Was it the captain's fault, as many said? Or did the company, the Coast Guard and the American Bureau of Shipping all have a hand on the helm of the SS El Faro as she steered too close to Hurricane Joaquin? This is an examination of a tragedy that has been well-researched and investigated -- heroically so at times -- by the United States Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board. Three very well-done books have been published. All of these efforts produced detailed recommendations and observations and all are publicly available. I commend them to you. My effort touches on the broad sweep and events of the tragedy and investigation, but if you want the detailed story of the final voyage of the ship, you're better off with the other books. My main goal here is to show how the SS El Faro fit into a larger system and culture -- one that I have been covering off and on as a journalist and author for 38 years. It's this system, I feel, that will result in another SS El Faro someday unless it is reformed. Another note on style. My preference in non-fiction is "narrative." In other words, whenever I can, I tell a story and show what is happening; I prefer that to "telling" the reader, because I think "showing" is more readily absorbed. Humans learn through stories. Story telling rather than a lecture better illustrates the emotions at play here, as well as the moods, culture and vibe of the ship and the industry. This does not mean I take a pure poetic license. The dialogue quoted here is real, not made up. The material is factual.

WINNER OF THE MAINE LITERARY AWARD FOR NON FICTION NATIONAL BESTSELLER A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK AN NPR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR ONE OF JANET MASLIN’S MUST-READ BOOKS OF THE SUMMER A NEW YORK TIMES EDITOR'S CHOICE ONE OF OUTSIDE MAGAZINE’S BEST BOOKS OF THE SUMMER ONE OF AMAZON'S BEST NONFICTION BOOKS OF THE YEAR SO FAR “A powerful and affecting story, beautifully handled by Slade, a journalist who clearly knows ships and the sea.”—Douglas Preston, New York Times Book Review “A Perfect Storm for a new generation.” —Ben Mezrich, bestselling author of The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook On October 1, 2015, Hurricane Joaquin barreled into the Bermuda Triangle and swallowed the container ship El Faro whole, resulting in the worst American shipping disaster in thirty-five years. No one could fathom how a vessel equipped with satellite communications, a sophisticated navigation system, and cutting-edge weather forecasting could suddenly vanish—until now. Relying on hundreds of exclusive interviews with family members and maritime experts, as well as the words of the crew members themselves—whose conversations were captured by the ship’s data recorder—journalist Rachel Slade unravels the mystery of the sinking of El Faro. As she recounts the final twenty-four hours onboard, Slade vividly depicts the officers’ anguish and fear as they struggled to carry out Captain Michael Davidson’s increasingly bizarre commands, which, they knew, would steer them straight into the eye of the storm. Taking a hard look at America's aging merchant marine fleet, Slade also reveals the truth about modern shipping—a cut-throat industry plagued by razor-thin profits and ever more violent hurricanes fueled by global warming. A richly reported account of a singular tragedy, Into the Raging Sea takes us into the heart of an age-old American industry, casting new light on the hardworking men and women who paid the ultimate price in the name of profit.

In the bestselling tradition of The Perfect Storm and The Finest Hours, “an exquisitely written and dramatic book…a literary page-turner” (Doug Stanton, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Horse Soldiers)—the 2015 mysterious disappearance of the SS El Faro, a gigantic American cargo ship that sank in the Bermuda Triangle, taking with it thirty-three lives. On October 1, 2015, the SS El Faro, a massive American cargo ship disappeared in Hurricane Joaquin, a category 4 storm. The ship, its hundreds of shipping containers, and its entire crew plummeted to the bottom of the ocean, three miles down. It was the greatest seagoing US merchant marine shipping disaster since World War II. The massive ship had a seasoned crew, state-of-the-art navigation equipment, and advance warning of the storm. It seemed incomprehensible that such a ship could sink so suddenly. How, in this day and age, could something like this happen? Relying on Coast Guard inquest hearings, as well as on numerous interviews, George Michelsen Foy brings us “the most insightful exploration of this unthinkable disaster” (Outside), a story that lasts only a few days, but which grows almost intolerably suspenseful as deep-rooted flaws leading to the disaster inexorably link together and worsen. We see captain, engineers, and crew fight for their lives, and hear their actual words (as recorded on the ship’s black box) while the hurricane relentlessly tightens its noose around the ship. We watch, minute by minute, all that is happening on board—the ship’s mysterious tilt to one side, worried calls to the engine room, ship-to-shore reports, the courage of the men and women as they fight to survive, and the berserk ocean’s savage consumption of the massive hull. And through it all, the pain and ultimate resilience of the families of El Faro’s crew. Now with a new afterword, this “tour de force of nautical expertise” (Ocean Navigator) is a masterwork of stunning power.

After the body of a high-value terrorism suspect washes ashore on the coast of Italy, covert counterterrorism operative Scot Horvath must stop an ISIS-led plot to destroy the Vatican in this pulse-pounding thriller by #1 "New York Times"-bestselling author Thor. Tall Premium Edition.

A riveting account of the greatest small-boat rescue in American history.

This book provides insight into the air force weather history from 1937 to 1987. Author John F. Fuller recounts the history of the Air Weather Service from World War II to the Vietnam conflict, introducing its courageous family of forecasters who provided vital weather support for the nation's armed forces and made notable contributions to the field of meteorology. It approaches controversial events leading up to the D-Day, Hiroshima and Nagasaki forecasts. “I'd rate the book a"gem" as a reference book, especially for weather historians.” (H. Michael Mogil, NWA, June 6, 1944)

Science fiction-roman.

About the story: Jim, a teacher at the First Christian Church in Clark s Corner, Earth. He is caught in the middle of things, when the evil General Larze, from the planet Lazertra, on the other side of the galaxy, tries to overthrow the Planetary Alliance. I might as well go along with the prank. He quickly opened the passenger door of his car, saying, Do you mind, coming home with me? I have just the place, where you can hide. Continuing on home, Jim glanced at, the supposed alien, and questioned, So, what planet are you from? I am forever grateful for your assistance, kind sir. My name is Ab, and I m from the planet, Mystera, which is, on the other side of the galaxy. Jim stated with a smirk, Our Milky Way Galaxy is so vast, which means, it should have taken you years to get here, traveling at the speed of light. Not really, answered Ab, You see, my people have a way to fold space, making the distance shorter.