CANADA'S SUBMARINERS, 1914-1923 by Perkins, Dave

Erin, ONT, 1989, Boston Mills press, first Canadian edition, hard bound in dust jacket, 9 x 11 1/2, VG/VG ( light dj wear ), 226 pages, prof. illustrated, index.-------------------------------------------------- The Royal Canadian Navy was only four years old when it found itself engaged in World War One and the reluctant owner of two submarines. How these were acquired, manned and sent out on patrol provides the opening for this fascinating look at Canada's first submariners.Included in the early chapters is a detailed account of the building of the British submarines at Montreal, an industrial achievement as controversial as it was militarily successful. How these boats came to be, were built, manned and sent into action is fully covered.------------------------------------------------------------------While a small band of Canadian volunteers manned our two "submarine boats" at home throughout the course of the Great War a handful of intrepid professionals went overseas to serve in Britain's submarines. These officers saw service beneath the waves of the North Sea, North Atlantic, the Mediterranean, Adriatic and Aegean and the narrow waters of the English Channel.The submarines of the First World War were among the technological wonders of the age yet even so were far from perfect and were often as much a' threat to the men who manned them as were their enemies. It took a special kind of man to survive in those early boats. Officers and men alike had to cope with the everyday perils of the sea both on and beneath its surface, contend with almost constant mechanical problems as well as overcoming class and personality barriers to insure their survival. Not all succeeded, for it was a dangerous and demanding way of life, and those who did have yet to be accorded their rightful place in the annals of the RCN. Canada can be proud of the part our submariners played in winning the "War To End All Wars" and this book has been written to provide all Canadians with an account of that contribution.