I just finished reading Shipwreck Heresies by Gary Gentile, and my first thoughts are WOW theres about 20 hours of my life that Ill never get back.
Shipwreck Heresies is self published by Gentiles own publishing company, and from the onset, I can see why. Gentile mixes big words, with poor grammar, and basically rants and raves for 260 pages.
In his latest works, he recounts many of his greatest accomplishments, most of which were 15-20 years ago. Gentile gripes about everyone who disagrees with his version of the unvarnished truth wherever he can. He takes pot shots at Scubaboard, Wreck Diving Magazine, Deep Sea Detectives, Bret Gilliam, Dan Crowell, and of course his favorite targets; John Chatterton and Richie Kohler.
Gentile relives his battle against NOAA for the right to dive the USS Monitor. I find some irony in Gentiles use of incomplete tales, to puff up his importance in the court case in which NOAA ultimately began issuing permits to dive the USS Monitor. At the end of that chapter, Gentile claims, I won my lawsuit in late 1989. As a result, I was awarded the first ever permit to dive on the Monitor. He somehow neglects to mention that his wasnt the first civilian led (non-government) expedition to the wreck in the summer of 1990. The late Rod Farb holds that distinction, Whoops?
Gentile may be best known for his outspoken truth of the U-869 story, AKA Shadow Divers Exposed. It seems through most of that book, he complained that Shadow Divers downplayed the roles of many of the key participants in the discovery, and ultimately the identification of the U-869. More irony from Gentile comes in the form of the same kind of downplaying in his version of the 1994 expedition to the Lusitania. Reading through the 6 reprinted articles he re-publishes in Shipwreck Heresies; it seems that the hypocrisy is really on the other foot. The joint expedition with US and British divers is chronicled by Gentile. However, upon reading through his recount of the expedition, one would get the impression that John Chatterton and John Yurga were only there to mix nitrox for everyone? Wheres the give credit where credit is due that he rants about in his other works where he claims that certain people were stealing the credit? Again; the shoe of hypocrisy is firmly on the foot of Gary Gentile.
The final 70 pages of this book are devoted to more slams against Shadow Divers and Gentile rebuts some of the criticism posted on Scubaboard regarding his book Shadow Divers Exposed. Shortly into his tirade, he sites:
It also appears as though he refers to a certain user who was a staunch supporter of his as, shakehead. I believe that upon reading through several threads on Scubaboard about SDX, that Gentile is referring incorrectly to user TONKA97.
Gentile also accuses Scubaboard of censorship of any commentary that supported SDX, however, upon searching Scubaboard, I found several instances of Tonkas praise for Gentiles book, and his continual regurgitation of the Gentileisms expressed in SDX. Gentile also claims a conspiracy against him by Random House; the publisher of Shadow Divers, because they wouldnt publish Shadow Divers Exposed. Perhaps if his editorial content were more cohesive with use of proper grammar and less casual tones, he may have had a better chance of being published by a real company?
Gentile devotes several pages to take pot shots at another great in diving history, Bret Gilliam. Ironically, he also devoted half of his most recent e-mail newsletter printing retractions regarding his comments about Gilliam in this book.
I have to ask though. If he admits wrongdoing, and that his word of mouth information (which some may call hearsay) which he published in a book was incorrect where does one find the truth from the lies in ANY of his work? I may not be an attorney, but I do watch a lot of TV, and it seems like once you discredit the witness, all of their testimony is usually disregarded. Yes?
The bitter contempt continues, Inviting Chatterton and Kohler to speak at a diving symposium is like Jews inviting Hitler to speak at a convention held in memory of the Holocaust Really? Isnt that a tad melodramatic? Gentile also makes claims that the wreck had been dived and discovered 3 years prior to the dive that is the beginning of Shadow Divers. He states that two other people had dived the wreck, and that they knew it was a sub, but just not that it was a U-Boat. Then they forgot about it for 20 years, until interviewed by Gentile?
Gentile also finds every opportunity to slam and attempt to discredit the book, and even refers to it as, Shadow Divers perpetrated the greatest literary hoax of the century, perhaps the millennia, perhaps since Johann Gutenberg invented moveable type for his printing press. Wow. As far as I can tell from having read Shadow Divers, it would be an indisputable fact, that until Chatterton entered the electric motor room and found the spare parts box which positively identified the U-869 as such, that all prior GUESSES as to the identity of the wreck were just that. Sure, maybe someone THOUGHT it was the U-869, but the proof (and the credit for identification) is in the pudding. This would be the spare parts box.
After finishing Shipwreck Heresies, I read something on Gentiles website, in some of his own self aggrandizing thoughts on his work, This is a book that will rile your blood. I can say that it did, I was utterly disgusted that someone would waste the paper required to print this publication, and I would lose $25 in the process. Maybe Gary Gentile had some great accomplishments in the 1990s, but its been 15 years. Rest on your laurels, instead of making some lame attempts to debunk things that dont need debunking. Tell the whole truth about your own history, instead of claiming to tell the unvarnished truth about others. Live up to the standards you want everyone to adhere to!
If youre thinking about reading Shipwreck Heresies, do yourself a favor, and save your money for a few nice jumbo rolls of Charmin.
P.S. Gary, if you read this, and rip on me in your next book, please get my username right.
Shipwreck Heresies is self published by Gentiles own publishing company, and from the onset, I can see why. Gentile mixes big words, with poor grammar, and basically rants and raves for 260 pages.
In his latest works, he recounts many of his greatest accomplishments, most of which were 15-20 years ago. Gentile gripes about everyone who disagrees with his version of the unvarnished truth wherever he can. He takes pot shots at Scubaboard, Wreck Diving Magazine, Deep Sea Detectives, Bret Gilliam, Dan Crowell, and of course his favorite targets; John Chatterton and Richie Kohler.
Gentile relives his battle against NOAA for the right to dive the USS Monitor. I find some irony in Gentiles use of incomplete tales, to puff up his importance in the court case in which NOAA ultimately began issuing permits to dive the USS Monitor. At the end of that chapter, Gentile claims, I won my lawsuit in late 1989. As a result, I was awarded the first ever permit to dive on the Monitor. He somehow neglects to mention that his wasnt the first civilian led (non-government) expedition to the wreck in the summer of 1990. The late Rod Farb holds that distinction, Whoops?
Gentile may be best known for his outspoken truth of the U-869 story, AKA Shadow Divers Exposed. It seems through most of that book, he complained that Shadow Divers downplayed the roles of many of the key participants in the discovery, and ultimately the identification of the U-869. More irony from Gentile comes in the form of the same kind of downplaying in his version of the 1994 expedition to the Lusitania. Reading through the 6 reprinted articles he re-publishes in Shipwreck Heresies; it seems that the hypocrisy is really on the other foot. The joint expedition with US and British divers is chronicled by Gentile. However, upon reading through his recount of the expedition, one would get the impression that John Chatterton and John Yurga were only there to mix nitrox for everyone? Wheres the give credit where credit is due that he rants about in his other works where he claims that certain people were stealing the credit? Again; the shoe of hypocrisy is firmly on the foot of Gary Gentile.
The final 70 pages of this book are devoted to more slams against Shadow Divers and Gentile rebuts some of the criticism posted on Scubaboard regarding his book Shadow Divers Exposed. Shortly into his tirade, he sites:
** News Flash ** Scubaboard is viewable by the public, without having to be a registered user! I guess this fact must have slipped past this super sleuth?
It also appears as though he refers to a certain user who was a staunch supporter of his as, shakehead. I believe that upon reading through several threads on Scubaboard about SDX, that Gentile is referring incorrectly to user TONKA97.
Gentile also accuses Scubaboard of censorship of any commentary that supported SDX, however, upon searching Scubaboard, I found several instances of Tonkas praise for Gentiles book, and his continual regurgitation of the Gentileisms expressed in SDX. Gentile also claims a conspiracy against him by Random House; the publisher of Shadow Divers, because they wouldnt publish Shadow Divers Exposed. Perhaps if his editorial content were more cohesive with use of proper grammar and less casual tones, he may have had a better chance of being published by a real company?Gentile devotes several pages to take pot shots at another great in diving history, Bret Gilliam. Ironically, he also devoted half of his most recent e-mail newsletter printing retractions regarding his comments about Gilliam in this book.
Its almost comedic that on page 200 of Shipwreck Heresies that Gentile spends several paragraphs, slamming Gilliam for even insinuating that Gentile could possibly make a mistake regarding the chemical symbol for Helium, which Gentile apparently published in the Ultimate Wreck Diving Guide as HE2.Gary Gentile Newsletter:
Huh?Shipwreck Heresies:
I have to ask though. If he admits wrongdoing, and that his word of mouth information (which some may call hearsay) which he published in a book was incorrect where does one find the truth from the lies in ANY of his work? I may not be an attorney, but I do watch a lot of TV, and it seems like once you discredit the witness, all of their testimony is usually disregarded. Yes?
The bitter contempt continues, Inviting Chatterton and Kohler to speak at a diving symposium is like Jews inviting Hitler to speak at a convention held in memory of the Holocaust Really? Isnt that a tad melodramatic? Gentile also makes claims that the wreck had been dived and discovered 3 years prior to the dive that is the beginning of Shadow Divers. He states that two other people had dived the wreck, and that they knew it was a sub, but just not that it was a U-Boat. Then they forgot about it for 20 years, until interviewed by Gentile?
Gentile also finds every opportunity to slam and attempt to discredit the book, and even refers to it as, Shadow Divers perpetrated the greatest literary hoax of the century, perhaps the millennia, perhaps since Johann Gutenberg invented moveable type for his printing press. Wow. As far as I can tell from having read Shadow Divers, it would be an indisputable fact, that until Chatterton entered the electric motor room and found the spare parts box which positively identified the U-869 as such, that all prior GUESSES as to the identity of the wreck were just that. Sure, maybe someone THOUGHT it was the U-869, but the proof (and the credit for identification) is in the pudding. This would be the spare parts box.
After finishing Shipwreck Heresies, I read something on Gentiles website, in some of his own self aggrandizing thoughts on his work, This is a book that will rile your blood. I can say that it did, I was utterly disgusted that someone would waste the paper required to print this publication, and I would lose $25 in the process. Maybe Gary Gentile had some great accomplishments in the 1990s, but its been 15 years. Rest on your laurels, instead of making some lame attempts to debunk things that dont need debunking. Tell the whole truth about your own history, instead of claiming to tell the unvarnished truth about others. Live up to the standards you want everyone to adhere to!
If youre thinking about reading Shipwreck Heresies, do yourself a favor, and save your money for a few nice jumbo rolls of Charmin.
P.S. Gary, if you read this, and rip on me in your next book, please get my username right.
). It's like going to a Tarantino film and then complaining that there's too much violence. 
)
