Left to Die: The Tragedy of the USS Juneau [Mass Market Paperback]

Dan Kurzman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1995

Recounts the tragic story of the USS Juneau and the unneccessary sacrifice of its one hundred forty survivors, including the five Sullivan brothers, to military indecision. Reprint. NYT.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

On November 13, 1942, during the naval battle of Guadalcanal, a Japanese submarine torpedoed the cruiser U.S.S. Juneau , killing most of its 700-plus crew. Some 150 survivors watched in dismay as the rest of the task force sailed over the horizon, its commander, Captain Gilbert C. Hoover, having decided that it was too dangerous to pick them up. Due to communications foul-ups combined with gross negligence, rescuers did not arrive until eight days later, by which time only 10 Juneau crewmen remained alive. Kurzman's skillful recounting of the nightmarish events in the water, reconstructed from interviews with five of the survivors and with relatives of the other five will not be soon forgotten by readers--especially the horrifying shark frenzies. The book reveals details of the Navy's investigation and its decision to quietly bury the tragic story with this official statement: "Let the Juneau be remembered simply as the ill-fated ship on which the celebrated Sullivan brothers courageously died fighting when it went down, bringing new glory on the U.S. Navy." The author of the acclaimed Fatal Voyage: The Sinking of the U.S.S. Indianapolis has re-created another memorable disaster story.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

In 1942 the U.S. cruiser Juneau was sunk near Guadalcanal. Because of a mistaken belief that there were no survivors and several other successive errors, the 180 men who survived the sinking were reduced by thirst, wounds, and shark attack during the course of a week to only 10. Among those lost were the five Sullivan brothers, who became the best-known casualties of an otherwise little-known episode of World War II. Kurzman has pulled together just about all the material one could reasonably expect into what will likely stand as the definitive recounting of the tragedy, because most of the survivors and their next of kin are now departing the scene. Sometimes clumsily told but generally powerful, his effort deserves its place in at least larger naval and World War II collections. Roland Green --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Pocket Books (May 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671748742
• ISBN-13: 978-0671748746
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #171,153 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Engrossing and Sad Account, December 25, 1999

By 

Aussie Reader ""Rick"" (Canberra, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Left to Die: The Tragedy of the USS Juneau (Mass Market Paperback)

I first read this book when it came out in hardback a few years back and parts of it still stick in my mind. The author offers an interesting and truely sad account of the fate of the survivors from the USS Juneau. I have never forgotten the account of the five Sullivan brothers and the other men left to die in the sea around Guadalcanal. This is a terrible story which really reminds you that war is a horrible business. The author tells a great story and you will find it hard to put the book down once you start.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars other ships present justified in leaving., March 16, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Left to Die: The Tragedy of the USS Juneau (Mass Market Paperback)

I was present and actually SAW the ship get sunk. I was aboard the USS HELENA CL50 and sitting on the fantail deck with a buddy and we were tring to figgure out where she had been hit the night before. There was a puff of smoke, a bang, and in less than 30 seconds there was nothing to see. G.Q. was sounded and before we could get to the hatch to go to aour station, about 20 feet, the smoke had cleared and there was nothing to be seen. The officers of the surviving ships did not and could not believe anyone could survive that explosion. Eugene E, Lajeunesse, USS HELENA survivor.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kurzman's other Nautical disaster, July 22, 2000

By 

Brian D. Rubendall (Oakton, VA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Left to Die: The Tragedy of the USS Juneau (Mass Market Paperback)

Dan Kurzman followed up his excellent account of the sinking of the USS Indianapolis ("Fatal Voyage") with another tragic sinking of an American warship, this time the USS Juneau. The Juneau disaster is probably best known because among the many deaths were five brothers who had joined the navy at the start of World War Two and insisted that they be assigned to the same ship. Only one of the brothers survived the initial sinking, and he tragically succcomed to dehydration and delirium while frantically searching for his siblings on the open ocean amidst the oil and debris from the wreck. Equally compelling is the story of how the commander of The Juneau's task force made a life and death decision to leave the survivors behind in the water lest he put his other ships at risk. As a result only a mere handful of sailors ultimately survived. Their story is as haunting as anything I've read.