Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Rescue of the Bounty: Disaster and Survival in Superstorm Sandy

Rescue of the Bounty: Disaster and Survival in Superstorm Sandy
by Michael J. Tougias and Douglas A. Campbell
Scribner, 2014.  232 pgs. Nonfiction

When the skipper of the tall ship "Bounty" tried to skirt the edge of Hurricane Sandy in pursuit of safe haven in Florida, bad things happened. The bilge pumps, already working at half capacity, couldn't handle the enormous influx of sea water, the storm was ever so much larger than the captain and crew had anticipated, and everything everyone could do was not enough. This, coupled with a delay in ordering the abandonment of the ship left two people dead and the rest of the crew and their rescuers fighting towering seas and furious winds to reach safety. As is his tradition, Michael Tougias writes a fine sea story here, filled with both terror and courage, major mistakes and extraordinary skill. The narrative takes a good long while to get to the action, but when it arrives, hold your breath and hang on.

LW

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