Synopses & Reviews
From the acclaimed author whose beloved books inspired the hit television show, The Deadliest Catch, comes a thrilling true adventure tale in the Alaskan seas A Malaysian cargo ship on its way from Seattle, Washington to China ran aground off the coast of western Alaskas Aleutian Islands on December 8, 2004 during a brutal storm, leading to one of the most incredible Coast Guard rescue missions of all time.
Two Coast Guard Jayhawk helicopters lifted off immediately from Air Station Kodiak during the driving storm in an effort to rescue the ships eighteen crew members before it broke apart and sank in the freezing waters. Nine of the crew were lifted from the ship and dropped aboard a nearby Coast Guard cutter. But during attempts to save the last eight crew members, one of the Jayhawks was engulfed by a rogue wave that broke over the bow of the ship. When its engines flamed out from ingesting water, the Jayhawk crashed into the sea. The seven crew members from the ship who had been hoisted into the aircraft, along with the choppers three-man crew, plunged into the bitterly cold ocean where hypothermia began to set in immediately.
Interviewing all the surviving participants of the disaster and given access to documents and photos, acclaimed author Spike Walker has once again crafted a white-knuckle read of survival and death in the unforgiving Alaskan waters.
Review
"Spike Walker, one of America's greatest storytellers, has created a vivid landscape of survival against nature's toughest forces! His no-frills gritty style of authentic true-life tales hits the bull's-eye once again!" --Thom Beers, creator/executive producer of Deadliest Catch, Ice Road Truckers, and 1000 Ways to Die
"Deadliest Catch fans will appreciate hearing more about Alaskas dangerous environment, and there is plenty of tense human drama for even the most hardened disaster epic fan." --Booklist
Synopsis
From the author of the books that inspired the hit Discovery Channel show "Deadliest Catch" comes a thrilling chronicle of a shipwreck, a raging storm, and the harrowing Alaskan rescue that became a legend. b&w photos.
Synopsis
From the acclaimed author whose beloved books inspired the hit television show, The Deadliest Catch, a thrilling, true adventure tale in the Alaskan seas.
In 2004, during a brutal storm, a Malaysian cargo ship runs aground off the coast of Alaska. One of the most incredible Coast Guard rescue missions of all time is set in motion.
In the blinding snowstorm, two Coast Guard H-60 Jayhawk helicopters race to the scene to save as many of the vessels crewmen as possible, before she sinks or rolls over. Through gale-force winds, all but nine are hoisted by rescue basket to safety. But during attempts to save the last crewmembers, one of the Jayhawks is engulfed by a rogue wave and crashes into the sea. The men who had been hoisted into the aircraft, along with the chopper's three-man crew plunge into the ocean where hypothermia sets in immediately.
Through interviews with all the surviving participants of the disaster and with access to documents and photos, acclaimed author Spike Walker has crafted a devastating, white-knuckle tale of survival and death in the unforgiving Alaskan waters.
About the Author
SPIKE WALKER spent more than ten seasons aboard some of the most successful crab boats in the Alaskan fleet, and rode out one of the worst storms in Alaska's history. He is the author of Working on the Edge, Nights of Ice, and Coming Back Alive.