Sinking of the Lancastria [Hardcover]

Jonathan Fenby (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 3, 2005

A fortnight after the evacuation at Dunkirk some 150,000 British troops were still stuck in France. As the German advance thundered west these Allied soldiers and airmen were faced with a mad dash to the coast in the hope that a troop-ship awaited them there. One such vessel was the 'Lancastria', a 16,000-ton liner pressed into service and now anchored off the port of St-Nazaire. On 17 June 1940, ready to head for home, the ship was bombed by the Luftwaffe. As she sank, between 3,500 and 4,000 of those on board lost their lives. Re-creating this extraordinary episode with great narrative flair, Jonathan Fenby shows us not just the human stories behind the disaster but the cover-up that followed -- as Churchill ordered a blanket ban on news stories for the sake of the country's morale. Gripping and moving, LANCASTRIA tells one of the great forgotten stories of the Second World War.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jonathan Fenby is a former editor of the OBSERVER and of the SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST. He is the author of several books including the acclaimed ON THE BRINK: THE TROUBLE WITH FRANCE and GENERALISSIMO: CHIANG KAI-SHEK AND THE CHINA HE LOST.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (May 3, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743259300
• ISBN-13: 978-0743259309
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.4 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,388,788 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A forgotten tragedy brought back to life, May 12, 2007

By 

Ned Middleton (British professional underwater photo-journalist & author) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Sinking of the Lancastria (Hardcover)

In June 1940 Britain's war efforts against Germany were truly on the back foot and the Dunkirk evacuations were in full swing. Only by recovering our troops could we hope to regroup, rearm and then rejoin the fight. Off Normandy, an armada of small boats did an amazing job of work ferrying as many troops as possible safely home to England. Further away, off St. Nazaire a few large ships were also working to that same common cause.

Then, on 17 June 1940, more people died - as one particular troopship was bombed, sunk and then strafed, than on the more famous losses of the Titanic and Lusitania combined. Sadly, apart from the survivors, the relatives of those who perished plus a few divers who visit the wreck, few people have ever heard the name of that ship.

She was the Cunard passenger liner "Lancastria" and in this book the author brings her back to life in a most vivid and poignant fashion.

Nowadays, more and more people are asking questions about what "really" did happen with regard to specific incidents during both world wars - and quite right too. Furthermore, divers have begun to ask all the right questions about the shipwrecks they are visiting. It is accounts, such as this that go a long way towards answering those questions and filling in the gaps created by the historical events which followed the sinking of this once great ship.

Altogether, this is more than just a book about a ship that was lost in dreadful circumstances. With the skills of a consummate wordsmith, author Jonathan Fenby has carefully brought this tragedy back to back to life because people had forgotten it had happened. In so doing, he has created an historical document of great importance - a document which is of great interest to divers and historians alike.

If you really want to know how the Lancastria met her end, this book is possibly the only document you will ever need.

NM