This was hard going for me, the writing style was somehow stilted and I didn't really get the wry humour in it.
It took me ages to get to the end, but the subject matter is interesting at least. A life under the sea is not my idea of fun, but some of the detail was eye opening.

Thank you for allowing me to try it.

An interesting book which is not my normal genre of book, but there are not many books written about life on a submarine. The book was very informative and enjoyable and for most of us it would be an unknown environment in which to live for months and months. Life on a Nuclear Submarine must have been a difficult book to write and a difficult life to live. Having to deal with the pressure of knowing that at any time a button could be pressed that changes the lives of so many people. What a burden.

Richard Humphreys takes us into an account of his life as a submariner. How he achieved his Dolphin Badge, the behaviour and tensions of his comrades and the simple mental power of having to live in a confined space. The smells, the living conditions (only his bunk where he could be alone) and locking yourself away with 140 other men. A good insight and one I found most interesting.

Thanks to Harper Collins UK for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book.

‘There are few more extreme situations than living underwater in what is effectively a giant, elongated - if beautifully streamlined - steel tin can.’

This is something totally different to what I’d normally read and I know nothing about submarines! I wasn’t sure if I would like it but I was pleasantly surprised.
It’s written in such an accessible way and is a really interesting insight into life as a submariner during the Cold War.

To be submerged for three months at a time, in cramped conditions, with over 100 other people takes mental strength and determination. Richard Humphreys offers a fascinating insight into this time of his life.
I would be interested to know a little more about what the author did after he came out of the navy. It’s briefly mentioned but a little expansion would have been interesting.

If you’re interested in submarines and the navy than this book is definitely for you. Even if you know nothing about it it’s worth a read.

I really enjoyed this book. It was totally fascinating to read his account of life under the water. I am sure that lots of people think about what life might be like down there, but cannot really truly identify with it. This was "almost" the next best thing. I don't really I would want to try life down there, but to read about it was brilliant. It was a very well written - warts and all - account of his life as a submariner.
Thoroughly readable account. Terrifying.

I requested this book because I thought it would be really interesting. My husband used to be in the forces and while reading this is was really interesting to compare his experience with that of a submariner’s, especially in terms of training. Although very interesting to read about life on a nuclear submarine, I really wish that this was written with more of a narrative in mind. At points I found it very difficult to get completely immersed and the author seemed to be rolling off facts or sentences describing a day or scenario, instead I would have preferred more anecdotes to help the reader feel they were actually on the submarine with Richard Humphreys.

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to spend time aboard a submarine then wonder no more. In this biography, Richard Humphreys gives us a no holds barred look at exactly what it entails - in addition, this was no ordinary submarine but a nuclear powered submarine carrying out deterrence patrols during the Cold War. It goes without saying that this was a very dangerous assignment considering the payload it carried, and not only were they responsible for acting as a deterrent to the Soviet Union, and had to be ready to launch nuclear missiles 24/7, but they also had to remain undetected by their Soviet counterparts.

Over 140 men crammed into the artificially lit, claustrophobic confines of a submarine for months on end, with extremely small sleeping areas that made bunks feel like coffins....shudder - My worst nightmare!

Humphreys certainly provides a detailed and down to earth account of how it felt to live and work in this unique environment, and he also tells of many raucous, booze fuelled nights whilst enjoying shore leave - hardly surprising really, all that pent up emotion had to be expended somehow!

I really enjoyed reading about the training course that the author had to undergo to join this elite service, and also descriptions of life on board, and the fact that the excellent food was one of the few things that they had to look forward to, though that could mean eating a roast dinner at breakfast time! One of the things that Humphreys found really special onboard, was listening to the haunting sound of whale song. Though I found some of the details a little technical for me personally, it was still an interesting read.

I don't often read non fiction, but this book intrigued me - how do people survive long periods voluntarily cooped up with more than 100 others with no privacy, fresh air or natural light and ridiculously close to Armageddon causing nuclear missiles?!
I was put off at the beginning by the pages of glossaries and abbrevations, and presumably
because I'm reading on a Kindle, the lack of a promised diagram of the submarine, I was also less interested in the workings of the sub itself, although I did learn a lot.
Where the book really worked for me was in the author's description of daily life on board, the constant smells, tiredness, disorientation in time, ways of relaxing, camaraderie and bullying. And so much drinking and smoking - I was genuinely shocked that this was allowed in such a high risk area, and only felt slightly comforted that the allowance has now been reduced!
I found his occasional political comment interesting, and, although I'm not an advocate of nuclear weapons I have an increased respect for the courage of those who staff the submarines.


Thank you to netgalley and Harper Collins for an advance copy of this book

What a brilliant book! It was not what I was expecting as the author served more recently than anticipated. It's written in a very readable style, many laugh out loud moments and I am sure my husband got fed up with me sharing information and funny bits with him. My Godfather was a submariner during the 1950's and took part in endurance trials - that's the sort of story I was expecting - but this one was very interesting and engaging, and I shall certainly buy paper copies for a couple of friends for Christmas. I have actually just bought an old copy of the book written by Edward Young on the back of Richard Humphreys' mention of it in this book. Downgraded from 5 to 4 stars because of unnecessary digs at politicians and Prime Ministers. With thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read an unproofed e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

An in depth ( pardon the pun )look in to the world of the submariner. The claustrophic environment, the pressure of the job and the pressure of the sea trying it's best to crush the hull. Drills and emergencies. If you are a fan of oneof humankinds greatest engineering feats and stealthiest most deadly weapons platformon the planet this most certainly for you. I loved it from start to finish.

As the wife of a submariner I found this book really interesting, comparing how it was in the 80's to more recent times.
Richard Humphreys gives his account of what it was like serving on the polaris boats during the Cold War.
An interesting, informative read.
Thank you netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

An intriguing read, before reading I was competely unaware of the different submarines. Interesting.

I was looking forward to this book but found myself strangely put off by the writers attitude. All mess room warriors will recognise the type. Every officer above his rank is either inept or a bully, Everybody below hasn’t got a clue. That aside his observations of life onboard are pretty spot on. It’s a shame such a good book was let down a bit by the writers own outlook.

Under Pressure follows the account of Richard Humphrey’s time in the claustrophobic, highly dangerous environment of submarines. It’s a biography about spending months at a time away from home, surrounded by fellow submariners, trying to remain undetected while surrounded by incredibly dangerous nuclear weapons, at the bottom of the sea.

For the most part, I enjoyed this. It’s an environment I’ve never encountered myself, and is told with a lot of heart and honesty. In particular, I liked the early descriptions of the various tests the author had to go through in order to serve aboard a submarine - including the perilous free dives from various depths, which sounded terrifying. I also liked the little snippets of facts about life aboard the boats which I otherwise would never have known about, including the various jobs people had on board. You could feel the camaraderie between crew members acutely, and the author was able to clearly demonstrate the close bonds that can be formed in such a hostile environment. However, I did find that the writing style did verge into the ‘dry’ side at times, with too many facts that could have been edited out (for example, all the information about the author’s home town history, which I found irrelevant to the story), making the pace unnecessarily slow at times, and a struggle to read.

However, that said, this is a truly unique biography about one of the toughest working environments out there, and I applaud the author’s ability to not only work somewhere so claustrophobic, but also recount it in such a way that makes it accessible to the everyday reader. With a careful edit, this could be a widely entertaining and interesting read.

What a read , I read it in one afternoon and could not put it down. Humorous daily boredom mingles side by side with claustrophobic hard mental graft . I have waited a long time to read a book so detailed on submariners , So many times I have been asked by older service personnel if such a book exists . I can see this under many a tree as a gift this Christmas. Great stuff Mr Humphrey’s .

Cinematic and absorbing account of one submariner's experience protecting our country during the turbulent 80s. The challenges submariners face, endure and accept as part of their role has left me in awe and very grateful for what they do to help keep us safe.

I found Under Pressure to be an interesting personal viewpoint of a rating on HMS Resolution during the Cold War environment of the 1980’s. His detail on the technology of the time I found fascinating however, his repetitive detail of relationships and behaviour of his fellow “dolphins” was a distraction throughout the book. I admired his own description of how he handled his own demons a lesson to his readers of how willpower and determination to further his education is an object lesson today.
I found the book to be a bit of a struggle to read as I had to keep going back to catch up on technical details. A book for those who are interested in modern submarine history and would be psychologists studying human behaviour in confined environments.

I found this really hard work.
Although interesting I found the way it was written boring and very monotonous.
This just was not for me.

For anyone who followed Das Boot which seemed to give a gritty insight to life aboard a WW2 German submarine, then Under Pressure might serve to give a more modern insight to life aboard a nuclear submarine and how it may have improved. I must confess to being quite horrified as to what submariners have to endure, both from each other and life below the waves. Life without daylight and no sense of time of day plays havoc with virtually every aspect of human life. Add to that the smells and reduced oxygen levels and I cannot imagine why anyone would want to do it. I would recommend anyone considering a career in the silent service read this book first. In one section it compares life aboard a submarine as being very similar to what an astronaut might experience, except that astronauts get to have a view. So in that respect its changed my views on space travel too, no way is it glamorous but I suppose it is pioneering. This is a book which would appeal to the inquisitive and maybe those considering a career in the Royal Navy.

I don't often read non fiction books but this read was brilliant and informative! i have always wanted to know how people cope on a submarine - being claustrophobic myself - and this book delves in to that question, in the nitty gritty detail. Well done Richard Humphreys for a great book!. Thank you Netgalley for ARC in return for this review.

I found the book to be very interesting and informative in parts but wasn't keen on the touch on politics/laddish behaviour interspersed or really the writing style. Would recommend if you like submarines!