Author: Cadie (Page 26 of 46)

The E. S. Politovskiy

December 6, 2022 / Cadie

I have to tell you about the part I just read in The Hunt for Red October. Remember I mentioned earlier that the book has some technical parts, but even those serve to boost the momentum of the story? The chapter on the Eighth Day has just such a moment.

For eight pages (I had to count, because I’m odd like that), Clancy describes the Soviet submarine E. S. Politovskiy. She was named for a man with back luck, and it seemed his luck overshadowed the sub. However, it had good officers on this mission, and luck seemed to have turned. Until new orders were given.

The order was to get to the next station as quickly as possible, so the political officer on board intervened when Chief Engineer Vladimir Petchukocov wanted to stop the sub for repairs. The political officer stated to stop would be “politically unsound”. And so, at top speed, the E. S. Politovskiy raced across the Atlantic Ocean without stopping for even the minutest of repairs.

At this point, Clancy begins to describe the inner workings of the cooling system on a Soviet nuclear submarine. It took about two pages before I realized that tensions were mounting again. If something goes wrong, the cooling system would stop working which could cause the submarine to over-heat or over-pressurize. What would that mean miles below the surface of the ocean?

As the sub races under the waves, a small metal valve in the cooling system breaks. It’s made of titanium, so it floats with the water through the pipes until it jams. This jam only lasts a few seconds, but it is enough to send a back wave of pressure through the cooling system, causing it to malfunction. When Petchukocov discovers the malfunction he notifies the captain, who immediately orders the submarine to the surface. It shoots upward vertically, like a bullet. But it is too late.

Not far away, the USS Pogy detects the E. S. Politovskiy on sonar.

“[The captain] was now listening to direct sonar input. There was no mistaking it. The submarine was flooding. They had heard the ballast tanks refill; this could only mean the interior compartments were filling with water. If they had been closer, they might have heard the screams of men in that doomed hull. Wood was just as happy he couldn’t. The continuing rush of water was dreadful enough. Men were dying. Russians, his enemy, but men not unlike himself, and there was not a thing that could be done about it.”

“It took nine minutes for the Politovskiy to fall the two thousand feet to the ocean floor,”
The hunt for Red October, Tom Clancy, 1984

Mutiny and Barratry

December 6, 2022 / Cadie

I really like it when I can tell the meaning of a word from the context in which it is found. But I was really in luck when this passage from The Hunt for Red October not only gave me two words, but also defined them for me too. Mutiny and Barratry.

“Judge, we are not dealing with mutiny or piracy,” Foster noted. “The correct term is barratry, I believe. Mutiny is when the crew rebels against lawful authority. Gross misconduct of the officers is called barratry.”
Admiral Daniel Foster, The Hunt for Red October, Tom Clancy, 1984

The Hunt for Red October, update

December 6, 2022 / Cadie

I am really enjoying this book! It can be technical and at times a little hard to understand, but I can feel the tension mounting. One moment, I’m trying to follow the Navy or CIA jargon, and the next, I’m caught up in the suspense. It’s so neat to read a book and watch my progress through the pages. At times, I feel so close to the end, then I check my bookmark and realize I’m not even halfway through yet. It’s really a genius of a story!

Sonarman Jones on Music

December 4, 2022 / Cadie

Here is a conversation between Sonarman Second Class Ronald Jones and Lieutenant Thompson aboard the submarine USS Dallas that struck me as funny. Just like Sonarman Jones, I usually prefer classical music over modern, popular music.

“Got something, Mr Thompson.”

“What is it?” Thompson leaned against the bulkhead.

“I don’t know.” Jones picked up a spare set of phones and handed them to his officer. “Listen up, sir.”

[after listening and discussing what the sound could be, the conversation continues]

“Irregular,” Thompson said.

“Yeah, it’s funny. It sounds regular, but it doesn’t look regular. Know what I mean, Mr Thompson?”

“No, you’ve got better ears.”

“That’s cause I listen to better music, sir. That rock stuff’ll kill your ears.”
The Hunt for red october, Tom Clancy, 1984

This made me laugh when I read it. It’s just a quick exchange, but as the book progresses, Jones will break the sound down, slowing it to try to figure out what he heard. His discovery will result in a promotion. Never underestimate the guy who “categorized his [Bach] tapes by their flaws, a ragged piano temp, a botched flute, a wavering French horn”. He definitely had “better ears”.

Just a Minute this Morning

December 3, 2022 / Cadie

I am enjoying the last few minutes of my Saturday morning before the holiday busy-ness begins. I wish I had more like this. Sun. Tea. Grits, even if they are a bit thin. Blog. And my book. I had to take a picture. I have two holiday events back to back this afternoon, and so much more to do with the house this morning. But for just a few more moments, I’ll enjoy this stillness.

From My Library: The Hunt for Red October

November 21, 2022 / Cadie

The Hunt for Red October is a classic Cold War novel. When I had the opportunity to purchase the novel in hardback, I jumped on it. I actually found my copy on a social media marketplace; the gentleman who sold it to me had already read it and had another copy at home. I told him how I loved the movie and had just recently realized it was also a book. He was glad to pass it on to someone who would enjoy it.

My copy is like new – the pages still smell fresh. The cover is red with the title in silver on the spine. The dust jacket has a simple white background that show both the submarine and the Communist hammer and sickle on the front just beside the title.

The story follows two main characters: Russian Captain Marko Ramius and CIA Analyst Jack Ryan. Captain Ramius commands the newest Russian nuclear submarine, Red October. When the Red October fails to follow through with its first test run at sea and disappears into the Atlantic Ocean, the Russians deploy their Navy to find the submarine, and the CIA requests Jack Ryan to assess the situation for threats against the Unites States. What follows is a gripping tale of naval hide-and-seek that could have grave consequences if anything goes wrong. You’ll have to find your own copy if you want to know what happens.

Diphthong

November 16, 2022 / Cadie

Here is a fun word to say. I have heard it many times before, but now that I am starting to write more, especially since I want to branch into poetry, I looked the word up so I could be sure I knew exactly what it meant. And how to pronounce it. Mary Oliver writes about diphthongs in A Poetry Handbook.

Diphthong – (pronounced dif-thong) an unsegmentable, gliding speech sound varying continuously in phonetic quality but considered to be a single sound or phoneme, as the oi sound of toy or boil.

Usage: “The initial four lines are rife with w‘s and th‘s; f is there, and v. Three sets of double ll‘s. The heaviness of the vowels is increased by the use of diphthongs. The two words that end with a mute (think and up) are set within the lines and thus are softened. All other mutes are softened within the words themselves. One could scarcely read these lines in any other than a quiet, musing, almost whispered way.”

Mary Oliver is speaking of the first stanza of Robert Frost’s poem “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”:

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

Bower

November 15, 2022 / Cadie

When I found this word in Five Children and It, I decided I had to look it up, but not because of the context in the story. When I think of this word, I think of lyrics to a song from Camelot that mentions “the bridal bower”, and though I always thought I understood what it meant, when I found it in my book, I needed to make sure.

Bower – a leafy shelter or recess; arbor; rustic dwelling, cottage

Usage: “So they filled all the pots they could find with flowers – asters and zinnias, and loose-leaved late red roses from the wall of the stable-yard, till the house was a perfect bower.”

Frumious

November 14, 2022 / Cadie

Here is a word that I never thought I would read outside of Lewis Carroll’s poem “Jabberwocky“. I was greatly surprised and delighted to find the word again in Five Children and It by E. Nesbit. Now that I know it was not just one of Carroll’s nonsense words, I may start sliding it into my own speech when I can. Of course, since Five Children and It was written after Through the Looking Glass, perhaps Nesbit just used one of Carroll’s words in her own work.

Frumious – extremely angry

Usage: “I thought we couldn’t get through a wish-day without a row,” said Cyril; “it was much too good to be true. Come on, Bobs, my military hero. If we lick into bed sharp she won’t be so frumious, and perhaps she’ll bring us up some supper. I’m jolly hungry! Good-night, kids.”

New Book: The Hunt for Red October

November 13, 2022 / Cadie

I started a new book while I was on vacation last week: The Hunt for Red October, by Tom Clancy. I absolutely love the movie with Sean Connery and Alec Baldwin, so when I found this book for sale, I snatched it up quickly. The poor book has been on my shelf for a few years, so I think it’s about time I actually read it.

Here is the story briefly – I’ll write a summary when I finish. The Red October is a Soviet nuclear submarine with many secrets. When it suddenly drops off of all radar, the Americans and the Soviets must race to find both submarine and crew. Who will find it first? How and why did the sub go dark? The movie is exciting; I expect the book to be even more thrilling. I’ll let you know when I finish it. Now, back to reading!

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