Until the Sea Shall Free Them: Life, Death, and Survival in the Merchant Marine (Bluejacket Books) - Softcover

Robert Frump

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1591142849 ISBN 13: 9781591142843

Publisher: Naval Institute Press, 2007

Synopsis

In 1983, the freighter Marine Electric ran into a violent storm off the Eastern Seaboard of the United States. Despite Force 10 conditions and fifty feet waves the crew were unconcerned: the ship had survived worse. But something was wrong, the ship was beginning to break up under them; gradually it began to go down by the head, then to capsize. Within two hours the crew were in the water in a desperate struggle for their lives. Their plight sparked one of the most dramatic air-sea rescues in maritime history. Only three of the 34 crew survived the night. The ship had sunk due to a serious structural defect. The chief mate Bob Cusick discovered that the owners had lost several other ships in similar circumstances to the Marine Electric, but the sinkings had been covered up. He decided to go after the company and they in turn rounded on him, the sole surviving officer. What follows is an epic and epochal court case that left none of the participants unscarred.

About this title

Review:

'This is a story told with riveting intensity. Frump captures both the cruel sea and the determination of a group of individuals who worked together to fix a broken system.' Until the Sea Shall Free Them is maritime journalism at its best. --Paul Stillwell, author of 'Battleship Arizona: An Illustrated History' From the Hardcover edition.

A spellbinding and eloquent story of tragedy, courage, and the triumph of one man determined to see that his shipmates did not die in vain. --Mark Bowden, author of Black Hawk Down

Book Description:

The Perfect Storm meets Black Hawk Down in a gripping account of one of the most significant shipwrecks of the twentieth century.

About this edition

• Publisher: Naval Institute Press
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 1591142849
• ISBN 13: 9781591142843
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 341