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Fatal Dive: Solving the World War II Mystery of the USS Grunion Hardcover – July 30, 2012

by Peter F. Stevens (Author)

4.5 125 ratings

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Fatal Dive: Solving the World War II Mystery of the USS Grunion by Peter F. Stevens reveals the incredible true story of the search for and discovery of the USS Grunion. Discovered in 2006 after a decades-long, high-risk search by the Abele brothers—whose father commanded the submarine and met his untimely death aboard it—one question remained: what sank the USS Grunion? Was it a round from a Japanese ship, a catastrophic mechanical failure, or something else—one of the sub’s own torpedoes? For almost half the war, submarine skippers’ complaints about the MK 14 torpedo’s dangerous flaws were ignored by naval brass, who sent the subs out with the defective weapon. Fatal Dive is the first book that documents the entire saga of the ship and its crew and provides compelling evidence that the Grunion was a victim of “The Great Torpedo Scandal of 1941-43.” Fatal Dive finally lays to rest one of World War II’s greatest mysteries.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

LOST WITHOUT A TRACE

On July 31, 1942, the Naval submarine USS Grunion, along with her seventy-man crew, vanished without a trace in the icy waters off Kiska in the Aleutian Islands. For decades, the U.S. Navy was unable to reveal further information about the sub's fate--it had simply vanished. But Commander Jim Abele's family never gave up their quest to discover the truth. They repeatedly applied to the Navy, corresponded with the families of crew members, consulted with Japanese sources, and finally undertook the quixotic task of locating the Grunion herself. More than six decades after the submarine's loss, Jim Abele's three sons astonished the experts by locating the lost submarine 3,000 feet below the surface of one of the world's most dangerous bodies of water.

But the question remained: What sank the Grunion?

In this explosive new account of the search for the Grunion, author Peter F. Stevens draws on the experiences and the exhaustive research of Bruce, Brad, John, and Susan Abele and Mary and Richard Bentz to provide a cliffhanging account of the submarine's loss, of its improbable discovery more than half a century later, and ultimately of the Abeles' final quest--to establish how the Grunion was lost. Using obscure government documents and eyewitness accounts from Japanese naval officers who were the last to see the Grunion, Stevens lays out the compelling case that the true reason for sinking may well have been too embarrassing for the Navy to reveal.

From the Back Cover

Peter Stevens unreels a fascinating piece of nautical history. This real-life drama of war, suspense, and human achievement in the face of frightful odds is mesmerizing from start to finish. A book for all.
LIEUTENANT GENERAL DAVE PALMER (RETIRED),
author of George Washington and Benedict Arnold and George Washington s Military Genius

A thriller that plows forward with the unrelenting intensity of a World War II submarine hunting down an enemy cruiser, but this tale is powered by the devotion of three faithful sons desperately searching for their father, Lieutenant Commander Jim Abeleand to solve the fate of his crew, the men of the USS Grunion. A masterful mystery that is truly a love story disguised as a war story.
MICHAEL KEANE, author of Patton: Blood, Guts, and Prayer

"A fascinating account of how a brave man s loyal sons discovered that a stateside design flaw had doomed him and his crew. Touching and eloquent.
JOHN KOSTER, author of Operation Snow: How a Soviet Mole in FDR s White House Triggered Pearl Harbor

Suspensefula chilling conclusion.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
"

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Regnery History; First Edition (July 30, 2012)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1596987677
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1596987678
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.12 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.9 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #2,088,557 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #4,832 in Naval Military History
- #18,081 in American Military History
- #19,297 in World War II History (Books)

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4.5 125 ratings

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Peter F. Stevens

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Peter F. Stevens, New York Times bestselling author and news and features editor of Boston Irish Magazine, is a veteran journalist with a specialty in historical writing. His work has been syndicated by the New York Times and has been published in dozens of magazines and newspapers.

Stevens has published fourteen books and is also a two-time winner of the International Regional Magazine Association’s Gold Medal for Feature Writing. His award-winning book The Voyage of the Catalpa: A Perilous Journey and Six Irish Rebels’ Escape to Freedom was also the chief historical resource for the PBS documentary “Irish Escape.”

Publishers Weekly raved that in The Voyage of the Catalpa “…truth may routinely be stranger than fiction, but seldom is it as suspenseful as this story of the 1876 rescue of six Irish rebels from Britain's infamous prison colony in Fremantle, Australia, by the American whaling ship Catalpa.”

Stevens lives in Boston, Massachusetts.

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Michael T Kennedy

A griping tale of a search for a lost submarine

Reviewed in the United States on September 1, 2013

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This book is well written and an engrossing story. The Grunion was one of the early fleet subs and was lost in 1942 under mysterious circumstances. The Navy has never been very forthcoming about what happened. There are several negative reviews by men who were apparently aboard for part of the search and who appear to be miffed at the author's failure to credit them. I have no way to know the truth of their complaints but they seem to be limited to the first year voyage when sonar was used to search. The second year used an underwater vehicle which got many hours of video and many still photos identifying the sub as one they were seeking.

As far as the theory of a circular torpedo run, these have been documented, even with photos. The failure of the Mar XIV torpedo is STILL not acknowledged by official Navy sources so the secrecy described in the book is totally plausible to me. For those who want more about the torpedo failures, read Iron Men and Tin Fish: The Race to Build a Better Torpedo During World War II which is referenced in the book. The same failures of the Torpedo Station's products have been documented in books about the torpedo bombers at Midway, such as The Unknown Battle of Midway: The Destruction of the American Torpedo Squadrons (Yale Library of Military History) . The facts are there and can be easily found. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and doubt the validity of the negative reviews.

4 people found this helpful

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Laura Tasse

USS Grunion - Mystery Solved

Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2013

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As the granddaughter of one of the crew members, I purchased this book for my mother as a gift. She never knew her father who was one of the seventy brave men who lost their lives on board the USS Grunion. I started with a sneak peak and couldn't resist reading the entire book prior to giving it to her! The Fatal Dive brought to life the courageous and intriguing story of the disappearance of these men and their vessel. In particular, it was comforting to read that they perished quickly and without pain. I am deeply grateful for the book which was the culmination of years of research and efforts undergone by the Abele family in searching for the USS Grunion. I just wish my grandmother lived long enough to read the story of how the mysterious disappearance of her beloved husband and the other crew members was solved. A great book for those who love mystery, military, and heroism.

3 people found this helpful

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Kindle Customer

Interesting story

Reviewed in the United States on October 29, 2019

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Interesting story of a submarine lost in WWII. What was the Navy hiding about sinking? Was it a defective Torpedo? Was it friendly fire?

One person found this helpful

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submariner

This book is 6 stars not 5!!!

Reviewed in the United States on December 2, 2013

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This is truly one of the greatest submarine factoral books I have ever read. If you liked Bob Ballard & the finding of the Titanic you will absolutely love this hunt by the sons of Lt. Commander Jim Abele the man every submariner wanted to serve under disappeared without a trace when the submarine USS Grunion went down with all hands in some of the most dangerous seas on earth. The Aleutians. On her FIRST war patrol. Ballard told the Abele brothers that their obsessive search for their fathers ill fated sub might be fruitless. Nevertheless he lended his expert support by E-mail. The Navy was less accommodating which is most unusual. In the end it was information from the Japanese Yutaka Iwasaki who gave the brothers the 2 key clues for discovering the Grunion. This book includes some fantastic pictures of Grunion as she lies over 3,000 feet beneath the sea.

7 people found this helpful

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Wm Ricketts

A story that had to be told!

Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2021

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This book is a gripping story about a Crew of men who gave their lives for this country. Its a story I didn't know until I found the book and the audible book. I'm honored to know the story of Grunion and her 70 Men who served on board her. God Bless them and their families!

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The Economist

The bravery and dedication of the submariners is equaled only by the short-sightedness of the Generals!

Reviewed in the United States on January 12, 2013

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A fine book. Gives truth to the quote attributed to Rumsfeld: "A nation goes to war with the weapons it has, not with the weapons it would like to have." Showed me a part of WWII that has been neglected. Would have liked to have a little more insight to conditions aboard the sub - but that was not the purpose. This is not "Run Silent, Run Deep". This is how dangerous real submarine warfare actually was in the cold waters off Alaska. And how a Navy bureacracy needlessly kept 70 families in ignorance and suspense for 65 years.

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GW

A heart-breaking, yet at the same time, a heart-warming WWII story.

Reviewed in the United States on November 10, 2016

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This is a heart-breaking story in that it reveals the government cover-up of faulty torpedoes early in WWII, that led to the deaths of many submariners, including the men in this submarine.It is also a heart-warming story of the sons of a Captain of a great submarine that found this sunken boat and their father against impossible odds, and not only brought the to life the heroics of the crew, but brought closure to all the families of these men.

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sandy johanson

Another mystery solved

Reviewed in the United States on March 20, 2013

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I love reading this type of book . For so many years the Navy has kept secret what happened to the subs lost at sea. Finally we have people finding out what happened to them and writing about it. It helps us to understand what submariners go through. All the loved ones they leave behind is so tragic when they cannot get any answers.

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papa46

Five Stars

Reviewed in Canada on September 1, 2017

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good book

IWA

運命の潜航 − 父さん、僕らは来たよ

Reviewed in Japan on September 17, 2012

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　米国潜水艦グラニオン号は、１９４２年７月に、乗員70名と共に米アラスカ州アリューシャン列島で行方不明になった。
本書は、グラニオン号の、６４年後＝２００６年の再発見を書いた海洋ノンフィクションである。事実は小説より奇で、海洋ミステリーでもあり、読みごたえがある。グラニオン号行方不明のミステリーは、今から70年前、太平洋戦争中に発生し、忘れられていた。グラニオン号の発見で、ミステリーは一部解け、一部残り、また新たなものが付け加わった。
　日本との関わりはふたつある。
　ひとつは、グラニオン号の沈没地点を知らせたのは、日本の防衛省図書館の保管文書「海軍運送船鹿野丸戦闘報告書」だったこと。グラニオン号と最後に闘った鹿野丸監督官が、詳細な報告書を残していたのである。日米の激しい戦闘が知れる。
　もうひとつは、捜索活動の過程で、グラニオン号近傍に眠る日本軍艦の乗員の遺族とグラニオン号遺族の交流が生まれたことである。新聞報道を契機に、日米の家族が知り合い、ささやかに贈り物と便りを交換した。世代と言語を越えて、同じ戦場で戦った日米の家族が共感した。
著者は、米艦長家族の鏡像として、日本の駆潜艇27号家族の戦中戦後を、１章をあてて紹介している。
　著者ピート．スティーブンスは、本書を海洋ミステリーとして書いている。話の基本にあるのは、二世代にわたる家族の物語である。親子、兄弟、夫婦、恋人たち、おじおば。７０の家族にとって、グラニオン号は心残りで気がかりな謎だった。著者は、乗員家族の長年の想いを、直接の捜索者であるエイブリ三兄弟＝艦長の遺児に集約して書いている。　そして、全乗員、−よき父また10代、20代の若者 −、の横顔を本の付録としてつけた。
　本書の表の顔である、海洋ミステリーとしては、沈没海域と沈没地点を類推し、探査プロジェクトを進めていく過程がとても面白い。グラニオン号の捜索は、調査期間を含め、６年がかりだった。エイブリ３兄弟は４年の準備期間を経て、２回、調査隊をアラスカ州に送った。
　それは、2002年の偶然の出来事、コロラド州の骨董品店にあった鹿野丸の古い図面、を契機に始まった。小さなミステリーが、不思議な人の連鎖を作り出していき、わら山の中の針を捜すような、不可能に思えた事業を成功させた。
2006年のソナー（超音波探査機）による海底探査で、グラニオン号、駆逐艦霰（あられ）、駆潜艇25号、27号のソナー画像を得た。
2007年のROV（水中ロボット）探査で、グラニオン号は不思議と容易に詳細撮影でき、一方、日本艦は再発見できなかった。そのような探査隊の苦闘を、著者は臨場感をもって書いている。
　関係者が不思議に思う出来事がいくつもあり、ミステリーがまたミステリーを生んだ。第一回探査のソナー画像では、船体の長さが足りず、またその姿は水上艦である＝潜水艦ではないと意見する専門家もいた。　翌年、実際に撮影してみると、潜水艦には艦首部分がなく、水中にいたはずの船のハッチ（昇降口）が開いていた。鹿野丸戦闘報告書は、鹿野丸の砲撃がグラニオン号を撃沈したとしている。実際の潜水艦の破損状況は、違っていた。著者は、最終的に調査結果から類推される沈没原因を本書に詳述している。
　グラニオン号探査の何よりの驚きは、エイブリ兄弟が協力して個人で探査事業を立ち上げたことである。その辺の事情の記述も興味深い。
　グラニオン号調査隊は、エイブリ兄弟＝アマチュアの手作りの編成だった。エイブリ兄弟は、アメリカ東海岸ボストンの在住である。兄弟の前進の精神は、アメリカ人の開拓者精神、ミニットマン精神（独立戦争時の開拓民兵）を感じさせる。兄弟は、タイタニック号探査者バラード博士のコンサルティングを得て、一時は博士の海洋調査船をあてにしていた。しかしその海洋調査船は、バラード博士がナショナルジオグラフィック社の仕事を優先して、使うことができなくなった。アリューシャン海域は、世界屈指の荒天海域で、探索可能な期間は、夏の数週間に限られる。エイブリ兄弟には、時間の制約があった。二男のブラッドは進行性の難病にかかり、兄弟は３人そろって父を見つけたかった。
エイブリ兄弟は、また偶然知り合ったアラスカのカニ漁船オーナーの協力を得、彼の船を調査母船にした。カニ漁船アクィラ号オーナー兼船長、キャプテンケールは、アリューシャン海域を熟知し、船の操船のエキスパートだった。
ソナー探査の方は、民間の海洋探査会社に依頼した。探査チームリーダー、アート．ライトは、海軍の機雷掃海艇出身、湾岸戦争に従軍。アートは、遠隔地での不十分な機材での作戦に経験があった。
この二人の、海のエキスパートのチームワークができたことも、不思議な人の連鎖のひとつである。

　その他、海洋ノンフィクションとして、本書で読者は、海と自然について、親しく読むことができる。潮の香りを感じる本である。捜索海域のアリューシャン海域の厳しい海象の緊張感が行間に伝わる。アリューシャン列島は、現代においても辺境の自然豊かな秘境である。島々の自然は、今も昔も変わらない。読者は、訪れる人も稀なアリューシャンの島を身近く感じるだろう。海と船、船をめぐる無名の人々の生活についても、本書でよく伝わると思う。

　また、海洋技術の紹介も興味深い。ソナー探査、ＲＯＶ（水中ロボット）など、最新の海洋探査技術の実際について知ることができる。これらの技術は、タイタニック号の発見に見られるよう、年々進歩発展している。本書は、科学技術と人の想いが、感動の物語を生んだことを伝える。

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Fatal Dive: Solving the World War II Mystery of the USS Grunion Hardcover – July 30, 2012

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