Silent Strength : Remembering the Men of Genius and Adventure Lost in the World's Worst Submarine Disaster

"On April 10, 1963, the submarine USS Thresher sank off the New England coast. The loss of 129 officers, sailors, and civilian technicians was a tragedy for the Navy, our nation, and especially for the families of that gallant crew. The USS Thresher was built in Kittery, Maine, at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. Each year, the people of Kittery and neighboring communities in Maine and New Hampshire gather on the anniversary of the loss of the Thresher to pay their respects to those who made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our nation.

"The brave patriots who perished on the USS Thresher were memorialized not just with everlasting granite, but also with powerful words. The compelling series of articles published by Seacoast Online and the Portsmouth Herald during this solemn anniversary year that form this remarkable book tells powerful stories that will never be forgotten. With its title taken from the USS Thresher's official motto, Silent Strength is at times heartwarming, often heartbreaking, and always inspiring."
— From the Foreword by U.S. Senator Susan M. Collins

"Looking at D. Allan Kerr's time capsule interviews brings the reader back to 1963 and to a true sea change in how we saw ourselves. The interviews and images create an important and touching portrait, an acknowledgement of loved ones who were able to mourn and somehow move on, with the rest of the nation." -- The Portland Press Herald & Maine Sunday Telegram

"Silent Strength does a great job of interspersing the stories of Thresher's officers and crew with other aspects of the disaster, including Thresher's World War II namesake, the attempts to locate Thresher's wreckage, and even the impact Thresher's loss had on submarine design and maintenance. (It) is notable as a companion to the other works about the disaster which are generally more focused on the technological side of the accident."
-- The Naval Historical Foundation

"In addition to his research, by conducting personal interviews with some of the surviving family members (Kerr) brings together a number of poignant stories of perseverance by young families who had lost their husbands and fathers and how they coped with life after the disaster. Understandably, because most of the people on board were young men, they did not have lengthy biographies or career accomplishments, yet Kerr succeeds in teasing out their personal stories to paint a picture of what they might have achieved had they lived, and in so doing, he brings home the depth of the tragedy even more." -- The Northern Mariner

" Kerr's skillful writing brings out, over and over again, the accomplishments of seemingly ordinary men, from a whole range of social and educational backgrounds, who came together as a cohesive team to operate this submarine that was on the cutting technological edge of its time ... This is a fascinating exploration of the often obscure nature of the submarine service's social history."   -- The Nautical Research Journal