Gary Gentile

This book is not a mystery novel. I did not write it in that form, with clues, false leads, red herrings, and a revelatory climax with a twist ending. In form, this book is more of a research procedural. It is not about an unidentified perpetrator who meets a just fate. There is little justice in the real world, in which the perpetrator goes free while his victims remain dead, buried, and for the most part neglected or forgotten. This is not to say that a great deal of detective work was not required in order to achieve an ultimate conclusion. In that sense, this book is about what the police call a "cold case: " one that was never solved and remains open on the books. This crime occurred in 1942. Its case was not solved until 2018: seventy-six years after its commission. To skip to the chase: Sean Manni discovered a shipwreck; Rusty Cassway identified it. "It" is the steamship Octavian, torpedoed by a German U-boat during World War Two. How these situations were set in motion, what predicaments resulted, and what circumstances eventuated, are subjects of the present volume. The tale is long and convoluted, filled with side trips that set the pace for a group of individuals known as "wreck-divers." This is their story. This book is not a mystery novel. I did not write it in that form, with clues, false leads, red herrings, and a revelatory climax with a twist ending. In form, this book is more of a research procedural. It is not about an unidentified perpetrator who meets a just fate. There is little justice in the real world, in which the perpetrator goes free while his victims remain dead, buried, and for the most part neglected or forgotten. This is not to say that a great deal of detective work was not required in order to achieve an ultimate conclusion. In that sense, this book is about what the police call a "cold case: " one that was never solved and remains open on the books. This crime occurred in 1942. Its case was not solved until 2018: seventy-six years after its commission. To skip to the chase: Sean Manni discovered a shipwreck; Rusty Cassway identified it. "It" is the steamship Octavian, torpedoed by a German U-boat during World War Two. How these situations were set in motion, what predicaments resulted, and what circumstances eventuated, are subjects of the present volume. The tale is long and convoluted, filled with side trips that set the pace for a group of individuals known as "wreck-divers." This is their story.

Did you know that Senator Robert Byrd passed laws all by himself, against the wishes of the American public? Did you know that people have been fined for making wild sea lions bark, because it violated the Marine Mammal Protection Act? Did you know that slavery still exists in America? Did you know that after the terrorist attack on the Pentagon, firefighters and rescue workers were not allowed to extinguish fires or provide emergency medical service because they did not have security clearance? Did you know that tourists are allowed to walk on top of the USS Arizona, but are prevented from swimming next to it? Did you know that in certain instances, a plaintiff is presumed guilty until he proves his innocence beyond all reasonable doubt? How absurd is it that people complain about paying $3 for a gallon of gasoline, but willingly pay more than $20 per gallon for drinking water? Tap water is free, but convenience store prices for bottled water are outrageous. Do you know how easy it is to cross the American border without going through customs? Did you know that the National Park Service operates sting operations against unwary visitors? Did you know that the government has mandated employment for individuals who are not capable of performing the job for which they were hired, and that they are paid the same wage as people who can do the job? It is bad enough that these blatant absurdities exist. What is worse is that they are commonly accepted. Worst yet, not only is nothing being done to correct them, they are proliferating and being perpetuated. The Absurdity Principle is replete with examples of everyday inanities, from serious breaches of Constitutional law to fraudulent activities that are sanctioned by the government. This is a book that will make your blood boil - unless you are an unethical accomplice who is profiteering from flaws in a system gone awry. It is time for people to condemn and castigate absurdities for what they are, to correct silly and farcical situations, to legislate changes in the laws of the land, and to make reason and rationality the way of life. This book will teach you how to get started on the path to deliverance from a world that has gone through the looking glass to tolerate madness and chaos.