Shadow Divers

The True Adventure of Two Americans Who Risked Everything to Solve One of the Last Mysteries of World War II

By: Robert Kurson

Narrated by: Campbell Scott

Length: 6 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

For John Chatterton and Richie Kohler, deep wreck diving was more than a sport. Testing themselves against treacherous currents, braving depths that induced hallucinatory effects, they pushed themselves to their limits and beyond, brushing against death more than once in the rusting hulks of sunken ships.

But in the fall of 1991, not even these courageous divers were prepared for what they found 230 feet below the surface, in the frigid Atlantic waters 60 miles off the coast of New Jersey: a World War II German U-boat, its ruined interior a macabre wasteland of twisted metal, tangled wires, and human bones all buried under decades of accumulated sediment.

No identifying marks were visible on the submarine or the few artifacts that Chatterton and Kohler brought to the surface. No historian, expert, or government had a clue as to which U-boat the men had found. In fact, the official records all agreed that there simply could not be a sunken U-boat and crew at that location.

Over the next six years, an elite team of divers embarked on a quest to solve the mystery. Chatterton and Kohler, at first bitter rivals, would be drawn into a friendship that deepened to an almost mystical bond of brotherhood. As the men's marriages frayed under the pressure of a shared obsession, their dives grew more daring, and each realized that he was hunting more than the identities of a lost U-boat and its nameless crew.

Author Robert Kurson's account of this quest is at once thrilling and emotionally complex. The story of Shadow Divers often seems too amazing to be true, but it all happened, 230 feet down, in the deep blue sea.

Listen to an interview with Robert Kurson on C-SPAN Booknotes from July 11, 2004.

©2004 Robert Kurson (P)2004 Random House, Inc. Random House Audio, a division of Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

• Alex Award Winner, 2005

"While Kurson doesn't stint on technical detail, lovers of any sort of adventure tale will certainly absorb the author's excellent characterizations, and particularly his balance in describing the combat arm of the Third Reich. Felicitous cooperation between author and subject rings through every page of this rare insightful action narrative." (Publishers Weekly)
"A fascinating look at the sometimes communal, sometimes bitterly competitive psychology of wreck-divers, weekend warriors in wet suits whose dangerous hobby is often an antidote to the frustrations of the workaday world." (Booklist)
"The story told in Robert Kurson's new book features undersea thrills, a gripping mystery, incredible discoveries, true-blue friendship, life-or-death crises and history unfolding....Written with great you-are-there intensity and dynamic verve." (The New York Times)
"From U-boat history to the mortal dangers of diving (disorientation is so common that you wonder only three men drowned on this quest), Kurson explains it all, even as he's spinning a fantastic yarn that happens to be true. All he leaves out are the boring parts." (Newsweek)

Fantastic!!

As a fellow diver of over 30 years of diving experience, I must say I felt like I was there at the U boat wreck! Would love to see more books like this one for us the divers!!

The action and anticipation

Amazing from start to finish. Exciting and gut wrenching. Couldn’t put it down. It is a must read.

Excellent book, highly recommended for any diver

I highly recomend this book to any aspiring tech diver or for that matter any one who wants to explore deep sea wrecks.

Deep Obsession

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend it to any reader who likes historical adventure stories, stories about the ocean and stories where lives are at risk.

Who was your favorite character and why?

John, because even though he had the obsession, he still seemed even and well-round as a person.

What about Campbell Scott’s performance did you like?

It had just the right mix of being informative and suspenseful.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I did not have an extreme reaction, I thought it was so interesting from a historical and human-interest perspective.

Any additional comments?

Shadow Divers kept my interest, I learned a lot about UBoats and the mentality of people who are driven by a goal.

Good combination of scuba and history

Very entertaining book !
I am a scuba diver.

Riveting Story

From the beginning to the last word, the story held me captive. I grew up in WW II and recalled the news of lost ships in the Atlantic. I remember seeing cargo boxes, C ration cans and military gear washed up on the shore just near Annapoli, Md. This was around 1943, when I was 7 years old. I recall pictures of sleek submarines and news clippings that showed the the war and devastation. I can still hear the comments made as my family talked about the war. It was before TV, but news papers provided pictures of places I had never heard of and events that are still remembered.
In this book, the divers find a sub. Over a period of years they conduct research on both sides of the Atlantic. This dedicated research coupled with daring dives on the wreck, reveals the identity as U 869, a German sub.
The discovery by John Chatterton and Richie Kohler off the coast of New Jersey reignited my memory of those early years of the war. The book is well written and it held my attention nearly all day. What a good read.

Could not stop listening

Incredible adventure that expertly connects decades old and more recent historical events. Character development was excellent as it gave you insight into the various emotions driving the expedition. Detail was just right without getting too much into the technical aspects of diving. Highly recommend even if you are not interested in the world of diving.

Great story

Campbell Scott does and amazing job as always, but the story is by far the best part of this whole thing! I was board and looking for something to listen too so I found this and started it thinking I’ll start this and listen to it over the next few days... we’ll I started it and couldn’t put it down! I listened to the whole thing in one day! Amazing story!!

Consumed my thoughts until I finished it!

Fantastically written and narrated book. I hated having to stop listening as I just wanted to know what was coming next.

Who Knew This Book Would Interest Me At All?

I only downloaded this book because it got such amazing ratings. I am not interested in scuba diving, in boats, in submarines or in WWII, but I was intrigued by the ratings. Boy, am I glad I didn't miss this one! What an incredible story, and it is non-fiction to boot! The story is fascinating, the men on the diving mission are fearless beyond belief and the history they uncover is staggering. I only listened to the abridged version because the unabridged was 2 credits and I was not sure this book was going to be my cup of tea.

Robert Kurson does an outstanding job of relaying the story of the divers, their triumphs, their losses and their impossible journey of discovery.

I have continued to do some of my own research on this WWII U-boat and it's crew thanks to the website of Richard Kohler Jr. who along with his diving mate John Chatterton, whose drive for the answers almost cost him his life, were able to bring this bit of history back to life. Congratulations!