Deep Thoughts: A Submariner’s Time in Rhyme

108 pages

The book is available via the Friends of the Royal Navy Submarine Museum website, Chatham Historic Dockyard and Amazon

David Collins

The author is a retired RN submarine Commanding Officer who successfully completed the Perisher course, about which he has written previously. He has reflected about life in boats and wanted to offer some of those memories and vignettes in a rather whimsical way through poetry. As an officer who has served only in RCN surface ships, this reviewer was taken by the fact that Parry had spent two years as a navigator of HMCS Ojibwa, sailing out of Halifax. He also notes the exchange of submariners between the RN and the RAN. There was interaction between the RN and RCN officers in the post-war period as well. Your reviewer had an uncle who as an RCN officer trained and served in RN submarines in the early 1950s, commanding HMS Selene in 1955/56. It was not until 1962 that Canada had another submarine, HMCS Grilse, which he then commanded as well.

Using poetry, Parry takes the reader on a journey through all the stages of submarine life from leaving home, to training, to surviving the Perisher, on deployments, life on board, to decommissioning and retirement. This relatively short volume is well illustrated with both cartoons and photos with explanations of submarine terminology and expressions. Overall, the anthology is a quite delightful and offers a light look at the submarine service.

The foreword is by Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope, an ex-submariner himself. Proceeds from the book will be donated to the RN Submarine Museum and the Holbrook Submarine Museum in Australia. For only £14.99 this book will be a welcome stocking stuffer or birthday gift for all ex-submariners or those interested in life beneath the waves. It is good fun!