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The mission of the U.S. Navy's fast attack submarines during the Cold War was a closely guarded secret for many years, but this look back at the period and the part played by those submarines in winning the war gives readers a close-up view of life in one of those subs, USS Sturgeon (SSN637). McHale's memoir covers the years from 1967 to 1970, when as a teenager he was assigned to the nuclear submarine. Readers come to understand how those years profoundly affected the way he lived the rest of his life. The book focuses on McHale's experiences and those of other men with whom he served who have remained his lifelong friends.
Gannon McHale is a New York-based character actor who has appeared on Broadway and in regional theatres across North America, Europe, and Asia during a thirty-year career.
—Advance Praise—
"Stealth Boat is an elegant and unflinching memoir of life inside one of America's most accomplished Cold War fast attack subs. Energized with delicious details and smile-provoking humor, Stealth Boat explains the crucial symbiosis between sailors and their complex machine. Gannon McHale's book also reveals that the oft-overlooked human factor is as essential in the unforgiving world of submarine operations as high technology. Anyone fascinated with the story behind the story will find McHale's book irresistible." —Stephen Johnson, author of Silent Steel: The Mysterious Death of the Nuclear Attack Sub USS Scorpion
"Gannon McHale delivers with this highly enjoyable memoir of an enlisted man on a fast-attack submarine during the Cold War. The author's first-person narrative mixes laugh-out-loud humor in ports of call with high suspense chasing Soviet missile submarines at breathtakingly close quarters in the North Atlantic during the late 1960s. The incredible fetes of the Navy's stealth boat USS Sturgeon (SSN637) come to life in this insightful chronicle of the three years McHale spent in the Silent Service." —Carl LaVO, author of The Galloping Ghost: The Extraordinary life of Submarine Legend Eugene Fluckey
"Stealth Boat indeed! This boat and indeed the entire Sturgeon-class of 29 boats from the Sturgeon to the Silversides were the hot rods of the ocean and were the test beds for the later Los Angeles boats. The stories in this book are the stuff that is bantered about at SubVet meetings and conventions. They are what I remember of the 60's when I rode a boomer for 5 years. I even recognized two names in the book which surprised me. A handbook for Sturgeon sailors and an education for those that didn't ride these boats. It was a pleasure to see an important book written from the enlisted side of the spectrum. Thanks Gannon!" —Ron Martini, author of The Submariner's Dictionary
"To naval personnel the term 'shipmate' is sacred. McHale's spirited descriptions put the reader on board the nuclear submarine Sturgeon with him and his shipmates. They worked hard when on duty and squeezed every drop of pleasure out of their time off duty. He skillfully evokes the flavor of the late-1960s era when the United States was fighting a hot war in Vietnam and a Cold War at sea against the Soviets. His account is timely in that regard and timeless in showing us how submariners live and work." —Paul Stillwell, editor of Submarine Stories: Recollections from the Diesel Boats
"Stealth Boat is a unique book in that the author, Gannon McHale, offers the reader an enlisted man's perspective of life aboard a U.S. Navy nuclear-powered fast-attack submarine, the USS Sturgeon (SSN637) during the Cold War. He writes an absorbing story using a most appealing conversational style. One is captured almost immediately by his detailed account of life aboard the attack boat, his association and lasting friendships with shipmates, underway operations, and 'Goin North' patrols into hostile waters to conduct underwater espionage against the Soviet Union." —Capt. James E. Wise Jr., USN (Ret.), author of U-505: The Final Journey
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Customer Reviews
Richard Cipolla 10/27/2008
A Fun & Thrilling read !
Mr. McHale’s laughter filled, suspense thriller is a great read, I highly recommend to all, readers of non-fiction and fiction. I was born in 1964 and got a real kick out of Mr. McHale's setting up of the wider culture, what was going on outside of the sub, very evocative. However the real blast is the one-two punch of feeling like I got to know these guys, they're funny quirks, pranks, and their dedication to doing a difficult job, with the most complex machine of their time, at the highest levels of achievement.
Mr. McHale’s laughter filled, suspense thriller is a great read, I highly recommend to all, readers of non-fiction and fiction. I was born in 1964 and got a real kick out of Mr. McHale's setting up of the wider culture, what was going on outside of the sub, very evocative. However the real blast is the one-two punch of feeling like I got to know these guys, they're funny quirks, pranks, and their dedication to doing a difficult job, with the most complex machine of their time, at the highest levels of achievement.
Capt J. W. "Bill" Sheehan, USN (Ret) 10/13/2008
Cold War Submariners Highlighted
This was an outstanding read. I wish it was longer, I am sure that there are more 'tales" that should be told. It brought back many memories. Although I served on different subs, the actions were similar but the names are different. Cold War Submariners should give this book to their significent others so they can get a taste of what they did while there spouses and girl friends were keeping the home fires burning. I hope this will break the "Code of Silence" and more memoirs of this sort will be published in the future. It is a story waiting to be told from many points of view. Gannon McHale is an engaging writer. I look forward to his sequel.
This was an outstanding read. I wish it was longer, I am sure that there are more 'tales" that should be told. It brought back many memories. Although I served on different subs, the actions were similar but the names are different. Cold War Submariners should give this book to their significent others so they can get a taste of what they did while there spouses and girl friends were keeping the home fires burning. I hope this will break the "Code of Silence" and more memoirs of this sort will be published in the future. It is a story waiting to be told from many points of view. Gannon McHale is an engaging writer. I look forward to his sequel.
Nate Vaughn 11/14/2008
Great read for any age
This book is a great chronicle during a time that has very few honest moments. This book is for people who love good storytelling and want to know what the actual life of a seaman would have been like during the late 1960's. This book lets you know not only what was happening during the authors life but keeps you up to date on everything in america that was influencing the actions of society and the government. While reading this book it felt as though I had sat down with the author and a some other members of the crew and asked...."What was it really like?". I feel that Gannon McHale has done a wonderful job of being so honest in his storytelling that you can see why so many crew members trusted him with their lives and their stories.
This book is a great chronicle during a time that has very few honest moments. This book is for people who love good storytelling and want to know what the actual life of a seaman would have been like during the late 1960's. This book lets you know not only what was happening during the authors life but keeps you up to date on everything in america that was influencing the actions of society and the government. While reading this book it felt as though I had sat down with the author and a some other members of the crew and asked...."What was it really like?". I feel that Gannon McHale has done a wonderful job of being so honest in his storytelling that you can see why so many crew members trusted him with their lives and their stories.
T. Graham 11/25/2008
Stealth Boat
In his new book, Stealth Boat, Gannon McHale does a superb job of bringing the reader along with him on his life’s most interesting adventure. As a qualified submariner, he’s served as an integral part of one of the Navy’s newest and quietest nuclear powered fast attack submarines, the USS Sturgeon (SSN 637). Wearing dolphins, the insignia of the Submarine Force isn’t an automatic; it’s the culmination of a long and arduous process as McHale skillfully explains. If you’d like an insider’s view of the way submarine sailors dealt with the challenges that Cold War operations of the 1960s placed upon them, both at sea and ashore, you’ll want to read this book. You’ll come away from this experience with a new appreciation for the remarkable job these bright young men did, and others continue to do to this day, as they go to sea aboard these complex weapons platforms where their ship’s stealth and their smarts and initiative are daily put to the true test. It’s funny, it’s instructive and most importantly, it’s all true.
In his new book, Stealth Boat, Gannon McHale does a superb job of bringing the reader along with him on his life’s most interesting adventure. As a qualified submariner, he’s served as an integral part of one of the Navy’s newest and quietest nuclear powered fast attack submarines, the USS Sturgeon (SSN 637). Wearing dolphins, the insignia of the Submarine Force isn’t an automatic; it’s the culmination of a long and arduous process as McHale skillfully explains. If you’d like an insider’s view of the way submarine sailors dealt with the challenges that Cold War operations of the 1960s placed upon them, both at sea and ashore, you’ll want to read this book. You’ll come away from this experience with a new appreciation for the remarkable job these bright young men did, and others continue to do to this day, as they go to sea aboard these complex weapons platforms where their ship’s stealth and their smarts and initiative are daily put to the true test. It’s funny, it’s instructive and most importantly, it’s all true.
