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Product details

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Carter (January 1, 2008)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0980245710
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0980245714
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.21 pounds
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.75 x 9 inches

• Best Sellers Rank: #4,100,037 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #1,474 in Arctic & Antarctica History
  • #31,729 in Military Leader Biographies
  • #113,517 in Military History (Books)

• Customer Reviews:
  4.7 out of 5 stars 7 ratings

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Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars

4.7 out of 5

7 global ratings

5 star		70%
4 star		30%
3 star 0% (0%)		0%
2 star 0% (0%)		0%
1 star 0% (0%)		0%

How are ratings calculated?

To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzes reviews to verify trustworthiness.

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Borg9

5.0 out of 5 stars Delaware mariners are superior: SPOILER

Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2019

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The author successfully led his section of 'convoy PQ 17' to Arkhangelsk with no losses. His ship scuttled in shallow water at dock & was given away to the Soviets as a freebie. The return sea voyage was also perilous and involved the author's vessel getting torpedoed whist he was a passenger 100 miles shy of the coast of Iceland. He got to lifeboat and was rescued 20 miles off the coast. Many lost their lives.

Now why did his ships get thru unscathed in the most dangerous of the war? Because Delaware mariners stick to the shoals whenever possible in sub-infested waters . You would think this near-to-shore, successful route of convoy crossing would have been widely adopted, but no. Most cargo craft went on direct zigzagged routes to near certain destruction at the hands of wolf packs on the high seas.

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GreyFox72

4.0 out of 5 stars A very interesting personal history of the authors life during ...

Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2017

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A very interesting personal history of the authors life during WWII and his experiences as a gunnery officer
aboard transports on the Archangel Run from Britain to the Soviet Union.

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Gregory Gagarin

5.0 out of 5 stars A unique wartime Naval experience

Reviewed in the United States on March 15, 2013

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An unusual personal account of a young college students getting involved in WWII as a U.S. Navy gunnery officer on a merchant ship in 1942. A great description of interaction between the U.S. Navy Officer and the civilian Captain of the ship and his crew; as well civilian life in Archangel where the crew 'wintered' waiting for the North Sea ice to melt.
The entire round trip between New York and Murmansk for the Author took longer than Christopher Columbus' trans-oceanic trip 5 centuries earlier.

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Charles M. Hergenroeder

5.0 out of 5 stars SATISFIED!

Reviewed in the United States on February 9, 2020

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I WAS VERY SATISFIED WITH PRODUCT AND SERVICE! C. HERGENROEDER

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matt8386

VINE VOICE

4.0 out of 5 stars Informative, Interesting

Reviewed in the United States on June 12, 2011

I think I've read this book twice now, perhaps that is the reason why it seemed dry to me. That or it was because it was written 65 years after the war. William Carter served in the US Navy and was on the infamous convoy to Murmansk PQ-17. He tells the story of naval crewmen aboard merchant ships to man the 20 and 40mm AA guns, keep watch over the crew and help protect the supplies being sent Lend Lease to the Soviets to help keep them in the war.

Carter's work is a very good addition to an overlooked topic - he describes the cold, ice, ice burgs, enemy subs and planes they had to contend with during their voyages. These events were during the dark times of the Battle of the Atlantic, before enough escorts, jeep carriers and planes were available to ward off U boats and the Luftwaffe. Also adding color to the facts of the battle, the struggle of keeping discipline on a ship that is crewed by civilians, all of whom have to fight the enemy as well as boredom. When their ship is stranded in Russia for months waiting for repairs and more escorts back to Scotland, this becomes an even greater challenge.

My critique is not to belittle, demean or understate the bravery, courage or sacrifice of those who went into harms way. Somehow, the impact of these events while told accurately factually, do not have the power of say a memoir such as "Not a Good Day to Die" or "Once a Marine". I found the book interesting, informative, but not enthralling. As a historian, I highly recommend it to shed light on these Murmansk convoys, the human and material cost of the British and US navies & merchant mariners.

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Joseph Paulson

5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2014

Many of the situations reminded me of my experiences on a destroyer in WWII

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Gardenwalker

5.0 out of 5 stars Why Me, Lord?

Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2008

My father, a WWII Merchant Marine, read this book in 3 days. He says it is the best written book on WWII that he has ever read (and he has read many). He is ordering another copy for another WWII vet that he knows.

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7 people found this helpful

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