In his fifth book on the Royal Australian Navy, journalist-cum-naval historian Mike Carlton explores the story of Australian submariners at war.
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Dive!: Australian Submarines at War
By Mike Carlton
Details: Non-fiction, published 2024.
Format: Hardback, 480 pages.
In his fifth book on the Royal Australian Navy, journalist-cum-naval historian Mike Carlton explores the story of Australian submariners at war. Dive! is very readable, touching on the personalities, technologies, great battles and even bureaucratic machinations in a way that both engages readers and educates them in some of the lesser-known aspects of the ‘silent service’.
Well-known tales, such as Stoker and his penetration of the Dardenelles in Submarine AE2 during the First World War, are covered in detail, but the book also explores the lives of the key players. These stories add a human element to scenes of conflict and analysis of process and technology.
The book starts right at the beginning of submarine service, with the first ever submarine created by Dutchman Cornelis Drebbel in 1642. It concludes with a nod to the service of the Australian-built Collins Class submarines.
From the outset, Australian officers and sailors trained with and served in the Royal Navy; the first submarines in Australian service were built in the UK, and partly crewed by members of the Royal Navy. People, knowledge and technology have flowed between Australia and the UK submarine forces ever since. Later, and more subtly discussed in this volume, is a similar relationship with the United States submarine service that exists to this day.
Historical events are covered in greater detail than the more modern ones, although Oberon Class subs (the predecessor to the Collins) receive about 50 pages. Most of the previous 350 examine exploits in the First and Second World Wars. Submarines and those who serve in them are a topic of fascination for many, but the nature of their work means that the details are often kept well out of the public eye. Carlton draws aside the curtain a little to allow us a glimpse of the mysterious life of those who serve below the ocean’s waves.
