The ultimate book of Special Forces subs Covert Shores 2nd Edition is the ONLY world history of naval Special Forces, their missions and their specialist vehicles. SEALs, SBS, COMSUBIN, Sh-13, Spetsnaz, Kampfschwimmers, Commando Hubert, 4RR and many more.
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COVERT SHORES: The Story of Naval Special Forces Missions and Minisubs
COVERT SHORES is a non-fiction book giving the world history of naval Special Forces, their missions and their specialist vehicles. Units covered include the US Navy’s SEALs, Britain’s Special Boat Service (SBS) and many more.
Until now, the underwater craft employed by the World’s Special Forces have been known only to a select few. Covert Shores is the first complete and documented insight into the little-known world of the mini-subs, Swimmer Delivery Vehicles (SDVs) and other underwater vehicles used by the U. S. Navy SEALs, Special Boat Service, Spetsnaz and more.
Operating under a blanket of secrecy, these craft have remained hidden and unrecorded in a way that no other class of military vehicles has. Covert Shores reveals the craft, units, missions and tactics of this unseen world. Spanning from 1776 to the present day, and covering activities in many countries including US, Great Britain, Italy, Israel, Russia, France, Germany, Yugoslavia and Sweden, this book is filled with tales of the ingenuity, resourcefulness, experimentation and cunning of those involved in the design and operations of these expert craft. A must-read for all military enthusiasts.
268 pages 8.5"x11" full color with over eighty original color illustrations.
This is a unique look at the shared history of the Naval Special Forces and in particular the craft they employ, from midget submarines, human torpedoes and canoes to the Swimmer Delivery Vehicles (SDVs) of today. There are no books which cover the topic in any detail or in its entirety until now.
The project employs primary research in archives and interviews with former frogmen/special forces, submariners and submarine designers/manufacturers as well as building on other works which tackle smaller parts of the topic. Many of the craft covered in this work are virtually unknown and at risk of being forgotten to History.
Unsolicited Reviews
5 stars rating (Amazon)
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Facts can be more fanciful than fiction!
By Will Edwards on July 27, 2015
Verified Purchase
First off, the book is big :) Its letter-page size with small text and weighing in at nearly a kilo! I warn you as its a real page turner; for such a heavy factual book its actually surprisingly readable and you won't be able to put it down until you've finished it :D
I've been following the author's blog http://www.hisutton.com so was waiting expectantly for this book to go to print.
The author is a clearly a proper expert in the field. Everyone following the blog already knows this but its worth repeating. This book is head and shoulders above the usual popular kind of military book filling my bookshelf where a journalist tries to handle a technical subject that they don't grasp. The details and descriptions and commentary in the book really have the fun cynicism and dry whit missing in the gung-ho sensationalism usually found in books on special forces.
The breadth of the book is excellent too. It has the same first-time-public feel as that other great book Blind Mans Bluff. Details begins to dwindle only right up at the present day; the author clearly knows rather more than they are saying about the current state of affairs. I wish it was longer :) Seriously, it feels the author has rather more amusing tidbits to share. I'd like to know a lot more about the various characters introduced in the books, particularly the garden-shed-based sub designers, for example.
And the illustrations are absolutely FABULOUS! Absolutely first class. The author is an excellent artist too.
The grammar is, ahem, unorthodox. It needs a thorough proof reading. But don't let this put you off, its quite easy to brush off.
So, all in all, full marks! Absolutely the book we were all anticipating :)
4 Stars rating (Amazon)
This book was a revelation, I was alerted to ...
By Sallows on August 18, 2015
Verified Purchase
This book was a revelation, I was alerted to it on the secret projects website and I was hopeful that it would cover a gap in my knowledge. Whilst the print quality is not to the highest standard the scope of projects covered more than makes up for it. A fascinating read.
5 Stars rating (Amazon)
Five Stars
By Alan Ainslie on 19 Aug. 2015
Verified Purchase
A first - everyone has heard something about it, but here's the story
User 'ninjrk' on SecretProjects.co.uk/forum/
I have my copy and I'm impressed. Still reading my way through, this isn't a book that you want to skim through for the pictures.
It has been a long hard road and I owe a hug debt of gratitude to everybody who has helped in the research. And to those who played a part in the history but are not remembered.
The work documents:
- Midget submarines
- Wet submarines ('SDVs')
- Military canoes
- Mother submarines
- Covert/special mission submarines
- Explosive motorboats
- ...and other covert means of waterborne and underwater transport from the 1700s to the present. It will also tell the story of the technology and the units which made it count.
A non-exhaustive list of many of the elite units covered (bold highlights show where there are direct interviewees):
- USA: OSS/CIA, UDT, SEALs, USN Submarine Force
- UK: Combined operations (including RMBPD, Det-385, SRU, COPP, SBS, SOE), SBS, RN Clearance Divers, RN Submarine Service
- Italy: Decima-MAS, COMSUBIN (Incursori)
- France: Commando Hubert
- Germany: Kleinkampfverbände, Kampfschwimmers, KSK-18 (DDR), cold war escapes
- Former Yugoslavia: 82 Maritime Unit, JRM submariners
- South Africa: 4 Reconnaissance Regiment
- Australia: SOA/Z-Force, RAN Clearance Divers
- Canada: RCN Clearance Divers
- Sweden: A-Dyk, X-Craft
- USSR/Russia: Naval Spetsnaz
- Israel: Flotilla-13
- Other: India, Pakistan, North Korea, South Korea, Japan, Indonesia, Iran
