Into the Raging Sea: Thirty-Three Mariners, One Megastorm, and the Sinking of El Faro - Paperback

by Rachel Slade (Author)

A NATIONAL BESTSELLER

A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK

AN NPR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

ONE OF JANET MASLIN'S MUST-READ BOOKS OF THE SUMMER

A NEW YORK TIMES EDITOR'S CHOICE

ONE OF OUTSIDE MAGAZINE'S BEST BOOKS OF THE SUMMER

ONE OF AMAZON'S BEST NONFICTION BOOKS OF THE YEAR SO FAR

"A powerful and affecting story, beautifully handled by Slade, a journalist who clearly knows ships and the sea."--Douglas Preston, New York Times Book Review

"A Perfect Storm for a new generation."
--Ben Mezrich, bestselling author of The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook

On October 1, 2015, Hurricane Joaquin barreled into the Bermuda Triangle and swallowed the container ship El Faro whole, resulting in the worst American shipping disaster in thirty-five years. No one could fathom how a vessel equipped with satellite communications, a sophisticated navigation system, and cutting-edge weather forecasting could suddenly vanish--until now.

Relying on hundreds of exclusive interviews with family members and maritime experts, as well as the words of the crew members themselves--whose conversations were captured by the ship's data recorder--journalist Rachel Slade unravels the mystery of the sinking of El Faro. As she recounts the final twenty-four hours onboard, Slade vividly depicts the officers' anguish and fear as they struggled to carry out Captain Michael Davidson's increasingly bizarre commands, which, they knew, would steer them straight into the eye of the storm. Taking a hard look at America's aging merchant marine fleet, Slade also reveals the truth about modern shipping--a cut-throat industry plagued by razor-thin profits and ever more violent hurricanes fueled by global warming.

A richly reported account of a singular tragedy, Into the Raging Sea takes us into the heart of an age-old American industry, casting new light on the hardworking men and women who paid the ultimate price in the name of profit.

Front Jacket

On October 1, 2015, the American container ship El Faro sailed straight into the eye of Hurricane Joaquin in the Bermuda Triangle and vanished. When all thirty-three aboard were lost, El Faro became the deadliest American maritime accident in more than a generation. Why did the huge ship, equipped with satellite communica-tions and sophisticated weather forecasting software, steam into the storm? Three miles down, deeper than the Titanic, the ship's black box held damning secrets, including twenty-six hours of conversations between captain and crew leading up to El Faro's final moments. Relying on extensive investigative reporting, as well as the words of the doomed mariners themselves, Rachel Slade unravels the mystery behind this tragedy.

Back Jacket

On October 1, 2015, the American container ship El Faro sailed straight into the eye of Hurricane Joaquin in the Bermuda Triangle and vanished. When all thirty-three aboard were lost, El Faro became the deadliest American maritime accident in more than a generation. Why did the huge ship, equipped with satellite communica-tions and sophisticated weather forecasting software, steam into the storm? Three miles down, deeper than the Titanic, the ship's black box held damning secrets, including twenty-six hours of conversations between captain and crew leading up to El Faro's final moments. Relying on extensive investigative reporting, as well as the words of the doomed mariners themselves, Rachel Slade unravels the mystery behind this tragedy.