Published in 1944, this is the story of the U.S.S. Marblehead. A ship which was nearly, but not quite, sunk in the Pacific arena of WWII at the beginning of the war. It is the story of how against all odds, the ship was able to make it to safe harbor after an odyssey voyage of more than 9000 miles through waters full of enemy ships, submarines and air patrols.

Written in an upbeat patriotic style (published in 1944), this manages to be a very human tale. The wonderful illustrations throughout by John J. Floherty help to personalize the men, but the writers have done a fantastic job of writing about many technical details in words which a layman such as myself can understand. They made the story personal without sinking to the level of maudlin. I couldn't put the book down once the action began and ended up finishing it in one day.

It ties in with [The Story of Doctor Wassell], in that these are some of the sailors he was trying to save in Java.

I loved reading the bulletins posted for each local the ship landed at. They informed about the currency exchange, the entertainments available and those which were against the law as well as reminding sailors that they were guests and representing their country and had better do so accordingly. ( )