Sealab Information

Ben Hellwarth is a journalist, author, editor, ghostwriter, and all-purpose wordsmith. He won a number of notable awards during a 15-year stretch working full time for newspapers before landing a contract with Simon & Schuster to write his first book, the well-received nonfiction narrative Sealab: Americas Forgotten Quest to Live and Work on the Ocean Floor . Its the first book to tell the full story of a game-changing U.S. Navy project of the 1960s whose legacy lives on in deep-sea diving and manned undersea operations, despite a persistent dearth of funding, as Ben has explained in a number of published articles, including an op-ed in the New York Times . It should be noted that Ben does not typically refer to himself in the third person, like, say, Bob Dole or Elmo, both well-known illeists. But for the purposes of this brief bio Ben figured hed stick with the third person, a convention of many websites not that hes totally conventional. One of the professional hats Ben wears nowadays is as unofficial spokesman for the pioneering U.S. Navy scientists and divers who made Sealab and its breakthroughs in deep diving possible (as in these New York Times obituaries for Walt Mazzone and Bob Barth ). Audiences at numerous events have heard Bens (lively!) PowerPoint presentation, which includes some of the rare audio recordings and visuals he dug up while researching his book, and Ben makes frequent on-screen appearances in the recent PBS documentary based on his book. A rigorous approach to research and reporting has long been a hallmark of Bens journalism, as has his discerning way with words, especially when it comes to explaining complicated or unfamiliar stuff like a lot of the science and technology involved in the Sealab ventures. Theres a reason Parade magazine called Sealab as captivating as an adventure novel. Others offered similar praise for the books fusion of style and accuracy. You can read the first chapter here , and if you want a glimpse into the inner workings of investigative journalism (and ...