Sailing into the Abyss: A True Story of Extreme Heroism on the High Seas--winner of the 2006 US Maritime Literature Award [Paperback]

William R. Benedetto (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 28, 2006

In the spirit of The Perfect Storm and Shadow Divers, Sailing into the Abyss presents a minute-by-minute account of the sinking of the Merchant Marine vessel the SS Badger State, a cargo ship loaded with bombs being sent to support US troops in Vietnam. A true story that rivals that of any fiction thriller, Sailing into the Abyss uses eyewitness accounts, official documents and rarely seen photos to relate what would become the deadliest sea disaster of the Vietnam War Sailing into the Abyss compellingly documents a tragedy while celebrating the triumph of the human spirit in the face of adversity.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A thoroughly gripping story of disaster at sea reveals aspects of modern seafaring not always brought to light. The WWII freighter Badger State was bound for Vietnam in December 1969 with 5,000 tons of bombs in her hold. Heavy weather and faulty cargo stowage by the Bangor Munitions Depot caused bombs to start breaking loose—first one, then many, including the 2,000 pounders. Capt. Charles Wilson and a crew inspired by his leadership worked heroically but unsuccessfully to fight the weather and their own cargo. Most of the casualties came when a loose bomb overturned an already-launched lifeboat, throwing most of the crew into 48-degree water. The 14 survivors (out of 40 crewmembers) owed their lives to the presence of the Greek freighter Khian Star and her Captain Nikos. Benedetto, an attorney and former shipping commissioner, interviewed survivors and combed news reports and court documents to construct his compelling narrative, which he sometimes interrupts with extensive accounts of other maritime disasters (the Titanic; the Port Chicago explosion) and interludes about the history of the U. S. Merchant Marine.Most of these asides are readable and informative, but they may frustrate readers eager to get back to the page-turning story of the Badger State sailing to her doom. This book probably won't achieve the classic status of The Perfect Storm among maritime-disaster narratives, but students of seafaring will be drawn to it in solid numbers.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Benedetto has written a horrendously thrilling account of the December 1969 disaster aboard the S.S. Badger State, an American merchant ship hired to carry a cargo of bombs from the Bangor naval station to Vietnam. The method of packing the bombs wasn't good enough to keep them in place during the heavy seas encountered in the Pacific, and when one bomb broke out of its casing, it touched off a chain of events that eventually required the crew to abandon the ship before it was completely destroyed by explosions. Benedetto proves a master storyteller as he weaves together the day-to-day events on the ship and historical anecdotes about the American merchant marine, and builds suspense. A high-quality disaster narrative, an anecdotal account of a service that seldom makes news in the general media, and the story of a seldom-mentioned but important aspect of Vietnam war logistics--this is some book. Frieda Murray
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 254 pages
• Publisher: Citadel (February 28, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0806526467
• ISBN-13: 978-0806526461
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #869,864 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another story of courage in the face of great adversity..., August 4, 2005

By 

K. L Sadler "Dr. Karen L. Sadler" (Freedom, Pa. USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sailing into the Abyss: A True Story of Extreme Heroism on the High Seas (Hardcover)

This book caught my eye while browsing, and I do not regret taking the time to read this. Unlike situations like the Titanic, where the arrogance of men put thousands of people in danger, the men on the SS Badger State, a merchant marine ship used by our military to deliver ammo to those fighting the Vietnam War...these men were the victims of the weather and of those who loaded bombs and equipment on this ship. These men more than did their duty, yet all too often these are the very men who are passed over and their families neglected especially when they gave their lives in a war that still brings up mixed feelings. It doesn't matter what we as civilians or as military feel about that war and its consequences. What matters is that these men be recognized for the service they gave our country. It's to easy to dismiss these incidents as 'accidents' or as occurences that should be expected during times of war. These men did not sign up for the military, in fact, many of them had already served their country in the Korean War. These men were trying to make a living for themselves and their families, and continued to serve their country by being in the merchant marines...they did not count on having to carry armaments (and badly loaded ones at that), and deal with an unknown (the sea and the weather).

We still cannot predict weather or what the oceans will do after another fifty years. We just barely are understanding the physics and mechanics of weather such as tornados and hurricanes, let alone back in 1969. I thought it a bit ironic that in the year we were celebrating the achievement of reaching the moon, we were still losing men to the same things down here.

As with the Challenger, other space catastrophes, 9/11, etc. so many lives are lost because of ineptitude, because of sheer carelessness. In the case of the SS Badger State, the ship was loaded badly and inefficiently, yet no where in this book was any blame alloted to anyone. The captain had to sit by and watch more than half his crew drown due to that carelessness, but he held his blame for himself and for 'what ifs'.

Not only were the men on the Badger outstanding for the work they tried to do in not only trying to save their ship but save the ammo loaded on that ship despite having little to work with in a sea that would not stop rolling, but also the Greek ship, Khian Star, went out of their way to rescue as many men as they could, putting at risk their own men for a war they were not involved it. This is simply courage at its best.

I wish more of these stories involving courage, bravery, and integrity could be shared with our youth. They could see that these attributes come in many forms. Our young people need to have people they can look up to--not celebreties who are full of themselves, and who seem incapable of giving back to society. We need more heroes along this line, not people who are self-involved.

Karen SAdler

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Serviceable Accounting of a Tragedy, August 26, 2006

By 

Rodney Meek (Austin, TX) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sailing into the Abyss: A True Story of Extreme Heroism on the High Seas (Hardcover)

Very few people are likely to have heard of the loss of the American merchant ship Badger State at Christmas of 1969. She was carrying a load of bombs to resupply the Air Force in Vietnam, and a chain of unfortunate events--poor stowage of the explosives, carrying an insufficient amount of cargo so that the ship rode high, bad weather--combined to lead almost inevitably to tragedy.

Benedetto, in very simple and unadorned prose that is not bogged down by a great deal of nautical jargon, provides a workmanlike rendition of the last days of the ship and crew. He draws heavily upon the documented testimony of survivors before a Board of Inquiry and received very significant input from Charles Wilson, the captain of the late vessel.

He also throws in a great deal of material (which at times verges on simple padding) about the tragic experiences of many other ships of the U.S. Merchant Marine over the last two hundred years, particularly about their destruction by, or, in some cases, escape from, Axis forces in WWII.

A small number of black and white photos are included. The diagrams of the ship and of the bomb pallets would have been better placed at the beginning of the book for easier reference.

This is not a lyrical and haunting masterpiece of man's struggle against the hostility of nature, but it's a serviceable enough rendering of an otherwise forgotten disaster and a nice primer about the sacrifices of the merchant marine.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ammunition Ship Disaster Realistically Reported, April 24, 2005

By 

Jack B. Navarre "Merchant Mariner - retired" (Mt Prospect, Illinois) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sailing into the Abyss: A True Story of Extreme Heroism on the High Seas (Hardcover)

As a retired Merchant Marine engineer that sailed in ammo ships, I emphathized with the critical situation of the captain and crew. The author presents a factual and experienced reporting of the sinking of the S/S Badger State and the consequences . His inclusion of similar maritime disasters is relevant to understanding the disaster.

Jack B Navarre, Mt Prospect, IL