Tragedy At Sea Will Never Be Forgotten
341662
This was a compelling novel which included many facts.  The more I read, the more I had to read.  You could see the research that went into the writing of this novel!
3750213
Heroes of Isle aux Morts by Alice Walsh is an amazing true story about a very hazardous rescue that happened in July 1828 off the coast of Newfoundland before it was a province of Canada.

Early one morning Anne Harvey woke to the sound of a ferocious storm and above the wind a distress signal. Then she saw a flare light up the sky, meaning there was a ship in trouble and without help its passengers would surely drown. Many ships had been driven onto the rocks in storms, and Anne and her father knew there wasn't much time for a rescue. The island where the family lived was called Isle aux Morts, meaning island of the dead, because of so many people losing their lives off their coast.

Anne, her father, her younger brother, and their large Newfoundland dog, Hairy Man, loaded into a dory and launched into the waves. Newfoundland dogs are known for their brave deeds, and what the family did to save those people made them, and especially Hairy Man, heroes. Its an unbelievable story, and yet its true. History notes how King George IV, king of England, recognized the family as heroes for saving the lives of one hundred and sixty-three passengers, one by one, in treacherous conditions.

Heroes of Isle aux Morts is a must-read story of the ship the Despatch, the Harvey family, a Newfoundland dog, and a historical rescue at sea. Alice Walsh, formerly from Newfoundland, wrote a breath-taking story of drama and bravery. The illustrations by Geoff Butler are fantastic, showing how rugged and dangerous the rescue was that dark, stormy day.
1164244
This is one of the most brutal accounts of the Pacific Naval war I have ever read. It also describes in detail the many unnecessary lives that were lost because of our Admiral's (King, Halsey, Spruance, Nimitz) mistakes and egos. This is based on a true incident about a ship that was supposed to be jinxed. If you know your World War 2 Naval history, you will also know the name of the ship that it is based on.
A breathtaking read. Mr Fleming has done his research and shows great courage on writing this book.
376854
Hilary Hyland has done an incredible job of researching and then fictionalizing this incredible story of a shipwreck of the coast of Newfoundland in a blizzard during December 1919.  Her depication of life on the island, as well as the loving relationship between a girl and her dog, offer readers two good reasons to read this book.  Hyland tells the tale of Colleen and her dog, Skipper, while drawing the parallel story of a poor Irish boy, Patrick, who works on the SS Ethie.  I think many young boys and girls will be able to put themselves in the place of Colleen and Patrick and live this harrowing adventure to the fullest.  Since there is a happy ending for everyone, the story can be read by younger children (seven or eight) without fear of nightmares.
2224657
This is a moving and very personal account of overwhelming tragedy and extreme grief which human beings should try to understand in whatever degree is possible. Natural disaster and war have touched millions of people and completely upended the lives of the survivors since the world began. Wave helps us try to share in the mourning with the hope that sharing might lift a tiny bit of the burden for any who experience such unspeakable loss.
3110002
In the Kingdom of Ice: The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeannette by Hampton Sides is a terrific piece of non-fiction writing. It is one of those books that, while reading, your mind is inside the story, as if you are watching helplessly from above the tragedy unfolding and the heroic actions of the sailors of the USS Jeannette. Sides brings to life George Washington DeLong, George W. Melville, James Gordon Bennett, Jr, et al. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
21155
It's a pity this book's out of print. I read it for the first time in a Dutch translation when I was 17 years old. It made a deep impression on me. When I read the English version, fifteen years on, this impression was even  deepened. What the people on board of the cargo-vessels and warships that  crossed the North-Atlantic during WW II had to endure is almost beyond  description.  Monserrat did a terrific job doing this. I was captured from  the beginning to the end. I myself being a ship's captain was moved deeply  by  this story of the sea, the war and the movings of small human beings  caught in between. Anything Alistair McLean might have written about this  subject is put very much in the shadow by this terriffic book.
787030
Author Dan Kurzman here tells the story of the sinking of the heavy cruiser Indianapolis by a Japanese submarine, only days after it had delivered key components of the atomic bomb to Tinian in the Marianas and only days before the bomb was dropped.  Due to various foul-ups in communication and withheld information, the Indianapolis is not only sunk but its drifting survivors languish for days amidst sharks and maddening thirst and exposure before being rescued.  What results is the largest loss of life from a single vessel at sea in U.S. navy history.

Captain McVay, the Indianapolis' skipper, is put on trial and set up to be the scapegoat.  Since the war is now over, we are made to witness the unprecedented spectacle of the skipper of the Japanese submarine that sank the Indianapolis, Commander Mochitsura Hashimoto, being presented as a witness at McVay's trial.

Kurzman follows the aftermath of the sinking and trial in the course of McVay's life after the war.  The story gives some good insight into how the military covers its tracks in these types of embarrassing situations.
2946806
Doug Stanton's "In Harms Way" is an outstanding book on the tragic sinking of the USS Indianapolis. Through a comedy of intelligence errors, the USS Indianoplis was sunk and then left un-noticed for 4 days when only by chance a sub-hunter crew spotted an oil slick in the ocean and then flew down to investigate, only to find what was left of the crew. Through heroic efforts on the part of this air crew and others involved in the search and rescue operations did these men survive. Had it not been for the sub-hunter pilot, the ship and crew would have perished with out a trace. The survivors endured vicious unrelenting shark attacks, burns, broken bones, exposure, dehydration, starvation, hypothermia, the torpedoing and sinking of their ship, and worst of all the abdonment of them by the NAVY they fought for. The Navy then prosecuted the captain in order to cover their own negligence. I would recommend this book to anybody who would like to read what true men are really made of. A great book and well worth reading
3919971
A book you won't forget.  Christine tells of the life she had to endure after a diving accident. Keep tissues handy.
3514592
Many years ago, the Pride of Baltimore visited us here in Newburyport, Massachusetts, and as a history buff, so began my fascination for this beautiful, unforgettable ship.  I will always remember the sight of her masts soaring above the parking lot and the trees, her pennants and topmasts looking down on our little city as though she was above us all.  In many ways, she was.

I'm going to be yet another person who gives this incredible book a 5-star rating, and if I could give it 50 stars, I would.  It takes a lot for a book to make me cry, but this one did.  Indeed, there were times that I had to actually put it down because the tears were rolling down my face.  This is an unforgettable story, and one that stays with you, indeed, even haunts you, long after you turn the last page.

Pride of Baltimore lives once again through the author's gripping account of this beautiful vessel and those who loved her.  Thank you, Mr. Waldron, for what, for me, has been the best read of the year.
4583837
Once again, Erik Larson has identified an important piece of history, one that has often been over-simplified in our educational system, and immersed himself in it so as to bring it alive for his readers. I agree with the authors sentiments as expressed in the afterword when he says that his own knowledge of the Lusitania affair was largely glossed over and that he had thought it had resulted in President Woodrow Wilsons and the American citizenrys immediate demand to enter the first World War against Germany. As it turns out, that was not the case at all.

The book covers all angles of the disastrous event that was the sinking of the RMS Lusitania of the Cunard line in May 1915 by a single torpedo launched by a German submarine, U-20, causing the deaths of 1,198 passengers and crew. (I sincerely hope that is not a spoiler for those reading this review but given the state of education these daysit may be). Just why it was sunk as it neared its destination and what circumstances led it to be targeted in the first placewell, therein lays the real story. Erik Larsen is able to combine the dramatic day-by-day and moment-by-moment events with the big picture political forces at play as well as bring it all down to the most personal viewpoints of the participants.

Larson invests a lot of time during the first half of the book introducing us to individual passengers and crew members. More than a third of those on-board actually survived the sinking and so there is a wealth of material in the form of letters, memoirs, and interviews from which to glean accurate information. The log book of the U boat commander, Captain Schwieger is also available to give a complete account. All of this makes the real-life horror to come all the more realistic but also allows us to rejoice when many of them survive to tell the complete tale.

Comparisons to the sinking of the Titanic, just a few years prior, are inevitable but what made this book intriguing to me are the numerous questions that linger to this day. To quote from the book, " Why, given all the information possessed by the Admiralty about U-20; given the Admiraltys past willingness to provide escorts to inbound ships or divert them away from trouble; given that the ship carried a vital cargo of rifle ammunition and artillery shells; given that Room 40s (intel group) intelligence prompted the obsessive tracking and protection of the HMS Orion; given that U-20 had sunk three vessels in the Lusitanias path; given Cunard chairman Booths panicked Friday morning visit to the Navys Queenstown office; given that the new and safer North Channel route was available; and given that passengers and crew alike had expected to be conveyed to Liverpool by the Royal Navythe question remains, why was the ship left on its own, with a proven killer of men and ships dead ahead in its path?The author hints at the British desire to bring America into the war at any cost but stops short of any actual conspiracy to do so.

This book was an eye-opener for me in several ways. I expected that given the authors approach to all of his books. I find myself with the need to go back and read the few remaining Erik Larson books I haven't read for I find myself drawn to his work regardless of the actual topic.

Highly recommended.
1758404
Mr. Kurzman does an excellent job of conveying both the personal stories of the Indianapolis's crew and explaining the circumstances surrounding her loss. The reader will wonder how such a tragedy could take place and how  those responsible could make a scapegoat out of Capt. McVay. This story  remains to this day a sensitive one for the US Navy.
319757
The late Mr Pope has written a classic on not only the famous battle at Trafalgar but also the day to day lives of officers and men in the Age of Sail. Some powerful accounts of what it was like for the British Royal Navy taking on a larger  French and Spanish fleet in 1805. Filled with colorful characters, blazing battles at sea, storms, the harsh treatment of the sailors and the unbelievable courage under fire as shot and canister tear into the open decks. One of the finest accounts of one of the most important sea battles in history and Mr Pope explains why this slug fest is considered so. Not to be missed by anyone interested in the lusty days of iron men and wooden ships.
Five t'gallants for this masterpiece.
263536
Edgar Harrell with David Harrell in their new book Out Of The Depths published by Bethany House Publishers gives us An Unforgettable WWII Story of Survival, Courage, and the Sinking of the USS Indianapolis.

From the back cover:  The Inspiring Story of a World War II Heros Miraculous Survival at Sea

July 30, 1945The USS Indianapolis and its 1,196-man crew is making its way toward a small island in the South Pacific. The ship is sailing unescorted, assured by headquarters the waters are safe. It is midnight, and Marine Edgar Harrell and several others have sacked out on deck rather than spend the night in their hot and muggy quarters below. Fresh off a top-secret mission to deliver uranium for the atomic bombs that would ultimately end World War II, they are unaware their ship is being watched. Minutes later, six torpedoes are slicing toward the Indy . . .

For five horrifying days and nights after their ship went down, Harrell and his shipmates had to fend for themselves in the open seas. Plagued by dehydration, exposure, saltwater poisoning, and shark attacks, their numbers were cruelly depleted before they were miraculously rescued. This is one mans story of courage, ingenuity, and faith in Gods providence in the midst of the worst naval disaster in U.S. history.

There is a shining moment in the movie, Jaws where Robert Shaw gets a chance to really act.  The others have made fun of his tattoo and he explains it to them. The tattoo is of the USS Indianapolis and he tells them it had been torpedoed and no one knew they had been sunk because they were on a top-secret mission.  It took five days before the survivors could be rescued. It is riveting in the movie it is much more riveting in this book. Edgar Harrell was there!  He experienced events that most of us will never encounter.  It took a great deal of faith to come through those five days and nights.  I am so glad he took the time to tell us about not only the actual events but how he was able to make it through.  If you like your stories real and epic then this book is for you.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers.  I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
1099228
What better book could there be to read during this time of the year when the Titanic tragedy anniversary looms in the near future once more? I read the first book, "A Night to Remember" years ago, and I can tell you, it hasn't lost the magic over time. If anything, with all of the new evidence and scientific discovery about the White Star Line's leading lady, this book is more timely than ever before.

This may be one of the most talked about disasters in the history of the human (and particularly maritime) world, but it never touches your heart quite the way it does when you hear it told step by brutal step with actual accounts of the survivors and stories from the remaining crew that did not meet their fateful end with the ship of dreams. I was amazed the first time I read this, and was equally as amazed this time.

This was the first time I had ever read "The Night Lives On" and it added to the overall experience by filling in all of the lesser known details that were not covered in the first book. Years after this disaster happened, the media still gets their reports wrong when a disaster does strike. It makes one stop and think about what we really believe and how information is passed along to us.

I think the most important part of this story, and what makes it so enduring, is how preventable it actually was. The lack of lifeboats, the unheeded warnings about the fields of ice, and the determination to be the biggest, fastest and most impressive vessel in the world ended the lives of more than 1500 people that night, not an iceberg. Throughout the various ages of history there have been many fine examples of things being overlooked that caused mass destruction, and the Titanic disaster is certainly no exception.

The author of this book did more than just his research. He opened the eyes of all who have read it to a startling revelation: Nothing is impossible, unthinkable or unsinkable. Should you wish to know more about this great seafaring blunder or just find a compelling read to while away the hours, this is a first rate choice.

This review is based on a digital ARC from Open Road Media.
1272500
April 15th, 2012 marked the 100th anniversary of the devastating sinking of the Titanic, a disaster that left almost 1,500 of the 2,209 on board this "unsinkable ship" dead. While most everyone knows of the Titanic through books, movies, plays, etc. most accounts center around the actual sinking of the ship. But what of its passengers? Who were they, where did they come from and, for the survivors, where did they go after? This book seeks to tackle those topics, and many more, to give an account of the people of the Titanic and what this ships sinking meant for the world as well as the age in which it occured.

The Titanic's first class passenger list is a veritable "who's who" of the gilded age and represented a small world of travel, luxury and excess. With last names like Astor and Guggenheim, celebrated artists and presidential aides, socialites and suffragettes, and millionaires from just about every corner of industry and society these people held influence over much of the western world of the time. What sets this account apart from others I have read and seen is the human aspect that gives us a glimpse into each of their lives, telling us where they come from, how they lived and what brought them onto the Titanic for its maiden voyage. It also showed us the good and the bad of how they responded to the boat's sinking. With pictures included throughout I got a real feel for these Titans (and Titanesses) of the age and was fascinated to see these people, who I had previously only known by name, as real people who made mistakes, shocked society, loved as they saw fit and, for many, suffered huge losses that no amount of money could make up for.

The other surprising aspect of this book for me was learning about the aftermath of the crash and how it affected the survivors. Becoming committed to the various passengers as I learned their stories I was devastated to learn when some (actually many) did not live through the crash. Being friends and contemporaries of these lost souls compounded the survivor's hurt, grief and lose and they manifested that in a variety of ways. Some died shortly after, either naturally, from complications of their ordeal or of their own hands, while others went on to live long and, for many, productive lives. Some, such as Margaret Brown, worked dilligently to help those poorer survivors who did not have the money to rebuild their lives after the crash and seemed to see their survival as a type of miracle that showed them they needed to actually live again and continue when others were unable. Others were villified for their actions after the sinking and this dogged them until their deaths.

I have always been fascinated by the Titanic, as so many are, and I am so glad I read this book to give me a more well rounded view of the ship, its occupants and its impact on our world. When something so tragic occurs it stops everyone, even 100 years later, and makes them reaccess not only what happened but what we can learn from it. My love of this never-ending story is renewed, thanks to Hugh Brewster and his wonderful look into the lives aboard the Titanic.