Down to the Sea: An Epic Story of Naval Disaster and Heroism in World War II [Paperback]

Bruce Henderson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 4, 2008

This epic story opens at the hour the Greatest Generation went to war on December 7, 1941, and follows four U.S. Navy ships and their crews in the Pacific until their day of reckoning three years later with a far different enemy: a deadly typhoon. In December 1944, while supporting General MacArthur's invasion of the Philippines, Admiral William "Bull" Halsey neglected the Law of Storms, placing the mighty U.S. Third Fleet in harm's way. Drawing on extensive interviews with nearly every living survivor and rescuer, as well as many families of lost sailors, transcripts and other records from naval courts of inquiry, ships' logs, personal letters, and diaries, Bruce Henderson finds some of the story's truest heroes exhibiting selflessness, courage, and even defiance.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for TRUE NORTH: “Nail-biting true adventure” (Kirkus Review )

Praise for TRUE NORTH: “A masterful job” (San Francisco Chronicle )

Praise for AND THE SEA WILL TELL: “Engrossing...compelling. This book succeeds on all counts” (L.A. Times Book Review )

About the Author

Bruce Henderson is the author or coauthor of more than twenty nonfiction books, including the #1 New York Times bestseller And the Sea Will Tell (with Vincent Bugliosi) and Down to the Sea. A former newspaper and magazine writer, Henderson has taught nonfiction writing at several major universities. He lives in Menlo Park, California.

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial; Reprint edition (November 4, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061173177
• ISBN-13: 978-0061173172
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,076,217 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Bruce Henderson is the author or coauthor of more than twenty nonfiction books, including the #1 New York Times bestseller And the Sea Will Tell (with Vincent Bugliosi), which was made into a highly-rated CBS miniseries. His latest book is Hero Found: The Greatest POW Escape of the Vietnam War (Harper, 2010), the story of Navy pilot Dieter Dengler, with whom Henderson served aboard the aircraft carrier Ranger (CVA-61) in 1965-66. He is also the author of Down to the Sea: An Epic Story of Naval Diaster and Heroism in World War II (Smithsonian, 2007). A member of the Authors Guild and American Society of Journalists and Authors, Henderson has taught reporting and writing courses at several California universities, including USC School of Journalism and Stanford University. Visit his website: www.BruceHendersonBooks.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Typhoon Survivor, December 11, 2007

By 

Patrick H. Douhan (Fresno, California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Down to the Sea: An Epic Story of Naval Disaster and Heroism in World War II (Hardcover)

Down to the Sea: An Epic Story of Naval Disaster and Heroism in World War IIMy name is Pat Douhan and I am one of the few survivors from the USS Hull DD350. After reading this book I can truthfully say that Bruce Henderson did an outstanding job of compilling
the true facts leading up to, during and after our loss in Typhoon Cobra. Being the reunion coordinator for the USS Hull reunions I am very close to most of my surviving shipmates as well as others that transferred prior to our sinking and this author has put together the true facts he obtained through research, interview, Naval records and ships deck logs, something than none of the previous authors accomplished. When reading this book you can see that our problems really begin when we had a change of command in October during our yard overhaul in Seattle. We destroyer sailors are close nit group and not too much was known about the loss of the three "tin cans" in the typhoon and we did not say much, but over the past few years this Naval tragedy has come to light and is getting some attention and as you can see by this authors writings you are not going to win when you are fighting mother nature. I will say again, after having been there,that this book "Down to the Sea" truthfully tells it like it was.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Halsey's Folley, November 13, 2007

By 

M. A. Ramos (Florida USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Down to the Sea: An Epic Story of Naval Disaster and Heroism in World War II (Hardcover)

In this book we gain an insight into the epic story of the history of the 1944 Typhoon, later known as Typhoon Cobra, that the Third Fleet Sailed into. The first half of the book introduces us to the destroyers and their crew that will suffer the tragedy that could have easily been avoided.

In `Down to the Sea' the author does a wonderful job of detailing the strengths and failings of each ship as we follow its career from construction to its ultimate end. Using a vast number of references Henderson is able to recreate life aboard these destroyers and share with a look at what it was like to be there. We learned just enough to know the skill level of the officers and crew by the time of the storm, and all that these brave ships had accomplished while under competent command. As far as the actual details of the battles they were in, there are many books written on that subject.

As you read this account of what transpired it becomes apparent that Admiral Halsey, a Naval Combat Hero, was not competent at commanding a large fleet. It was his bad judgment, tied in with his concern of appearing to not support MacArthur, that lead the fleet to sail directly into the typhoon. Though the navy made other mistakes, such as ignoring the very accurate weather reports from the Army, not recalculating the stability of the modified destroyers and the fear instilled in their crews to question their Captains so called "final decisions" lead to all these deaths and the loss of the three destroyers. It also had me questioning the motives of the board of inquiry, was it all just for show? According to this account there is no question that the surviving destroyer Captain should have been court-martialed and Admiral Halsey retired.

This book is a very compelling read that was well written and researched. It flowed as if it was a novel and I wanted to continue turning each page to see what was going to transpire next. The accounts of the survivors on the last moments onboard and their many hours in the sea are harrowing. This book does not hide anything; it shows the good and the bad. I would highly recommend this book. It must be read by anyone interested in naval history.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Definitive history of Typoon Cobra, November 1, 2007

By 

John Kreidler (Mill Valley, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Down to the Sea: An Epic Story of Naval Disaster and Heroism in World War II (Hardcover)

In the past year, three histories have been published of the monumental 1944 typhoon that badly damaged Admiral Halsey's Third Fleet, resulting in the loss of three destroyers and the death of nearly 800 men, one of whom was my father. From my knowledge of this incident, I give Bruce Henderson, author of "Down to the Sea", the highest marks for the depth and accuracy of his research, fine writing style, and insightful conclusions about the causes of the disaster. Mr. Henderson is a gifted writer of history, but he is also a veteran U.S. Navy weatherman with the experience necessary to thoroughly plumb the saga of Typhoon Cobra.