Unknown Waters: A First-Hand Account of the Historic Under-ice Survey of the Siberian Continental Shelf by USS Queenfish (SSN-651) [Hardcover]

Dr. Alfred S. McLaren (Author), William R. Anderson (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 25, 2008

Charting the Siberian continental shelf during the height of the Cold War

This book tells the story of the brave officers and men of the nuclear attack submarine USS Queenfish (SSN-651), who made the first survey of an extremely important and remote region of the Artic Ocean. The unpredictability of deep-draft sea ice, shallow water, and possible Soviet discovery, all played a dramatic part in this fascinating 1970 voyage.

 

Covering 3100 miles over a period of some 20 days at a laborious average speed of 6.5 knots or less, the attack submarine carefully threaded its way through innumerable underwater canyons of ice and over irregular seafloors, at one point becoming entrapped in an "ice garage." Only cool thinking and skillful maneuvering of the nearly 5,000-ton vessel enabled a successful exit. The most hazardous phase of the journey began 240 nautical miles south of the North Pole with a detailed hydrographic survey of an almost totally uncharted Siberian shelf, from the northwestern corner of the heavily glaciated Severnaya Zemlya Archipelago to the Bering Strait via the shallow, thickly-ice-covered Laptev, East Siberian, and Chukchi seas.

 

The skipper of the Queenfish had been trained and selected by Admiral Hyman Rickover and, inspired by this polar experience, McLaren became one of the world’s foremost Arctic scientists, studying first at Cambridge University and then obtaining his doctorate in physical geography of the Polar Regions from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Dr. Fred McLaren, former submarine commander and prominent arctic expert, combines a rigorous operational background with extensive academic training to tell us about the early pioneering days in the Arctic Ocean when the Cold War made certain far north research difficult. A four year former President of the Explorers Club, he has achieved an international reputation in Arctic research.   It is indeed rare to find a first hand accounting of this work written by a 'dreamer' and 'doer'.   Highly recommended reading about a little-known chapter of US explorations of the far north.”

-Don Walsh, International Maritime Inc.

 

 “Unknown Waters, the story of the hazardous exploration by the USS Queenfish, is a splendid adventure. Captain McLaren’s spellbinding account of his unparalleled voyage into the unknown beneath the ice off Siberia constitutes a treasure house of knowledge never before conceived of a dark and forbidding part of the globe. Audacious as well as entertaining!”

-Clive Cussler, Chairman, National Underwater & Marine Agency

“Captain McLaren, a highly decorated submarine officer and one of the world’s foremost Arctic scientists, has written a riveting account of the first hydrographic survey of the Soviet Union’s Siberian coastline by a nuclear submarine. Unknown Waters is a valuable addition to the history of arctic operations by United States submarines describing hazardous operations in shallow, ice-covered waters with irregular bottoms and deep ice drafts. Dr. McLaren skillfully weaves into the exciting operations an interesting description of the seas and islands north of Siberia including early explorations of this Northern Sea Route so important to Russia.”

-VADM. John H. Nicholson, USN (Ret.), commanding officer, USS Sargo (SSN-583)

About the Author

Alfred S. McLaren is a retired U.S. Navy Captain, recipient of the Distinguished Service Medal and two Legions of Merit, President Emeritus of The Explorers Club, Senior Pilot of the SAS Aviator submersible, and Director of Sub Aviator Systems, Redondo Beach, California. He and his wife reside in the mountains above Boulder, Colorado.

 

William R. Anderson was skipper of USS Nautilus (SSN-571) during that vessel’s 1958 achievement of the North Pole and historic Pacific to Atlantic crossing of the Arctic Ocean. He was subsequently awarded the Legion of Merit by President Eisenhower and, following his retirement from the Navy, elected to the U.S. Congress from Tennessee for four terms. He died in 2007 and was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 242 pages
• Publisher: University Alabama Press; 1 edition (January 25, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0817316027
• ISBN-13: 978-0817316020
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #845,726 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #26 in Books > Science & Math > Nature & Ecology > Oceans & Seas > Coral Reefs

More About the Author

Captain Alfred Scott McLaren, USN (Ret.), Ph.D. is a lecturer, writer, deep sea explorer, and research scientist. His area of scientific research is the role of the Polar Regions in global climate change. He is the author of over 50 research papers in scientific professional journals. He is also Director of Sub Aviator Systems LLC (www.subaviators.com) and Senior Pilot of their revolutionary new submersible the Super Aviator. He is a Director of the Institute of Nautical Archaeology at Texas A&M and President Emeritus of The Explorers Club, founded in 1904 to promote scientific exploration and field research. He is also a Director Emeritus of the Lindbergh Founsation. A former research and teaching professor at the University of Colorado, the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University, and publisher of the weekly magazine Science News, he received his Ph.D. in Physical Geography of the Polar Regions from the University of Colorado, an M.Phil. in Polar Studies from Cambridge University (Peterhouse), England, and a M.S. in International Affairs from George Washington University.

A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and the U.S. Naval War College, Captain McLaren was among the first 100 selected by Admiral H.G. Rickover to receive nuclear power training. As a naval officer, Captain McLaren made three Arctic expeditions on nuclear attack submarines, one on board USS Seadragon (SSN-584) during the first submerged transit of the Northwest Passage; two others were on USS Queenfish (SSN-651): a Davis Strait/Baffin Bay expedition and a North Pole expedition that included the first survey under ice of the entire Siberian Continental Shelf (5,200 km). He commanded Queenfish during the latter expedition and for a total of four years. He was subsequently honored in 1983, with the Societe de Geographic Paris' Silver Medal for Polar Exploration and La Medaille de La Ville De Paris (Echelon Argent). He is a veteran of more than 20 Cold War submarine operations. His awards, as a Cold War submarine captain, include the Distinguished Service Medal, the nation's highest peacetime award; two Legions of Merit and four Navy Unit Citations. Currently a deep sea explorer and scientist, Captain McLaren completed lengthy dives using the Russian deep-diving MIR submersibles to: R.M.S. Titanic in 1999 and 2003, the Rainbow Hydrothermal Vents along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge in 1999, and during June 2001; one of the first manned dives to the wreck of the German battleship Bismarck at a depth of 4,750 meters beneath the sea. He returned to Bismarck in early August 2002 to make a second dive and participate in a comprehensive high definition (HD) filming of the wreck site. In February 2003, he became the first deep-sea explorer to be licensed as a "Pilot in Command" of famed designer and builder Graham Hawkes' new high performance submersible Deep Flight Aviator, which is "flown" underwater like a fixed-wing aircraft. Captain McLaren is SCUBA qualified and an instrument-rated private pilot. He received The Explorers Club's Lowell Thomas Medal for Ocean Exploration in 2000. His first book, Unknown Waters, published by the University of Alabama Press in early 2008, is now in its third printing. It was recently named a "Notable Naval Book of 2008" by the U.S. Naval Institute. He is currently at work on a second book entitled "Tales of the Cold War.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Captain Fred McLaren's Well-Told Story, March 3, 2008

By 

Ken Wright "Ken Wright" (Denver, Colorado) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Unknown Waters: A First-Hand Account of the Historic Under-ice Survey of the Siberian Continental Shelf by USS Queenfish (SSN-651) (Hardcover)

Captain Fred McLaren's well-told story about cold war submarining in the 1960s, and through to the early 1970s, is a good read for armchair travelers, arctic explorers, and scientists. McLaren has provided lots of good photos that help humanize the book.

Unknown Waters provides a first-hand account of life and exploration in a nuclear submarine, the Queenfish, while it and its crew explored and mapped important and remote regions of the Arctic Ocean. The Arctic-Siberian Shelf Expedition of the 1970s represents the bulk of the story.

McLaren, using the first person, describes in fascinating detail how a giant nuclear attack submarine operates under thick polar ice and makes its way between icebergs that penetrate long distances below the surface.
Chapter 11 is of special interest to the layman; it includes the submarine surfacing at the North Pole and how it got there. McLaren provides a lot of photos of the surfaced submarine with crew members, including McLaren, posing with Jack Patterson dressed as Santa Claus on August 5, 1970.

It was nice to read a personalized description of the legendary Admiral Rickover and how he selected his submarine captains, an ordeal for any self-respecting naval officer. McLaren sat through 15 interviews with Rickover and thus became an expert on where to sit for an advantage and how to respond to challenging questions. The reader will end up with a good feeling and lots of respect for the Admiral.

McLaren has provided a good index of 11 pages that can help the reader to back into the book to find favorite stories.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not-so-deep water, July 30, 2008

By 

J. Scott Shipman (Annandale, VA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Unknown Waters: A First-Hand Account of the Historic Under-ice Survey of the Siberian Continental Shelf by USS Queenfish (SSN-651) (Hardcover)

CAPT McLaren's splendid account of USS QUEENFISH's historic under-ice survey is well-written and gripping. As a former submarine sailor and arm-chair Antarctica junkie---I had little difficulty translating the submarine-speak and ice-speak. Some who have reviewed made the point of the "trade language"---I would offer the potential reader the following: CAPT McLaren's explained (more than once) the more esoteric terms---and had the grace to include an exhaustive glossary. I plan to purchase this book for one of my children--who has never served on a boat---and advise marking the glossary for quick reference. The prose is somewhat repetitive, but the nature of their work was repetitive. CAPT McLaren managed to make a topic that had potential to be dull and boring into a riveting story of a time not so long ago when submarine skippers had no leash. Based on the story and a few people of acquaintance who know of CAPT McLaren, I could recommend this book for up and coming leaders---regardless the vocation. By all accounts, CAPT McLaren was/is thoughtful, honest, and courageous---good attributes for anyone, particularly anyone in a position of leadership.
Highly recommended.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dry and tedious to laymen, but worth it, June 18, 2008

By 

Libby P. Meggs - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Unknown Waters: A First-Hand Account of the Historic Under-ice Survey of the Siberian Continental Shelf by USS Queenfish (SSN-651) (Hardcover)

This book is a dry and tedious read for the layman, but with patience, turns out to be exciting and worth the read for those tenacious enough to stick with it. Anyone into accuracy, detail, and military protocol will appreciate this account of a dangerous and chilling (no pun intended) tremendous accomplishment.

There really is no other way to properly present this information. It does not need to be sensationalized, and I fear readers will be seeking a quick thrill and miss learning about this incredible accomplishment.

This book deserves appreciative readers!