Big Red : Three Months on Board a Trident Nuclear Submarine

John Dalton

This is a very exciting, very authentic and very realistic book.

John H. Dalton

This is a very exciting, very authentic, and very realistic. As a former submariner, I consider it a must read.

Jonathan Mostow

Submariners are a special breed. Because they serve their country in a shroud of secrecy, they often fail to get the recognition they deserve. Big Red gives us an astonishing peek inside the daily life of a submarine and a portrait of the men who make heartbreaking personal sacrifices in order to serve their country. Reading it, one can only develop awe and admiration for the men of the 'Silent Service.'

Proceedings

Waller... has given us the most comprehensive look yet inside of a ballistic missile submarine(SSBN... His highly graphic descriptions bring the crew and the submarine to life... Big Red is a great read.

Richard P. Henrick

Douglas Waller has done it again! In this real-life version of Crimson Tide, America's best military journalist takes us on an unforgettable patrol to meet the men responsible for the U.S. Navy's ultimate deterrent force. Packed with both personal and technical details, if you want to learn anymore about the world's most awesome weapons platform, you'll have to join the Navy!

Sherry Sontag

Surprise nuclear war launched from the sea remains the horrific threat of a next World War. Blind Man's Bluff uncovered the men and spy missions designed to do anything to prevent that. Big Red is a deployment with the men who trudge over missile bay doors on their way to work, and who sleep yards away from the warheads they must be ready to fire should the unthinkable ever happen.

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

The first reporter granted an extended stay aboard a Trident nuclear sub (which has 24 multiple-tipped missiles as its strike force), veteran Time diplomatic correspondent Waller (The Commandos; etc.) brings the reader into the exclusive submariners' club as he details USS Nebraska's weapons, propulsion, communications and on-board electronic gadgets--as well as the lives and careers of the crew. Most of the book focuses on a patrol that began in May 1999, when the "Blue Crew" boarded the USS Nebraska and headed to sea. Everyday events ensue: a near-collision with a buoy, a seaman with an attack of appendicitis, simulated war games with other subs and planes, along with drills designed to keep the crew sharp and test its mettle. Waller closely examines the elaborate safeguards against a spurious nuclear launch, and, less gravely, delves into the sub's relentlessly miniaturized kitchen and meal preparation. Less action-oriented readers will be engrossed by the backstories of the men who pilot her and the intricacies of their interactions with each other in such close quarters. Captain Dave Volonino comes off as a formidable, fiercely and generously intelligent figure, while the 106 officers and seamen interviewed over the three months by Waller show remarkable depth of character. While the sub only "pretend[s] to go to nuclear war," Waller perfectly dramatizes the perils even a routine steer through Connecticut waters can bring and the second-by-second adjustments captain and crew must make. 16-page photo insert not seen by PW. (Mar. 10) Forecast: While many readers won't recognize Waller's name, the idea of three months on a Trident will appeal to (male) readers of all stripes. But the lack of a broadly compelling story beyond the unprecedented access will keep this meticulous chronicle from Red October-like numbers. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

Time correspondent Waller spent three months aboard the USS Nebraska, which is fitted with the Trident II D-5 missile system and homeported at Kings Bay, GA. It is the most modern and survivable deterrent in the world. The author (The Commandos: The Inside Story of America's Secret Soldiers and Air Warriors: The Inside Story of the Making of a Navy Pilot) again uses the "inside story" technique effectively in describing the mission and the men aboard a nuclear submarine. This is a daily account of how a crew of 160 men charged with 24 strategic missiles cooperates and performs its mission. It is also a human story with numerous anecdotes about the submariners, who train for a war they hope will never come. Aboard the Nebraska, the crew takes a "grim pride in the fact [that] it is the sixth-largest nuclear power in the world." With this informative and readable story, Waller provides an eye-opening look into the top-secret world of nuclear submarines. Worthwhile reading for all public, academic, and special collections.--David Alperstein, Queens Borough P.L., Jamaica, NY Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

A correspondent for Time magazine depicts a US nuclear sub and the demands made on its crew in such detail that the enemy (whoever that might be) could use it for a blueprint. Waller (Air Warriors, 1998, etc.) patrolled the Atlantic for three months aboard the Trident submarine Nebraska (hence the nickname Big Red) with a crew ready on command to launch nuclear missiles against an unknown enemy. (China? North Korea? Iran?) Although critical details have presumably been omitted, Waller pinpoints even such strategic particulars as the location of the hot keys for a missile launch. Along with specifics of command and control centers are vignettes of the crew, from the captain to the lowliest maintenance man. (There are no women on submarines.) Crew members are locked in this mammoth tube underwater for as long as three months at a time, but life aboard is anything but a waiting game. Constant drills keep the crew on alert; they range from locating a leaking pipe or subduing a (pretend) psychopath to revving up for an actual missile launch, and some require that personnel go for days with little or no sleep. Tensions are relieved with movies, games, practical jokes, food, and a halfway party on the 39th day that features videos from wives and children. Waller also examines the motives and the morale of the men aboard, some driven by patriotism, others by the opportunity to have the Navy pay for a college education or to extend their experience with state-of-the-art technology. Some scenes are delicately moving, as when sonar operators capture the sounds of dolphins playing nearby; others, like the launch drill, capture the pressure and anxiety as the crew prepares—on ordersfromthecommander-in-chief—to push the button. Military buffs and would-be submariners will thrill with patriotic pride; others may wonder—as do some of the crew—is this trip necessary?