James E. West

The incredible stories of twenty-two lone survivors of maritime disasters are presented in this collection of war and peacetime incidents. The dramatic accounts - including those of a British sailor who survived 133 days at sea on an open raft and a German sailor who spent 28 hours in the ocean without a life preserver - are based on a wide array of sources, including interviews with the survivors and their families and official records to back up their accuracy. Most took place in World War II, when the navies and merchant fleets of many nations roamed the seas. Each story is one of boundless courage, a tenacious will to survive, and, in many cases, good luck.