Saturday, April 23, 2011

Blind Man's Bluff

Blind man's bluff is a true story about U.S. Navy submarines that spied on the Soviet Union during the cold war. A team of investigators got together and interviewed real people and documented their true stories. The stories were compiled into this book. Much happens throughout the book, and many of the stories are very suspenseful. One story was of a U.S. nuclear submarine that had to stay submerged for an unprecedented amount of time to avoid Soviet ships on the surface in Soviet waters. Another story told of an attempt to salvage a sunken Soviet submarine. The sinking was witnessed, or rather "seen", on a radar screen on a U.S. sub that had been tailing the Soviet submarine. The U.S. offered to help to Soviet sub, but the Soviets refused. Many of the stories told were by people who almost didn't survive their ordeals, and they recounted their terrifying experiences. A lot of the book, too, tells about life on a submarine and how it is cramped and stuffy, with little clean air to breathe.

Interesting fact: My parents were in the Navy and they knew crew members that had personally been in Soviet waters during the Cold War.

1.) How would you deal with daily life on a submarine?
2.) How would you cope with the everyday anxiety of the potential to be found by Soviets? If you were found spying, it is very likely that tension between the two nations would increase to the breaking point.

11 comments:

Sara D. 7-8 said...

1) I don't think I would be able to deal with those conditions. I wouldn't join the Navy in the first place. Although, if for some reason I did end up on a submarine, I would try to stay optimistic and always hope for the best until I returned to my family.

Nicole H. 7-8 said...

1). I agree, I would try to be as optimistic as possible and make the best out of my situation. I would pretend I was in someone else's house and try to forget I'm miles beneath the ocean.

Spencer P. 1-2 said...

1. Firstly, I would not go live in a submarine. But if I had too, I would probably try to stay busy with work and daily chores as much as possible.
2. Like I said before, I would just try to stay busy by doing chores and such, even if I had to do things that did not need to be done.

Laura P 7-8 said...

1.) Something tells me if i were living with those conditions during a war in a submarine I would most likely be panicking that something horrible would happen soon, but i would try and hope for the best.

Adam B. 7-8 said...

2. I would try not to think about it to avoid the anxiety of the situation. I would focus on what I needed to do to try to keep my mind off of the situation.

Lindsay S. 7-8 said...

1. I would not be able to live life on a submarine. I think it would be an everyday challenge that i would not be able to defeat.

Megan M 1-2 said...

1. I do not think I could handle living in a submarine. There is too many things that would be too hard to deal with.
2. I would also be extremely nervous everyday because if I was found I would most likely be killed.

Mitch W 1-2 said...

1. I think I would be prepared to live in a submarine before setting out, so entertainment would be accounted for. However, I would probably get very stir crazy.

2. I don't know how I would cope with the anxiety because I've never been in a situation like that before. Although that's probably how every other soldier went into that situation.

Leah K. 7-8 said...

1. I think it would be very hard to live in a submarine because there is no where to go if you need to get away from everything.
2.It would be very hard to deal with all the nervousness of possibly being found spying. I would have to try and do something else to keep my mind off that but it would be hard since there is no where to go.

Rafiq O. 1-2 said...

1.) I'd probably go crazy. No joke haha :) I can't do confinement like that. It's just too much.

2.) I'd probably go crazy lol. Seriously, confinement, anxiety, AND tension. It's like an episode of degrassi! Hahah

Anna W. 1-2 said...

1. I think I would just try to cope, if I had to be on a submarine. It would be challenging, but I would try to do things that would make it less stressful, what ever it may be.

2. The anxiety of being found by the Soviets would be really hard. I would try to keep my mind of it, but it be hard. I don't know if I could handle it all.