Book Review
Shadow Divers By ROBERT KURSON
Reviewed by PEGGY BARNETT
Scary images of men trapped in a submarine listening to sonar

"pings" and awaiting imminent destruction compete with scary images of divers investigating deep underwater sites, threatened by death or "the bends."

Robert Kurson has written an absorbing account of "the true adventure of two Americans who risked everything to solve one of the last mysteries of World War II."

For once, the publication blurb is accurate. Bill Nagle was the captain of The Seeker, a dive charter boat, and a legendary diver. He saw the artifacts recovered from sunken ships as symbols of excellence and courage in exploration. He found a kindred spirit in John Chatterton.

Nagle succumbs to alcoholism during the book, but the story belongs to Chatterton and Richie Koler, among the most expert deep sea divers in the country. Their lives are unusual and interesting, aside from the dramatic story of their exploits under water.

"Deep-shipwreck diving is among the world's most dangerous sports. Many dead divers have been found inside shipwrecks with more than enough air remaining to have made it to the surface. It is not that they chose to die, but rather that they could no longer figure out how to live." The sport is only slightly like the single-tank scuba diving with which the general public is familiar.

'When Nagle and Chatterdon and 12 other divers locate a possible shipwreck site, they are unprepared for their astonishing find of a World War II submarine. They keep the location secret because they want to be the ones who "make history." They determine quickly that it is a German sub, but neither U.S. nor German records indicate that a sub was anywhere near the site.

Death and injury follow, and the search for information about the identity of the submarine and its crew is increasingly frustrating. The divers have other jobs and their families to consider, and Chatterton's and Koler's obsession with the wreck comes close to wrecking their lives. Hours spent in the archives and conversations with experts yield clues, but also seem to come to dead ends.

Driven by not only their love of adventure and pride in accomplishment, but also by the desire to identify the dead sailors, they persevere. The reader is treated to painless information on submarine life and tactics in World War II and details about shipwreck diving. More importantly, he is treated to a suspenseful story, full of danger and heroes.

Shadow Divers is available at the Mary Willis Library.

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