There were also some amusing stories about Admiral Hyman G. Rickover, considered the father of America’s nuclear submarine force. Rickover was notoriously a perfectionist and very testy towards those who weren’t. He had his own unique way of testing candidates for fitness for duty in subs, or even for duty in his office. In addition to an eight-hour written exam, the candidate then had to sit through stressful, almost lunatic interviews, which were all part of the Admiral’s way of determining the candidate’s ability to work under extreme pressure. They’re funny to read, but I’m sure the candidates found little humor in them.

The journey itself is almost anti-climactic during the reading, until the first of those hairy episodes I alluded to above occurs.  Two crewmembers were swept off deck by a rogue wave in the dead of night in 50-degree waters, just as the voyage began. Then a second episode, and a third, and a fourth, and so on. But that’s the best part of this story, and I’ll leave the discovery of all these occurrences to you, except to say that the trip is now in the history books, rather than the far thicker book of nautical failures that have come to be over the centuries since man first took to the seas. This story had a very happy ending.

Unknown Waters is an exciting, gripping story that should be required reading for anybody who has ever doubted the necessity of the United States military, regardless of branch. It's an unbeatable story of the bravery and determination of the men and women who make up the military services.