Just Finished Reading: The Bedford Incident by Mark Rascovich (FP: 1963)

The USS Bedford is one of America’s most advance anti-submarine destroyer in the fleet. Patrolling the dangerous waters between Greenland and Iceland in the search for Soviet submarines she is crewed by the cream of US naval academies and is the envy of many. But it is her captain that defines her. Known as resourceful and unforgiving of failure he has personally crafted a crew that can operate at peak efficiency for hours or days on end as the hunt continues. But Captain Erik J Finlander (played by Richard Widmark in the 1965 movie adaptation) is a deeply obsessive man. He is also a man who harbours a deep hatred for submarines and sub-mariners, a hatred that has only grown since his wartime experiences. His obsession even has a name, although one given to a Soviet submarine never caught in multiple encounters – Moby Dick. So when faint radio signals lead the Bedford into the waters below which the ill-fated HMS Hood lies on the seabed Finlander is determined that this time his quarry will not elude him – no matter the consequences. But will the Captain’s obsession with consummating the hunt with an actual kill make a Cold War very hot indeed?

This is another one of those books I picked up years or decades ago after seeing the movie on TV (probably prompted by my father). I remember bits of it – in particular the end – but those memories have faded a great deal so the book turned out to be surprisingly fresh. Chocked full of tension this is the tale of a cat and mouse game for very high stakes indeed. Finlander himself is a great character with many admirable qualities but still a deeply flawed one (indeed he’s possibly insane or at least borderline psychotic). The other members of the crew are well fleshed out although I did find the British naval officer more than a little silly and unbelievable. The German Commander (an ex-U Boat captain) was an intriguing addition to the crew and provided a very interesting sub-plot and some sparkling dialogue. The embedded reporter was more than a little annoying (I think you were supposed to not like him) but again had some good lines. The chase itself was full of tension, surprisingly so as there was no actual ‘combat’ to focus on, and was very ably done. Overall, despite its age and a few wobbles with the plot, I was quite impressed with this Cold War thriller. More Naval gazing and Cold War goings on to come. This was also the first book in a collection of ‘End of the World’ stories. Be prepared to be rather depressed over the next few months…… Sorry!