Descent Into Darkness

[Fibber McGee]

I should have posted this last year after I first found this book...oh well, better late than never...

"Descent Into Darkness...Pearl Harbor, 1941...a navy diver's memoir" by Commander Edward C. Raymer, USN (ret) this was originally published in 1996, so perhaps many of you have seen it already....but if you haven't you are in for a treat!

This book gives an interesting glimpse into the not-so-often covered salvage operations that took place at Pearl Harbor after the Japanese attack of December 7th, 1941. It has lots of detail on the search and rescue operations of those trapped below decks and the overall tasks, trials, and tribulations of working in vero visibility while groping through damaged ships to repair and raise them. A great story of hard hat diving of the WW2 era....well worth a read.

[capn_tucker]

I read some of that book. It talks about the relatives wanting the bodies recovered, but they had to give up on that idea. Pretty grisly stuff..

[Fibber McGee]

It also mentions some of the plans to raise the Arizona and refit her to go back into action as they did with many of the other ships on battleship row...this was found not feasible once the extent of damage was understood.

[sitkadiver]

Since it's December 7th, I figured this would be a good time to post a reply. I was going to start a new thread, but I found Fibber McGee's so, I'll just respond.

Descent into Darkness took me a week or so of bedtime reading to get through, and I must say, I need to read it again. This book is in many ways "Over the Top"! Commander Raymer, talks about being the first diver in the USS Arizona and of hearing wind chimes on his brass helmet. The wind chimes he was hearing underwater were the bare bones of the sailors fingers tinkling against the brass diving hat...... He doesn't dwell or glorify things like that, he simply states it as something that was experienced. There are a few other, more ghastly things in the book, but I will let the reader discover them on his/her own.

One of the bravest things I have ever heard of a diver doing was described in this book. The Navy Salvage divers had to determine if the bilge keels of the battleships had been broken in order to determine if it was worth raising the ship. In order to get to the bilge keel, the divers constructed a t-handle type water jet and then used it to bore into the mud for a couple hundred feet under the battleships. Essentially making a soft mud tunnel they could trudge throuogh until they found the keel.

Naturally the mud tunnels would collapse on occasion and the divers would then stand on the T portion of the water jet and tunnel their way back out, using their bubbles to loosen the mud above! TALK ABOUT GUTS!! I wouldn't even consider it.

I have seen similar water jets that shoot water out of a t-nozzle, they're still used here and in the Gulf of Mexico for pipeline inspection. I'd like to research the history of that device and find out it was originally designed by these guys.

In conclusion, I'd recommend this book to non-divers and divers alike. A fascinating read and an inspiring story. Anyone who appreciates human drama, history, stories of fortitude or diving, will really enjoy this book.

Happy Pearl Harbor Day.

[Bryan]

Naturally the mud tunnels would collapse on occasion and the divers would then stand on the T portion of the water jet and tunnel their way back out, using their bubbles to loosen the mud above! TALK ABOUT GUTS!! I wouldn't even consider it.

Happy Pearl Harbor Day.

These are the guys behind the scenes with stones you would need a wheelbarrow to pack around...

[8dust]

Stones is the word, for sure.
Nobody bitching about what was and wasn't their job either.
Loved that book. Super interesting, and very well written.
It's actually resopnsible for getting me to read for pleasure. I haven't made it through 3 books in 20 years, and I've been on a mad tear since I read that one last year.
Five stars from me!