Kirkus Review
Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
In the 1950s, naval medical doctor George Bond evangelized a vision of submarine habitats that was realized in the 1960s in three successive projects called Sealab. A deadly accident with Sealab III, however, terminated a program that journalist Hellwarth reconstructs. Sealab's genesis lay in Bond's research into the physiology of diving, though Hellwarth underscores that Bond's imagination ranged far beyond devising safe procedures. To Bond, inner space was as significant a frontier of exploration as outer space, an idea supported by the addition of Mercury astronaut Scott Carpenter to his team. Dozens of others completed the Sealab rosters, many of whom Hellwarth interviewed. With details of their submersible activities, Hellwarth strives to animate a narrative about the Sealabs stationary, pressurized vessels that were lowered by crane to the seafloor and ran in place until something went wrong. Such perilous incidents supply Hellwarth's dramatic peaks, while, overall, his assemblage of living memory about Sealab constitutes important historical preservation of its place, possibly as cover for deep-sea espionage activities, in the annals of the U.S. Navy.--Taylor, Gilbert Copyright 2010 Booklist
Library Journal Review
In the 1960s, the Navy developed Sealab, an experimental underwater habitat where humans could live for extended periods of time. Although it was eclipsed by the U.S. space program in funding and public interest, Hellwarth argues its equal importance. Though much of the written record remains classified, he interviews many of the still-living principal players and their families. As Sealab labored to develop stations deeper underwater, Jacques-Yves Cousteau and Edwin Link were building their own habitats in competition. The physiological effects of deep-sea diving, the gradual improvement in equipment, the tragic deaths of several of the aquanauts, and the personalities of all involved are vividly depicted. Although Sealab was discontinued in 1970, the Navy, offshore oil companies, and the diving industry continued to reap many benefits from its legacy. VERDICT Although remotely operated vehicles have replaced manned undersea habitats, this account will be of great interest to divers, Navy buffs, submarine fans, and those interested in the exploration of both inner and outer space. [See Prepub Alert, 8/1/11.]-Judith B. Barnett, Univ. of Rhode Island Lib., Kingston (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.