The truth of U-869

[mike_s]

Hey John...

why don't you attend this presentation and sit in the audience. could be interesting?

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/blackbeards-scuba-club/280264-gary-gentile-coming-savannah.html

don't forget to have someone video tape it

 

[Rhone Man]

I have never been interviewed, not once, for any of Gary's self published books. I have not read it, but he apparently wrote an expose on SD, without even asking for an interview with any of the principles?

That was my second biggest gripe about SDE. Why interview all the bit-part characters and not ask the two Johns or Ritchie for their views on the events?

My biggest gripe was the tenor. It just reads like a tantrum. If you have something sensible to say, it follows you ought to be able to say it sensibly.

 

[Buoyant1]

That was my second biggest gripe about SDE. Why interview all the bit-part characters and not ask the two Johns or Ritchie for their views on the events?

My biggest gripe was the tenor. It just reads like a tantrum. If you have something sensible to say, it follows you ought to be able to say it sensibly.

Even a section where he "confronts" the principles with his allegations would have been a step in the right direction. But you're right, he wrote it like he had an axe to grind, and when I read it, I could feel the "rant" in his delivery.

When I first purchased the book (SDE) I was just expecting a different take on the events, told from another party (or parties) with more "diver" language in it. (I would have respected the book more if it were that) I wasn't expecting an "expose'" and a whine session on what he didn't like about diving with the principle characters over the years!

Sure my regular dive buddies do the odd thing that may gripe me (and I'm sure I do the same thing to them) but I'm not going to air my dirty laundry when I write my memoirs! (although I DO bust their chops in my dive reports )

I'm just curious if anyone picked this book up yet??? (not only for the U-869 content, but for the rest of the content)

 

[Rhone Man]

he wrote it like he had an axe to grind, and when I read it, I could feel the "rant" in his delivery.

The bits where that really comes through are the bits unrelated to U-869, like where GG questions JC's war record, and he suggests that JC short-changed him when they salvaged a safe together once. Those comments are really not terribly relevant to anything other than a sense of bad blood.

I don't know either man, but the feeling I get is that GG was a titan of wreck diving when JC came onto the scene, but JC eventually eclipsed GG in the eyes of the diving world, and that was just something that was very difficult for GG to swallow. You just get glimpses of that all the way through the book, for example in the section in SDE describing where Nagle introduces JC to GG as some young "Doria-wannabee", and where it describes GG inviting JC on the Lusitania expedition (but only because other more experienced divers were not available...). I don't know if that is right, but that is the sense that I get.

 

[Buoyant1]

The bits where that really comes through are the bits unrelated to U-869, like where GG questions JC's war record, and he suggests that JC short-changed him when they salvaged a safe together once. Those comments are really not terribly relevant to anything other than a sense of bad blood.

I don't know either man, but the feeling I get is that GG was a titan of wreck diving when JC came onto the scene, but JC eventually eclipsed GG in the eyes of the diving world, and that was just something that was very difficult for GG to swallow. You just get glimpses of that all the way through the book, for example in the section in SDE describing where Nagle introduces JC to GG as some young "Doria-wannabee", and where it describes GG inviting JC on the Lusitania expedition (but only because other more experienced divers were not available...). I don't know if that is right, but that is the sense that I get.

Definately like an "old guard vs. new guard" type of thing... He seems to mention JC a lot in his Lusitania Controversies book.... I read it a year or so back, but seem to remember GG speaking of him in more civil terms. But I definately agree that he's spilling bad blood during a good part of that one section of the book.

I enjoyed the part where he shows that he has a good knowledge of U-boats and wrecks in general, and yeah, that's definately something that he's known for and surely respected, but the parts where he's trying to disprove every move that JC and RK ever made in his presence is pathetic!

For John C...I just caught this part...You mentioned that Bill Nagle was one of the guys that dove on the U-who in 88, didn't he ever remember that when he got the numbers and told you about it? Or was he THAT out of it at that point? Interesting points to say the least....

 

[Ragnar]

Gary who? What channel is he on?

A titan yeah, but this saga is ridiculous! Johns war record....is he insane!?

Rag

 

[Avonthediver]

I'm hitting this late in the game but maby just to be clear J.C. and R.C. should do a Tv special or even a DVD to end this once an for all!
I think all three are great diver's and should tell their tail's so younger generations of diver's can see and learn what it was like to be at the forefront of Deep Diving when it was taboo.
at times I'd like to here from Dan Crowell and read what his take on this subject is?
BUT it does make for good drama in a sport that gets very little attention in my book!

 

[RJP]

I'm hitting this late in the game but maby just to be clear J.C. and R.C. should do a Tv special or even a DVD to end this once an for all!

As the old saying goes "Don't wrestle in the mud with a pig...you'll just get dirty, and the pig likes it."

 

[ohmdiver]

Nothing wrong with wrestling a pig, as long as there is bacon in the morning.

 

[Avonthediver]

some pigs are well worth wrestling with...an I sure do enjoy a good pig in the ground! LOL