A vivid no holds barred account of life on a Polaris nuclear sub during the Cold War.

The author joined the submarine service in 1985 and went on to serve aboard the UK nuclear deterrent for five years at the end of the Cold War.

He describes the claustrophobia, disorientation and prolonged periods of boredom, as well as periods of high tension with possible discovery by the Soviets and the regular rehearsals for Armageddon.

There are vivid descriptions of his first days aboard, learning the ropes to get the sought after “Dolphins” submariner qualification, plus the impact of sharing a 430ft x 33ft steel tube, 300ft underwater, for up to 90 days at a time with 140 other sweaty bodies.

This is raw and candid, account, that won’t be for everyone’s taste, but it really does help you understand why it’s a rare breed who can live, work, sleep, eat – and stay sane – in one of the most extreme man-made environments on the planet.

A must for your submarine shelf.

This book was interesting in parts, although I found the writing style very unappealing. The author adopts a laddish tone, interspersed with wholly unnecessary anti-Tory comments, which gave the impression of a book written by a student in the 1980's. One for people already interested in submarines I think.

Under Pressure is certainly an appropriate title for the manner in which the crew of nuclear submarines live their lives whilst out on patrol. Along with a great number of facts, about the construction and mechanics of a "Resolution" class nuclear submarine, Humphreys vividly describes what life is like crammed into a metal tube with 142 others for 3 months at a time. Not knowing where you are, not seeing daylight and living with the heat and foul smells that are ever present makes you wonder why sailors sign up to be sub-mariners. It takes a special kind of person and we landlubbers should be grateful to them for enduring such hardship. Personally, my greatest respect goes to the cooks who somehow manage to feed 143 men, 3 meals a day, from a tiny cupboard-sized kitchen. A book to enlighten rather than entertain.

A very detailed account of life as a submariner which doesn't shirk the psychological effects of being (almost) completely isolated from the rest of the world. I'd recommend reading the physical book as there's a lot of technical information (inc, acronyms) and a swift referral back to the section which explains them is helpful.

There's a building sense of claustrophobia which gives way to 'gate fever' as the submariners end their tour under the ocean. At times, I found the book quite an intense experience because of this, especially as my grandfather was a submariner during WW2. Recommended.

While medical autobiographies are all the rage I hope that this one doesn't get over looked, as the life of a submariner is fascinating - and when you add in the length of missions and the absolute secrecy surrounding our nuclear deterrent I found the book almost impossible to put down.

Humphrey's descriptions are so evocative, especially surrounding smells, that I was very glad to be reading this in the open air!

Obviously much is still kept something of a mystery due to secrecy but as a child of the 80s when the fear the Cold War really could have become 'hot' this really helped me understand some of this period of history.