
Ship of Miracles
14,000 Lives and One Miraculous Voyage
Bill Gilbert(Author)
Triumph Books (Publisher)
Will be published approx. on 1. September 2000
Book
Hardback
224 pages
978-1-57243-366-3 (ISBN)
Description
It was a miracle worthy of the season. When Captain Leonard La Rue spied from his twelve-man merchant ship, the Meredith Victory, the throng of Korean refugees on the docks of a city in flames, he didn't hesitate to do what others would consider impossible. In December of 1950, La Rue and his skeleton crew rescued fourteen thousand Korean refugees from the hands of the rapidly-approaching Chinese army in the city of Hungnam. Through the night and next day, a seemingly endless succession of refugees boarded the Meredith, their will to live and strong spirit steeling them against the bitter cold and incredibly crowded conditions. Standing shoulder to shoulder for three days the refugees and crew stoically endured as La Rue steered the ship through sea battle, a thirty-mile web of sea mines, and enemy shelling. Ship of Miracles is the incredible story of what has been called "the greatest rescue operation by a single ship in the history of mankind." Against all odds, the little merchant vessel transported its precious cargo to the island of Koje-Do on Christmas Eve completely unharmed, all fourteen thousand refugees alive and well, including an additional five new lives begun on this incredible journey. As the fiftieth anniversary of this miraculous rescue approaches, Ship of Miracles is as touching today as it was then; a tale you'll hold close to your heart, and return to time and again. While the United States Navy prepares to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the perilous evacuation at Hungnam and honor the Meredith Victory's miraculous feat, read this never-before-told account from the crew themselves, as they relate the incredible and unbelievable details of their three-day journey from fear to freedom.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Chicago
United States
Product notice
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
60+ photographs from private and public collections
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 158 mm
Thickness: 22 mm
Weight
485 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-57243-366-3 (9781572433663)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Bill Gilbert is the best-selling author of eighteen books on World War II, government, politics, and sports. A former reporter for The Washington Post, he served in the United States Air Force for four years, two and a half of which were during the Korean War. He lives with his wife, Lillian, in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C.