Written by Robert Kurson
Format: MP3

Written by: Robert Kurson
Narrated by: Michael Prichard
Length: 15 hrs and 31 mins

Format: Unabridged | view Abridged

Release Date:06-29-04


Audible Editor Reviews
Why You Should Download This Audiobook: At the heart of this true story are two larger-than-life characters who risk everything to uncover the wreck of a WWII submarine. It is their relationship, friendship, and loyalty that make this more than just a fascinating account about the world of wreck diving. The narration by Michael Prichard is note-perfect: You actually forget that you are being read to, so you are free to experience this amazing story as though you are underwater with the divers and submariners.




Publisher's Summary

In 1991, acting on a tip from a local fisherman, two scuba divers discovered a sunken German U-boat, complete with its crew of 60 men, not too far off the New Jersey coast. The divers, realizing the momentousness of their discovery, began probing the mystery. Over the next six years, they became expert and well-traveled researchers, taught themselves German, hunted for clues in Germany, and constructed theories corrective of the history books, all in an effort to identify this sunken U-boat and its crew. During that time, three of their colleagues died exploring the wreck, including a father and son team. In 1997, when it all seemed in vain, the two divers came up with a final plan, so dangerous that the book ends with this last dive. What the Critics Say

Alex Award Winner, 2005

"While Kurson doesn't stint on technical detail, lovers of any sort of adventure tale will certainly absorb the author's excellent characterizations, and particularly his balance in describing the combat arm of the Third Reich. Felicitous cooperation between author and subject rings through every page of this rare insightful action narrative." (Publishers Weekly)
"A fascinating look at the sometimes communal, sometimes bitterly competitive psychology of wreck-divers, weekend warriors in wet suits whose dangerous hobby is often an antidote to the frustrations of the workaday world." (Booklist)
"The story told in Robert Kurson's new book features undersea thrills, a gripping mystery, incredible discoveries, true-blue friendship, life-or-death crises and history unfolding....Written with great you-are-there intensity and dynamic verve." (The New York Times)
"From U-boat history to the mortal dangers of diving (disorientation is so common that you wonder only three men drowned on this quest), Kurson explains it all, even as he's spinning a fantastic yarn that happens to be true. All he leaves out are the boring parts." (Newsweek)
"GRIPPING!"



IPOD plus headphones at 3 AM....I couldn't stop listening to this superb story of adventure, history, courage, tenacity....The author superbly weaves several tales together to create such a beautiful fabric of a story. This is one of the best, if not the best, of my many audible experiences. Please only get the unabridged version: I wouldn't miss a drop of this story.
"True Adventure Under the High Seas"



A fascinating view into the world of what has to be the most extreme of extreme sports, deep wreck diving. Kurson conveys a treasure chest of historical and technical information, all wrapped in a gripping high-tension narrative. What is most fantastic is the fact that it?s true-every word.

The story invites comparison to works such as ?The Perfect Storm? and ?Touching the Void?; but it transcends those works and others of the genre by allowing the story to stand on its own. Knudson conveys what drives these men through the sheer power of description and story. He doesn?t interject himself or attempt to process the information for us. His meticulous research and winning prose style render that unnecessary.
Listeners will be treated to an education in wreck diving as well as a slice of history. The fear and excitement is palpable in every dive. This is a one of a kind story.
"As exciting as the best fiction adventure novel."



I was surprised that this book does actually live up to the praise of the listeners? reviews. Besides being a fascinating treatise on the ultra-dangerous sport of deep wreck diving, this true story reads like fiction. Extremely well researched and organized, Kurson introduces and describes each real-life person so that the reader/listener knows and identifies with him personally, each sharing a strong connection to either the love of wreck diving, or the mystery of the phantom U-boat.

The book is rich with detail that aptly serves to explain the myriad complexities and inherent dangers of deep water diving. For the first time in my life, I finally understand the physiology of ?decompression? and why it is vitally mandatory for any diver to complete before surfacing. The descriptions of that diving affliction known as ?the bends? makes one appreciate just one of the myriad ways a person can perish exploring the deep.

The human side of each character is developed, so that one can understand that the participants are all just everyday real people, complete with all of the foibles and frailties that each of us possess. This added to fullness of the story and helped bring it to life for me.

Very engaging and highly recommended for lovers of fiction, non-fiction, history, adventure or mystery.
"Wow! Enter a world most will never experience"



I am not a diver and not necessarily a World War II buff, but I loved this book. The compelling human way in which this mystery is presented is truly a feast for those of us addicted to character development, the unfamiliar, and suspense. This story takes the listener to another time when the world was at war and another place at the bottom of the ocean where life and death are one. Along the way, it teaches us a little bit about who we are.