is told through the eyes of many characters, moves along at a grueling pace and never lets you set the book down.

However, apart from the gripping plot and details, the novel lacks the ability to create full and complete characters and often slips away from the main purpose of the story into excess facts and useless details. In addition, The Terrible Hours, at times, reads almost like an encyclopedia, emotionlessly listing out facts and statistical data for no apparent reason. Peter Maas commonly adds too much information, that can take away from the plot.

If you can weed through the weaker aspects of the novel and realize the captivatingly suspenseful plot laid out by Mass, the Terrible Hours is definitely worth reading for anyone interested in the navy, submarines, or simple action and excitement.

I was interested to learn about this true story but couldn't make it past the third chapter. The writing was terrible, or perhaps it was the editing that was at fault. Regardless, this was very poorly done. I'm sorry to say it, but it's so.