Silent Steel: The Mysterious Death of the Nuclear Attack Sub USS Scorpion | 
 enlarge | Author: Stephen Johnson
Publisher: Wiley
Category: Book
List Price: $25.95
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Avg. Customer Rating:  28 reviews
Sales Rank: 147159
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 304
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.2
ISBN: 0471267376
Dewey Decimal Number: 359.93834
EAN: 9780471267379
ASIN: 0471267376
Publication Date: January 6, 2006
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Product Description
Praise for Silent Steel
"The magnitude of the tragedy of the USS Scorpion is matched only by the depth of the mystery surrounding her loss. Stephen Johnson has done a remarkable job of shining new light on this dark moment in U.S. submarine history."
--Sherry Sontag, coauthor of Blind Man's Bluff: The Untold Story of American Submarine Espionage
"What happened to the USS Scorpion? The question has vexed submariners for almost four decades. Now, with meticulous research and incredible attention to detail, Stephen Johnson examines and dissects one of the most tragic and mysterious submarine accidents in U.S. Navy history."
--Douglas Waller, author of Big Red: Inside the Secret World of a Trident Nuclear Submarine
"Stephen Johnson has crafted a forensic masterpiece that leads the reader back through time to unravel the gnawing enigma of the tragic 1968 loss of the nuclear attack submarine USS Scorpion. Sifting through a maze of conflicting theories, he meticulously lays out a tale of undersea detectives searching for conclusive evidence to one of the most baffling mysteries of the cruel sea."
--Rear Admiral Thomas Evans, author, analyst specializing in submarine history and operations, and former officer on the Scorpion
"The manuscript arrived with yesterday's afternoon mail. I finished reading it by nightfall. It's that good! Thoroughly researched, impeccably documented, with an appealing and literate style, Silent Steel should become essential reading for submarine enthusiasts and for anyone else who enjoys an engaging and informative yarn."
--A. J. Hill, author of Under Pressure: The Final Voyage of Submarine S-Five
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| Customer Reviews: Read 23 more reviews...
 Outstanding! August 15, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I just finished this book, and found it outstanding. The book was well researched and documented (bibliography alone was 34 pages!).
Well done to Mr. Johnson for an excellent recap of the Scorpion disaster and the ensuing attempts to determine the cause of the boat's (and crew's) demise.
As a former submarine sailor (1976-1988), I was especially interested in this book, and certainly didn't expect to find "the" answer, however, having heard the conventional wisdom from back in my Sub School days, I know feel that I have a better understanding of what may have caused the boat to go down. In my own opinion, the boat was lost due to multiple scenarios that quickly overwhelmed the crew. Submarining is a very dangerous, and very unforgiving business. May God rest the souls of those sailors, and give peace to their families.
Again, well done to Mr. Johnson!
Silent Steel Not So Silent Any More April 13, 2008
I used to be a torpedo "cook-off" believer,however without advocating one way or the other, the author has convinced me she just lost depth control and imploded, just like Thresher, but we will never probably know how she lost depth control. There are still aspects of Soviet involvement I am bothered by from Ed Offley's theory and that is namely the John Walker/USS Pueblo tie where it is quite possible the Russians knew of Scorpion's final assignment on the way home. This would have given them everything they needed to ambush here which is the only way a Russian could have got one of our boats in my view. Our quieting was so much better. But explosive experts who studied the many pictures doubt this, so I would have to go along with them. The other aspect is what a Russian Admiral told Peter Hucthausen who wrote October Fury about the 4 Russian submarines in Cuban Missile Crises--the Russian Admiral told him words to the affect, "There are two things your side and mine have agreed to and that is not talking about K-129 and Scorpion." That was all that was said.
 Silent Steel April 5, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
Too much detail, almost an analysis. i'm an avid fan of Submarine reads but this just didnt satisfy my inner desires. Well written however.
"Those on Eternal Patrol" April 4, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
"Silent Steel" by Stephen Johnson is a real "eye-opener" and superb postmortum inspection of the tragic loss of the U.S.S. Scorpion in 1968.
Johnson examines all of the best available clues and gives the reader a good overall picture of the depleted nuclear submarine force of the late 60's and early 70's. Not only does he expose the shoddy workmanship of the Naval yards, but the inner-political squabbling between various factions of the Navy as each "crayfished" it's way out responsibility into
pure apathy. Admiral Rickover's response when advised of the Scorpion's loss;..."accidents happen."
The road to all investigations seems only to lead into more questions than answers, and this was no exception. We will never know "for-sure" what killed the Scorpion, but Johnson's book gives the reader a reasonable
and realistic possibility.
Johnson is a very good writer, but his most powerful writting comes in the last page (Epilogue) of the book. No matter what the reason for the actual sinking...his words epitimize the reality of any tragic event.
From the "CSN Hunley" to the "Kursk", and all of those in-between on Eternal Patrol...I salute you and the families you left behind.
First-Rate Cover Story Great Human Interest, Service Loyalty February 6, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
EDIT of 9 Feb 09: There is evidently a very strong community of submariners, mostly officers, none of whom were in service at the time the incident happened, most of whom have little intelligence experience and very small libraries, who feel they and only they are qualified to judget between the two books. My two reviews stand. Normal people will find the other book much better in terms of trying to get to a reasonable semblance of the truth. Better yet, skip both books and go right to those I list below.
This a superb individual effort using normally available materials. It fully merits five stars because it can be bought and read simultaneously with Scorpion Down: Sunk by the Soviets, Buried by the Pentagon: The Untold Story of the USS Scorpion, which leverages Freedom of Information demands, direct invesdtigative journalism (HUMINT), and the end of the Cold War which produced a treasure trove of valuable primary materials. If you buy only one book, buy the other one but I find reading books in twos and threes is more interesting.
See for context, other reviews and if attractive, the books also:
The Rules of the Game: Jutland and British Naval Command
Very Special Intelligence: The Story of the Admiralty's Operational Intelligence Centre 1939-1945
Lost History: Contras, Cocaine, the Press & 'Project Truth'
The Age of Missing Information (Plume)
Fog Facts: Searching for Truth in the Land of Spin
Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA
Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media
The Pathology of Power - A Challenge to Human Freedom and Safety
The Sorrows of Empire: Militarism, Secrecy, and the End of the Republic (The American Empire Project)
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