Under Ice

In Under Ice, William M. Leary examines the evolution of Arctic submarine operations in the U.S. Navy, a little-known but significant area of national security concern. Through the career of Waldo Lyon, he chronicles the problems of under-ice navigation and the development of Cold War naval strategy. Leary provides informative treatments of the early problems with under-ice navigation; the Boarfish experimental dives; the Skate's surfacing through ice cover at the North Pole; and the drama-packed patrol of Seadragon, the first submarine to pass under an iceberg and make a submerged voyage through the fabled Northwest Passage. He ably delineates the roles of such other actors in the drama as Robert McWethy, executive officer of the Burton Island and long-time supporter of Lyon's work; the "fabulous patrol" of Sargo; CDR Joseph Skoog, who played poker while his crew transited the dangerous Arctic waters at high speed. Under Ice tells a lively and carefully researched story that will be important for naval and Cold War historians and for students of science and technology, especially those interested in post-1945 DOD-funded science.