A strange whim of the sea : the wreck of the USS Macaw / Tim Loughman.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Loughman, Tim, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

World War, 1939-1945--Naval operations--Submarine.

World War, 1939-1945.

Submarine rescue vehicles--History--20th century.

Submarine rescue vehicles.

World War, 1939-1945--Naval operations, American.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (260 pages)

Place of Publication:

Lexington, Kentucky : The University Press of Kentucky, [2023]

Summary:

On January 16, 1944, the submarine rescue vessel USS Macaw ran aground at Midway Atoll while attempting to get a towing line to the stranded submarine USS Flier. The Flier was pulled free six days later, but another three weeks of salvage efforts plagued by rough seas and equipment failures failed to dislodge the Macaw. On February 12, amid huge waves, the ship began to slip aft into deeper water. As night fell and the Macaw slowly sank, the twenty-two sailors on board-ship's captain Paul W. Burton, his executive officer, and twenty enlisted men-sought refuge in the pilothouse, but by 2: 30 a.m., that compartment had flooded almost entirely. Burton gave the order to open the portside door and make for the foremast. Three men climbed it but most of the others were swept overboard. Five of them died, including Burton. Three sailors from the base at Midway also lost their lives in two unauthorized rescue attempts. Drawing on survivors' contemporaneous written statements and interviews conducted over a span of thirty years, A Strange Whim of the Sea: The Wreck of the USS Macaw traces the ship's service from its launch on San Francisco Bay to its disastrous final days at Midway. Ultimately, for Burton and the Macaw the real enemy was the sea, and in a deadly denouement, the sea won. Highlighting the underreported role auxiliary vessels played in the war, A Strange Whim of the Sea engages naval historians and students alike with a previously untold story of struggle, sacrifice, death, and survival in the World War II Pacific.

Contents:

Cover

Halftitle page

Title page

Copyright page

Dedication

Epigraph

Contents

Preface

Abbreviations

Map: Path of the USS Macaw

1. Rough Start

2. On the Rocks

3. Troubled Waters

4. Off to War

5. Perilous Passage

6. South Pacific

7. The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner

Plates

8. Midway

9. Emergency Exit

10. Business on Great Waters

11. Aftermath

Appendix

Brief Glossary of Nautical Terms

Acknowledgments

Notes

Bibliography

Suggestions for Further Reading

Index.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

1-9859-0245-1

0-8131-9624-8

OCLC:

1344542734