Sample
  • Descent into Darkness

  • Pearl Harbor, 1941, A Navy Diver's Memoir
  • By: Edward C. Raymer
  • Narrated by: Peter Johnson
  • Length: 7 hrs and 24 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (290 ratings)

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Descent into Darkness

By: Edward C. Raymer
Narrated by: Peter Johnson
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Publisher's summary

On December 7, 1941, as the great battleships Arizona, Oklahoma, and Utah lie paralyzed and burning in the aftermath of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. A crack team of U.S. Navy salvage divers headed by Edward C. Raymer are hurriedly flown to Oahu from the mainland. Their two-part orders are direct and straightforward: (1) rescue as many trapped sailors and Marines as possible, and (2) resurrect what remains of America's once mighty pacific fleet. Descent Into Darkness tells their story.

©1996 Edward C. Raymer (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

What listeners say about Descent into Darkness

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fascinating story from a real hero.

Truly fascinating account. This gentleman was a real hero and did an amazing job recounting his experiences.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Very detailed story

Tue story telling and details Kept me engaged the whole time. I really appreciated the details and it took me on an emotional roller coaster.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A story for Navy Divers

Being a Navy Diver for over 30 years, I can really appreciate the stories as told by Ed Raymer. I think to fully understand and enjoy this book, it really helps to have been a Mk V diver, and experience the challenge of the dive rig and working inside sunken ships and on hogging lines. Definitely not a literary masterpiece, but a great Navy story!

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

great book for history buffs

easy to follow. lots of history. great book
the book may not be for the quemish people out there.
graphic , but the truth usually is.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Detailed Account

It’s amazing to listen to a true story of the accounts of divers during the war, specifically in Pearl Harbor and the Pacific. I would assume a lot of people have never thought or heard of these men and their dangerous tasks of raising battleships and repairing other vessels. The grim details of what the inside of these battleships looked like shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor stunned me. Next time I visit Pearl Harbor, these men in particular will be the first thing on my mind and all those that perished that tragic day.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Nicely done, and well presented

No fluff, no BS, no gilding of lillies. This is something I'd listen to a second time

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

great story but dont like the narrator.

i prefer a narrator who inserts him/her self into the story and reads like the subject in telling the story.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Always fantastic

I bought this book the first visit to Pearl harbor and have re-read it. Fascinating men.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Flawless

Very well written and narrated, If I closed my eyes I felt like I was in some of these situations.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Very interesting and an all round well written

This reads / listens like you are there. He has a very honest approach and there is no PC in it. He writes like he lived it. There is no super detailed description of how ships were raised but its from the author's perspective only and his role , with his friends, in the salvage operations.

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