Ready to Dive

"They said it was impossible. Newport's mission to raise Liberty Bell 7 from three miles below the Atlantic Ocean was perhaps as audacious as the mission's original brief from thirty-eight years earlier—a mission to raise Gus Grissom and his tiny spacecraft, 100 miles above Earth, to accomplish the world's third human spaceflight. It's all recounted here, along with Newport's countless other search and recovery operations as one of the great pioneers of remotely operated vehicles (ROVs). Ready to Dive is a fascinating, no-nonsense insight into nearly fifty years of Newport's experience at the forefront of some of the most notable deep ocean expeditions in recent memory." —Andy Saunders, author of Apollo Remastered

"After working in the offshore business for twenty years, I can tell you that this book is the most accurate depiction of the life offshore. Curt has lived an astonishing life—race driver, rocket engineer, subsea engineer, submarine pilot, musician, and most of all one of the most respected pioneers of the underwater construction industry. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the story of his life and learning about the man who helped to create the underwater commercial technology that we have today." —Justin Hall, Program Manager, Phoenix International Holdings

"A deep dive into the murky and dangerous world of subsea operations and recoveries from the man who spent nearly fifty years in that hostile, unforgiving environment. This isn't just a historical biography of some of the most newsworthy undersea operations—it's a gripping firsthand account that puts the reader in the cold, dark, alien environment that will leave you gasping for air!" —David A. Yuzuk, author of The Giant Killer

"Newport viscerally shares a sense of being out in the deep ocean, in the most alien environment this planet can offer, when recovering remains of those swallowed into the depths. Yet we also sense the elation of finding ships thought lost forever, being able to literally rewrite the history books. Because of him, the world has a historic spacecraft on museum display instead of crumbling in the ocean depths. It's quite a ride." —Francis French, author of Into That Silent Sea: Trailblazers of the Space Era, 1961–1965

"Curt Newport, the world-renowned salvage expert, was born with saltwater in his veins. His definitive and often harrowing accounts of high-profile undersea search and salvage missions will have readers on the edge of their seats." —George Leopold, author of Calculated Risk: The Supersonic Life and Times of Gus Grissom