ORDEAL BY WATER Peter Keeble Longmans, Green and Co. London.  First published 1957. [pjs] On the right: Dust jacket of 1957 USA edition.

Since taking up the sport of scuba diving in 1969, I have often wondered what it would be like to descend to the depths in a hard hat - standard dress that is. I have had the opportunity, and indeed it is still available. Members of the Historical Diving Association conduct ‘have a try at hard hat' days and I believe several commercial units have similar sessions. Apart from the possibility of claustrophobia, my hesitation is in simply relying on someone else for your own safety. I appreciate that we do this most days of our lives, but I just don't like the idea of being in someone else's hands when it comes to going beneath the sea. So I've never had a go at it. Now, I need not bother - I have read Peter Keeble's biographical Ordeal by Water. Just one chapter in and I had a pretty good idea of what it was all about. And I can tell you, I have no doubts as to what my reactions would be in a hard hat - I would be shit scared. Such is the quality of Keeble's writing, and his experiences, that I need not bother to try the real thing. His vivid description of his first commercial dive is a classic in itself, a brilliant portrayal of his fears and expectations, a description so realistic that I started sweating at the thought of it. There is no difficulty in putting yourself directly into Keeble's boots - virtual reality without the headgear. That says much for Keeble's writing style. How fortunate that we have had such an innovative and, dare I say, brave and daring man who has not only experienced remarkable episodes in his life of salvage, but also has the ability to put his thoughts and actions on paper. 

There are basically two aspects of Ordeal by Water, set predominantly during the Second World War in the Middle East. On the one hand we have the remarkable account of what it is like to dive in standard dress, and on the other, we have a superb description of the mechanics of marine salvage. Of the former, several stand out. Firstly we have his very first dive at Port Elizabeth before the war, an inquisitive dive for no reason than to give it a go.  "My first few minutes on the bottom had been spent fighting off a fearful panic which swept over me the moment my suit was sealed and which had not left me till a helper unscrewed my front glass and admitted a few lungfuls of air to my craving, quaking body".

That would have been the end of Keeble's self-admitted feeble attempt had the war not intervened in his life as a marine engineer. In Massawa (in the Red Sea), he was placed in a position where it was inevitable that he went down again. He was a Royal Navy salvage officer. His portrayal of what is really his first commercial dive is nothing short of brilliant. And as nearly disastrous as his first. "In the darkness I lost my balance and began to flounder, and as my sense of direction fled with uncanny suddenness, panic flared up in me. My heart lurched and thumped , and fear increased my respiration. I heard my breathing rasping fast and noisy in my helmet." To think that from these inauspicious beginnings, arose a master diver of the highest order, is quite remarkable, and ably demonstrates the dedication and initiative of the author. But it put me off ever thinking of taking a ‘try-dive' at hard hat. And there was more to come that would seal any extravagant thoughts of having a go. Diving off a rock wharf demolished by retreating Germans, he came across a rather undamaged diving pump on the seabed, only to realise within seconds that it was, indeed, his own pump, and it was not where it should have been, having decided to also take a tumble of the damaged jetty to join the diver it was supposed to support. In most circumstances this would have been the end of the diver; although the remaining air in the suit would have been sufficient for a few minutes before suffocation, there was no air for buoyancy to raise the diver off the seabed (in this instance there being no staging platform or shot line to grasp). Fortunately the Germans had done a reasonable job of destroying the jetty in stages, and Keeble was able to climb up the jetty wall in steps. This is not a situation a standard dress diver likes to be in. But there is worse. Fortunately the author keeps the description of his witness of a ‘squeeze' victim to a minimum. The unfortunate plight of the diver who descends rapidly is such that he cannot maintain equalization pressure and the sea literally forces his body - his whole body - into the helmet. Not a pleasant sight. 

Lt-Commander Peter Keeble is brought  on board after his marathon dive to the  German submarine U-307 in 230 ft.

The most remarkable description of a dive however is that which Keeble has on a German submarine that went down in 230 feet with half its crew still aboard. U307 had a ‘secret gadget' in the control room that, apparently, used infra red rays to beam in on a potential target at night, and this was required by the Royal Navy for analysis. It meant entering the submarine though the conning tower hatch, entering the control room in complete darkness, and removing the booby-trapped device. A mockup was made on shore of the sub's layout and, blindfolded, Keeble practised moving about inside the submarine. The description of the dive did enough to raise what few hairs I have on the back of my neck. He actually had to cut through a German officer's body jammed in the hatch.  On handing the device over to the Navy boffins, they asked how he managed to defuse the booby trap. "Christ! I forgot all about it!" he said.

On the theme of salvage, the book has much to offer, and serves to demonstrate what remarkable achievements can be made with determination and ingenuity. Keeble has both and his raising of ships, dry docks, and the development of underwater cutting techniques of the highest order is remarkable - yes, I am using that word again, but there is no other. You cannot have but the highest admiration for men who can perform beyond expectations, and for the team spirit that necessarily exists in a diving team. 

Ordeal by Water is a classic by way of its prose. Apart from a brief mention of improvements in underwater cutting, there is nothing new in the way of development of  technique nor equipment. It is simply the descriptions of the dive, and the salvage, that raises this book to classic level. It is eminently readably,  with elements of suspense, intrigue, excitement and fear. A truly - remarkable - book.

Readability: Exceptionally well written, with an educated yet relaxed style. Each page is literally ‘packed with interest'. Of importance to those interested in standard dress diving, and military salvage during World War 2. 
General comment: Despite the fanciful cover, this I not a book about macho bravado. Keeble appears to be a humble and honest man of the highest integrity, and I have no reason to doubt this. The book has credibility. 
Classic rating: I'd give it a seven out of ten. 
Availability: Scarce but not rare. 
We have had the occassional copy in stock. See second-hand books, or ask us to look out for a copy.