In “Ready to Dive: Five Decades of Adventure in the Abyss,” Curt Newport describes his role in some of the most daring and consequential deep-ocean search and recovery operations–rigging lift lines, piloting underwater vehicles, and dealing with the carnage of military and civilian plane crashes.

The son of a U.S. Army aviator posted abroad, Newport went on to a career lasting nearly 50 years, probing waters deeper than 3 mi. He recounts tales from salvage operations of Air India Flight 182, the Space Shuttle Challenger, TWA Flight 800 and the USS Indianapolis, among others.

Newport retired in 2022. He has participated in more than 150 undersea operations.

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