The Bedford Incident

by Mark Rascovich

very good

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Thriller, Nautical

221 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 1964

About the author

Mark Rascovich was born in San Francisco, California. He lived in Europe from the time he was two years old until he was twenty-one. He attended schools in Germany, England, Sweden and Paris, and was graduated from the Sorbonne. His World War II service included three years as a reconnaissance pilot in the Alaskan and African theaters and concluded with transport duty on the North Atlantic. After the war, he was engaged in ocean towing, salvage work, marine research and writing. Mr. Rascovich traveled throughout Europe and the Americas, the Near East and Africa. He held pilot licenses for land and sea aircraft and for watercraft.

Reviews

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent Cold War era thriller. Though the film adaptation is similar to 'Fail-Safe' or 'Dr. Strangelove' the book puts much less emphasis on the nuclear war angle and focuses more on the strain of operating in wartime conditions absent actual armed conflict.

[Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book. This novel tells the story of a high tech US Navy Destroyer in the frozen North Atlantic in a Cold War "battle" against a stealthy Russian submarine. I had seen the movie of the same name a while ago, the story in the book is very different, to the point where it is an entirely different tale. There are good lessons here on resource management, combat readiness, and, most importantly, mission understanding. Though there is a whiff of anti-militarism, it comes from a good place and is more cautionary than degrading. The book demonstrates the way perceptions and experiences play a large part of how we interpret our environment.

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

First good read in a while. Unassuming little gem. 4 star rating for the consistently wondrous descriptions of north atlantic sub arctic sea conditions, life on a battleship, in the navy, you name it. The last 3rd of the book whizzed by as I was caught in its maelstrom.

[Jeff Tankersley · Rating 4 out of 5]

"As you have heard from the talk on the Bedford's bridge, strange things are going on aboard this ship. Even as the captain and the executive officer lay their plans to trap the Russian submarine they call Moby Dick, there are cross-currents of guilt and conflict. It is a detached world of its own, this world of the Bedford. A little lost world at war, detached from the rest of the world at peace." - Ben Munsford explaining the current situation to his future listeners

We tag along with military correspondent Ben Munsford when he transfers to the USS Bedford in the choppy and icy Denmark Strait between Greenland and Iceland. The Bedford is a U.S. destroyer in 1963 under the command of an oddly renowned skipper named Captain Erik Finlander, a smart and capable American naval officer in pursuit of a specific phantom Soviet sub that's been patrolling the area.

Once the USS Bedford finds its mark, the Soviet sub is dubbed "Moby Dick" and the chase is on.

Munsford's initial take on Captain Finlander and his hard-focused crew is almost one of a confused whimsy, like someone in way over his head but too proud to pretend this ship is anything more than a zoo of highly-trained monkeys with delusions of purpose. Why do these fellas take this work so seriously? We're not at war.

The crew's treatment of Munsford with a respectful officer-ish regard hints that he might be here for some underlying unknown purpose. Why would Captain Finlander permit this journalist, whom Finlander himself labels a "hack" and "card-carrying correspondent," to board his sub-seeking destroyer in a time of peaceful statemate? We don't really like Munsford anyway. He's kind of a tool.

Written and set in that Cold War period between the Korean and Vietnam conflicts, "The Bedford Incident" (1963) carries a tone similar to MacLain's WWII novels and Wouk's "Caine Mutiny" but with forward-looking additional worries. This post-WWII world is a new battleground for these reservist sailors who aren't in open conflict with our great Soviet nemesis but, with nuclear proliferation, every day carries the potential for a world-ending catastrophe while these men are tasked with defending their homes and families.

As the chase settles into a dangerous game of cat and mouse, we keep seeing participants wonder how it might possibly end without loss of life, with a crew confrontation between Finlander and the resident German U-boat vet Schrepke making the most jarring impact.

Verdict: A smart and interesting take on the Cold War world from a pre-Vietnam perspective, a thrilling naval adventure, and a good character study. It is relatable in its worried and confused depiction of the world at this early time when two mortal enemies were settling into a long global confrontation without clear rules of engagement or mission.

Jeff's Rating: 4 / 5 (Very Good)
movie rating if made into a movie: PG-13

[Ronald Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Years ago when I was in the Navy I first saw the film Bedford Incident on the deck of a ship in the Mediterranean. A bit scary at the time as we were watching it on the missile deck with the movie showing on a wall. When I saw this book it brought back many memories. The story is the same but there are differences from the film which I found made it even more interesting. With stars like Richard Widmark and Sidney Poitier in the film I figured I would picture them but this was not a distraction at all.

The book is set in the time when the treat of nuclear was was alive and a situation like in the story was certainly possible. It all takes place at sea and had a good grasp of the life of a seaman and the power a commanding officer can have on his crew.

I recommend the book to anyone interested in Navy stories and the movie as well.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Fine Story From The Cold War Era

The movie made from this book was on TV a couple weeks back and after watching it I decided to read the book. To my surprise the local library has a Kindle version of the novel, so I checked it out. The book is a great read. The movie ends quite differently than does the book. Plus, the book gives much more details about the characters than one can learn from the movie. It is a fine cold war yarn that quickly grabbed and held my attention.

[Dan Sturgis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw the Richard Widmark movie years ago and got interested in the book with the Greyhound film. So I got the book and greatly enjoyed it. Interesting story particularly from a cold war perspective. I read both the Good Shepherd (the book that Greyhound is based upon) and the Bedford Incident.

[Chaplain Stanley Chapin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A different time sea story

I never saw the movie, not sure how they filmed ithis was during a time that tensions were high. The accidental sinking of the submarine was more plausible to me than the end.

[John G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The cold war

A brilliant book written in perilous times when the cold war could turn hot in a moment. A cautionary tale we would be wise to remember.

[James Dillon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A classic

A classic novel of the Cold War. But also a great submarine vs destroyer novel. A must read for all.

[Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the story. The ending was aggravating (for me.)

[Jeff Dow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. Combination of Mr. Roberts and The Caine Mutiny.

[Joe Vitucci · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like reading these stories about our world after an EMP. I think most of them are too optimistic, but I like to compare them and see how different they are. This one was a good read.

[Micaiah Foust · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good story, but it was a little on the dry side.
A lot of back story and details leading up to the last 2 rather short chapters.

[RONALD GOVER · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read !!

Thought I saw the movie but was wrong I guess. But the book WOW. Looking for anything else by the author now.

[Ramon4 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a great re-telling of Moby Dick, set in the 1960's cold war era. The story concerns a destroyer in the North Atlantic whose mission is to seek out Russian submarines, and force them to surface. Once the submarines surface, they are photographed, and the game starts again. The problem occurs when one Russian submarine proves to be too elusive, and the Captain of the American destroyer takes it personally, as his own white whale. If you enjoy Tom Clanncy's techo-thrillers, this is an early example of the genre. If you have any Navy experience, I think you'd enjoy this book.

[Chris Gager · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was in the Navy when I read this. Pretty good updating of the "Moby Dick" story. Not necessarily "realistic" but dramatic for sure. The movie's pretty good too. Date read is a guess.

[Andy Lawless · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read date approximate

[Bob · Rating 2 out of 5]

Weak.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was OK, had an interesting ending but otherwise predictable story line.

[Bill Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scary book that almost came true during the Cuban missile crisis
Dry at times but a fast read