Halsey's typhoon : the true story of a fighting admiral, an epic storm, and an untold rescue
In December 1944, America's most popular and colorful naval hero, Admiral William "Bull" Halsey, unwittingly sailed his undefeated Pacific Fleet into the teeth of a powerful typhoon. Three destroyers were capsized, sending hundreds of sailors and officers into the raging, shark-infested waters. Over the next sixty hours, small bands of survivors fought seventy-foot waves, exhaustion, and dehydration to await rescue at the hands of the courageous Lt. Com. Henry Lee Plage, who, defying orders, sailed his tiny destroyer escort USS Tabberer through 150-mph winds to reach the lost men. Thanks to documents that have been declassified after sixty years and dozens of first-hand accounts from survivors--including former President Gerald Ford--one of the greatest World War II stories, and a riveting tale of survival at sea, can finally be told.--From publisher description
Print Book, English, ©2007
Atlantic Monthly Press : Distributed by Publishers Group West, New York, ©2007
History
xix, 322 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, map ; 24 cm
9780871139481, 9780802143372, 0871139480, 0802143377
71288798
Dramatis personae
Glossary
Preface
Book 1 : The fleet
Book 2 : The storm
Book 3 : The rescue
Epilogue
Afterword 2006
Appendix : U.S. Navy personnel killed in typhoon Cobra
Map on lining papers