Synopses & Reviews
In December 1944, Admiral William Bull Halsey was America's most popular and colorful naval hero. While supporting General Douglas MacArthur's famous I Shall Return invasion of the Philippines, he unwittingly sailed his undefeated Pacific Fleet into the teeth of the most powerful storm on earth. The typhoon left a previously invincible fleet devastated, inflicting more damage and loss of life than the Battle of Midway. Stunned Navy brass suppressed the scope of the disaster so as not to endanger the American advance on Tokyo, and Halsey never spoke about the ensuing Court of Inquiry. Only now, thanks to documents that have been declassified after sixty years and dozens of firsthand accounts from survivors--including one by former president Gerald Ford--can the tragic yet heroic story of Halsey's Typhoon finally be told. Smashed and battered by waves and wind, Halsey's Third Fleet fought desperately to stay afloat. Dozens of ships were damaged and three--the destroyers USS Hull, USS Monaghan, and USS Spence--absorbed so much punishment that they capsized. Nearly nine hundred sailors and officers were hurled into the ocean or trapped belowdecks. Most of these men, who were teenagers or in their early twenties, found themselves struggling to keep their heads above the frothing seventy-foot waves in the deepest shark-infested waters of the Pacific. Over the next sixty hours, small bands of survivors fought dehydration, exhaustion, and the elements to await rescue at the hands of the courageous Lieutenant Commander Henry Lee Plage who, defying orders, sailed his tiny destroyer escort, the USS Tabberer, through 150-mph winds to rescue drifting sailors. Halsey's Typhoon is a gripping truestory of courage and survival against impossible odds--and one of the grestest World War II sagas of our time.
Review
A powerful and engrossing story of tragedy, survival, and heroism.” Mark Bowden, author ofBlack Hawk Down
A taut chronicle of the storm and its survivors, impeccably researched and thrillingly told.” Mens Journal
This book is so good that I kept forgetting I was reading it to ensure accuracy instead of merely reading because it was captivating. What a terrific story. Where did we find such men?” Captain Michael J. Jacobsen, United States Navy
If the Beaufort scale were a thrill meter,Halseys Typhoonwould rate a force 12.” Anthony Brandt,National Geographic Adventure
Review
and#147;A powerful and engrossing story of tragedy, survival, and heroism.and#8221; and#151;Mark Bowden, author of Black Hawk Down
and#147;A taut chronicle of the storm and its survivors, impeccably researched and thrillingly told.and#8221; and#151;Menand#8217;s Journal
and#147;This book is so good that I kept forgetting I was reading it to ensure accuracy instead of merely reading because it was captivating. What a terrific story. Where did we find such men?and#8221; and#151;Captain Michael J. Jacobsen, United States Navy
and#147;If the Beaufort scale were a thrill meter, Halseyand#8217;s Typhoon would rate a force 12.and#8221; and#150;and#150;Anthony Brandt, National Geographic Adventure
and#147;An impressive, long-overdue account of the U.S. Third Fleet's encounter with a savage typhoon off the Philippines in the autumn of 1944 . . . Entirely gripping . . . A guaranteed hit with maritime buffs.and#8221; and#151;Booklist
and#147;A great strength of this book is how the reader is made to feel the tension between logistical necessity and fate in the form of a storm whose path was rendered unpredictable by the imperfect science of the day. The pay off is in the body of the book, a nonstop, teeth-gritting, nonfiction thriller that is made up of eyewitness accounts of nature doing her worst and men doing their bestand#133;under horrific circumstancesand#133;. Reads at a gallop and is extremely well researchedand#133;. Bob Drury and Tom Clavin have done it.and#8221; and#150;and#150;Russell Drumm, East Hampton Star
and#147;For more than 60 years, one of the countryand#8217;s greatest tales of bravery and heroism has gone untold. The story, told in plain language by dozens of men who witnessed or survived the actual tragic events but kept mum for outdated reasons, spent that time gathering dust in a box amid hundreds of thousands of other boxes in a cavernous government warehouse. Until Tom Clavin and Bob Drury found it.and#8221; and#150;and#150;Michael Wright, Southampton Press
and#147;Not just a top pick for World War II history holdings, but for general interest collections strong in wartime adventure storiesand#133;. An extraordinary account of an extraordinary, little-revealed event which provoked extreme heroism under extreme conditions.and#8221; and#150;and#150;Library Bookwatch
and#147;Drury and Clavinand#8217;s book could not be better timed, given the renewed interest in the Pacific theatre and#133; and public awareness now of the infighting between and among military and civilian leaders over policies and procedures in Iraq. Halseyand#8217;s Typhoon delivers a fine, fact-filled account of the various rivalries and disagreements of the major playersand#133;. The book also provides a suspense-laden account of extraordinary endurance and heroic risk that resonates as a contemporary disaster taleand#133;. Easy, engaging and informative reading.and#8221; and#150;and#150;Joan Baum, The Independent
and#147;[Halseyand#8217;s Typhoon] is not just a top pick for World War II history holdings, but for general-interest collections strong in wartime adventure storiesand#133;. An extraordinary account of an extraordinary, little revealed event which provoked extreme heroism under extreme conditions.and#8221; and#150;and#150;Internet Bookwatch
and#147;A riveting tale of the fierce storm that capsized three ships, damaged dozens of others and killed 793 sailors.and#8221; and#150;and#150;Carol Comegno, Courier-Post (NJ)
and#147;Superb . . . My father flew torpedo bombers off these same carriers in these same waters, perhaps with these same men. Drury and Clavinand#8217;s writing is as clever and compelling as it is rich with detail, and for me, my father lived in each line. He once told me that the second most magnificent sight he had ever seen (after my mother on a blind date) was while flying his TBM off Saipan, and being able to see in all directions nothing but the United States Navy steaming toward Japan. I wish he were still alive so I could present him with this magnificent book.and#8221; and#151;Gary Kinder, author of Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea
and#147;I thought I was a student of military history, but until I read Halseyand#8217;s Typhoon, I had no inkling that such an epic disasterand#151;and an even more epic rescue missionand#151;struck the U.S. Navy in World War II. This is a brilliant book, a rip-roaring read that puts you, sweating with fear, right in the middle of the action. Itand#8217;s so good, Iand#8217;ll ignore the fact that the navy guys are the heroes.and#8221; and#151;Colonel (Retired) David Hunt, Fox News counterterrorism and military analyst and author of They Just Donand#8217;t Get It
and#147;[Halseyand#8217;s Typhoon] tells the story of human heroes and human failure in terms of those who lived the ordeal and suffered great loss. The anecdotal aura, supported by scientific, technical, and naval tactical information, places this story in the peerless category with Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors. It is a part of our history that deserves the light of day because of its valuable lessons and the intrepidity of those who came courageously to the rescue of sailors at seaand#151;a tradition that stands at the pinnacle of manand#8217;s responsibilities.and#8221; and#151;Vice Admiral (Ret.) Edward S. Briggs, United States Navy
and#147;[Halseyand#8217;s Typhoon] is a tale of high adventure that was carefully researched by two established writersand#133; Drury and Clavin have done a fine job. Their work has first place on my Christmas gift list for Navy Friends.and#8221; and#150;and#150;Colonel (Ret.) Gordon W. Keiser, U.S. Marine Corps, Proceedings
and#147;I couldn't put this great read down. This account of Admiral William 'Bull' Halsey's Pacific Fleet facing a devastating typhoon during WW II has military history, naval operations, suspense, adventure, tragedy, and triumph interwoven in a little-known episode from the war in the Pacific.and#8221; and#151;Rich Daley, Pass Christian Books, Pass Christian, MS, Book Sense quote
and#147;With Halseyand#8217;s Typhoon, Drury and Clavin have discovered an epic nautical adventure worthy of Joseph Conrad. Whatand#8217;s more, their telling of the story is at once taut, poignant, and evocative. You can smell the blood in the water, but you canand#8217;t put it down.and#8221; and#151;Mark Kriegel, author of Namath and Pistol: The Life of Pete Maravich
and#147;Terrifying . . . This is not just a tale of men against nature. Itand#8217;s also a tale of men for, and against, other men.and#8221; and#151;Kirkus Reviews
and#147;Absorbing . . . A vivid tale of tragedy and gallantry at sea.and#8221; and#151;Publishers Weekly
Synopsis
Halsey's Typhoon is the story of World War II's most unexpected disaster at sea. In the final days of 1944, Admiral William "Bull" Halsey is the Pacific theater's most popular and colorful naval hero. After a string of victories, the "Fighting Admiral" and his thirty-thousand-man Third Fleet are charged with protecting General MacArthur's flank during the invasion of the Philippine island of Mindoro. But in the midst of the landings, Halsey attempts a complicated refueling maneuver and unwittingly drives his 170 ships into the teeth of a massive typhoon. Halsey's men find themselves battling 90-foot waves and 150 mph winds--amid the chaos, three ships are sunk and nearly nine hundred sailors and officers are swept into the Philippine Sea. For three days, small bands of survivors battle dehydration, exhaustion, sharks, and the elements awaiting rescue at the hands of the courageous lieutenant commander Henry Lee Plage, who, defying orders, sails his tiny destroyer escort, the USS Tabberer, back into the storm to rescue drifting sailors. Halsey's Typhoon is a gripping true tale of courage and survival against impossible odds--and one of the finest untold World War II sagas of our time.
Synopsis
Halseyand#8217;s Typhoon is the story of World War IIand#8217;s most unexpected disaster at sea. In the final days of 1944, Admiral William and#147;Bulland#8221; Halsey is the Pacific theaterand#8217;s most popular and colorful naval hero. After a string of victories, the and#147;Fighting Admiraland#8221; and his thirty-thousand-man Third Fleet are charged with protecting General MacArthurand#8217;s flank during the invasion of the Philippine island of Mindoro. But in the midst of the landings, Halsey attempts a complicated refueling maneuver and unwittingly drives his 170 ships into the teeth of a massive typhoon. Halseyand#8217;s men find themselves battling 90-foot waves and 150 mph windsand#151;amid the chaos, three ships are sunk and nearly nine hundred sailors and officers are swept into the Philippine Sea. For three days, small bands of survivors battle dehydration, exhaustion, sharks, and the elements awaiting rescue at the hands of the courageous lieutenant commander Henry Lee Plage, who, defying orders, sails his tiny destroyer escort, the USS Tabberer, back into the storm to rescue drifting sailors. Halseyand#8217;s Typhoon is a gripping true tale of courage and survival against impossible oddsand#151;and one of the finest untold World War II sagas of our time.