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Scorpion Down: Sunk by the Soviets, Buried by the Pentagon: The Untold Story of the USS Scorpion Audiobook
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(3.02) - 94 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
The Hunt for Red October meets Blind Man's Bluff in the untold story of an American submarine torpedoed at the height of the Cold War—and the forty-year cover-up that followed.
The last thing they heard was the faint scree-scree of a high-speed propeller. Then the torpedo hit, the warhead detonated, the ocean thundered in, and ninety-nine men died. On May 22, 1968, an American submarine was sunk by the Soviets as reprisal for the sinking of a Soviet sub just ten weeks before. The tragic loss of the USS Scorpion and its crew is still described by the U.S. Navy as an "inexplicable accident." In fact, it was a secret buried by both the U.S. and the Soviet governments to prevent the Cold War from turning into World War III.
For nearly forty years, researchers, journalists, and family members of the lost crew have tried to learn the truth while the Navy and U.S. intelligence communities have covered up the facts. Based on a quarter-century of research, an extraordinary array of new resources, and hundreds of interviews with military personnel with direct connections to the disaster, Scorpion Down is the first book to tell what really happened. It's the first to reveal that the official Scorpion story—the sub's failure to make port, the frantic open-ocean hunt, the search that ultimately "found" the wreckage, and the Court of Inquiry's carefully crafted conclusions—was all a lie.
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"A must read for those of us who lived these days beneath the Cold War seas on submarines, and new and worked with men who braved their tasks, and those who betrayed their country, and surrendered the lives of brave men for a few dollars."
— Mike (4 out of 5 stars)
Scorpion Down Listener Reviews
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" Slow and too much minutae, but I guess I'm glad I read it. The story itself should be told. "
— Cliff, 9/26/2013 -
" This book describes how aggressive, U.S.-Soviet submarine tactics likely led to deaths on both sides. The respective governments used extreme secrecy to try and avoid the Cold War from becoming a hot one. "
— Jonathan, 3/9/2013 -
" Conspiracy theory drivel at its worst. This book should be fiction not non fiction. The author makes wild leaps worthy of a D level movie rather than a in-depth look at the causes of the sinking of the Scorpion and the ninety-nine men who perished on her. Mr. Offley should be ashamed of this drivel. "
— Matt, 10/14/2011 -
" Another book I could not put down; Each chapter piques your interest more than the last. "
— Jeff, 2/17/2011 -
" The author had a very interesting theory about what happened and I think he argued it well. Despite the fact I found his conclusion unlikely, I loved reading about all the events surrounding the loss of Scorpion. "
— Andrew, 11/29/2010 -
" I did enjoy this book. There were parts that lost my attention, but as a whole it was interesting. If you like stories of the cold war and espionage, I would recommend reading it. "
— Marion, 9/1/2010 -
" Detailed account; the more I read the angrier I became. "
— Jesse, 8/7/2010 -
" Slow and too much minutae, but I guess I'm glad I read it. The story itself should be told. "
— Cliff, 10/28/2009 -
" I did enjoy this book. There were parts that lost my attention, but as a whole it was interesting. If you like stories of the cold war and espionage, I would recommend reading it. "
— Marion, 4/26/2009 -
" This book describes how aggressive, U.S.-Soviet submarine tactics likely led to deaths on both sides. The respective governments used extreme secrecy to try and avoid the Cold War from becoming a hot one. "
— Jonathan, 9/6/2008 -
" The author had a very interesting theory about what happened and I think he argued it well. Despite the fact I found his conclusion unlikely, I loved reading about all the events surrounding the loss of Scorpion. "
— Andrew, 3/10/2008 -
" Another book I could not put down; Each chapter piques your interest more than the last. "
— Jeff, 2/8/2008
About Ed Offley
Ed Offley, a seasoned military reporter and Pulitzer Prize nominee, is the author of Scorpion Down and Turning the Tide. He has written about aspects of the Scorpion story for leading military journals and is the acknowledged expert on the topic. Offley has appeared on numerous television and radio shows to discuss military and defense issues and has covered military operations and exercises in eighteen countries. He served in the US Navy in Vietnam and lives in Panama City Beach, Florida.
About Richard Ferrone
Richard Ferrone recorded over 150 audiobooks including thrillers, romances, science fiction, and inspirational novels. He won the prestigious Audie Award and was a finalist for four Audie Awards, including for Best Solo Male Narrator. He was named an AudioFile "Voice of the Last Century" and a "Rising and Shining Star." He earned many AudioFile Earphones Awards, including being named the 2011 Best Voice in Mystery and Suspense as well as the 2009 Best Voice in Science Fiction and Fantasy. A science fiction fan, he narrated Kim Stanley Robinson’s Mars trilogy. He also narrated works by James Patterson, Walter Mosley, John Sandford, Eric Van Lustbader, and Stuart Woods.