Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #90851 in Books
• Published on: 2007-11-21
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 288 pages

Synopsis
Commander Lionel 'Buster' Crabb was a British naval frogman who disappeared in 1956, under mysterious circumstances following a secret dive beneath a Russian warship bringing Soviet leaders Khruschev and Bulgarin to Britain. Now, fifty years after the event, Don Hale draws on exclusive interviews to tell the true story of Crabb's colourful life and who was behind his disappearance. Secret files documenting the event will not be released until 2057.

Customer Reviews

The final dive - the final story.
Nothing to do with early black and white films of Flash Gordon, this excellent book is the story of Commander Lionel Crabb O.B.E. The British diver and bomb disposal expert of the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserves as immortalised in the film "Silent Enemy" starring Laurence Harvey. This book details his life, and his mysterious disappearance and death on his final dive in 1956 whilst carrying out a top secret mission involving Russian ships in Portsmouth harbour. Something that the authorities tried to cover up at the time, and are still covering up today, keeping important documents and records under raps until the year 2057.

The book tells of Crabb's life from a small boy at the time of World War one, through his varied and colourful life in many occupations and countries around the world, to his dedication and bravery in mine clearing during the second World War. He received the George Medal for the many thousands of tons of allied shipping he saved in Gibraltar, and the lives of the servicemen who would surely have perished if it had not been for Crabb and his team who used the most basic of diving equipment. How strange it is then, that he should meet with such an unexplained death shrouded in mystery as deep as the very waters he fathomed. Operation "Claret" is still unexplained, and supporting documentation is still the subject of the official secrets act. A badly mutilated body was eventually discovered, but doubts remain that the body in Crabb's grave is even him at all.

Award winning investigative author Don Hale has documented Crabb's final dive in great detail. He has also gained access to important documents now available under the freedom of information act which are detailed in the book. From Naval Intelligence to the FBI, he has sought to discover the truth about what happened to Crabb. This book is the final answer to the final dive. It also contains rare photographs and hand drawn sketches.

I have just finished reading the book from cover to cover and thoroughly enjoyed it. It would make excellent reading for anyone, but particularly for those with a history in the military or who enjoy investigations into unexplained mysteries. I recommend it without hesitation.

A must-have edition for all spy mystery fans
The Final Dive: The Life and Death of Buster Crabb by Don Hale
December 07 Published by Sutton at £19.99

In April 1956, Commander Lionel 'Buster' Crabb disappeared during a secret mission at Portsmouth harbour. An accomplished navy frogman, he swam under the hull of a Russian warship, surfaced and told his colleagues that he was going in for a closer look. He never returned.
The authorities claimed that Crabb got into difficulties during his dive as the forty-eight-year-old was a heavy smoker and drinker. Other factions wondered if the Russians were involved. Indeed, some of his family were convinced that he'd defected to Russia and would soon get in touch with them, but he never did.
Fourteen months after Crabb's final dive, a headless and handless body dressed in frogman gear was washed up in Chichester harbour. The authorities claimed that it was the Commander's cadaver, but his ex-wife was unconvinced as the toes didn't look sufficiently splayed. The body had apparently been caught in some marine machinery and was badly decomposed - but was it that of another diver who had gone missing at around the same time?
For the past fifty years, various conspiracy theories have grown up around the case, theories that author Don Hale overviews and, in most cases, dismisses. He also offers a wealth of information about Crabb's family, friends and illustrious career.
Buster Crabb was a fearless diver who carried out numerous World War Two operations in Gibraltar and Italy. He and the naval intelligence chief Ian Fleming worked together, and Fleming later based James Bond on him.
The complete file on Crabb's final mission has been sealed until 2057, prompting Don Hale to ask several questions: 'What do we know about Crabb's final dive, who sanctioned it, who briefed him and what was expected of him? Perhaps more importantly, who instigated and maintained a cover-up that has lasted for five decades and looks likely to continue for five more?'
This is a detailed yet accessible book, a biography of a complex man and wartime hero. It'll appeal to everyone with an interest in naval history and is a must-have addition to the library of all Buster Crabb fans.

Review by Carol Anne Davis - Author of Children Who Kill.