“My father, Chief Petty Officer John E. Kreidler, was one of more than 700 men who lost their lives in the great Pacific typhoon of December 1944. In the war’s aftermath, very little came to light about the fate of these men, and their sacrifice was scarcely acknowledged. Now Bruce Henderson has written a book that will stand as the ultimate history of the men and ships that encountered this monumental storm at sea.”
—John D. Kreidler
“With a storm scene right out of The Caine Mutiny, Down to the Sea is a vivid, powerful drama of men and ships in time of war.”
—Evan Thomas, Newsweek magazine and author of Sea of Thunder
“World War II produced so many compelling stories that even students of that momentous conflict are apt to discover we’ve missed whole vital episodes. Down to the Sea, about a devastating 1944 Pacific typhoon that sank three destroyers and cost 756 American sailors their lives, is just such as eye-opener.”
—New York Post
“Bruce Henderson has produced a book that should sit proudly in the bookcase of any American. Get one for your favorite sailor.”
—Tin Can Sailors, National Association of Destroyer Veterans
“What stands out in Down to the Sea are those moments that transform the disaster into an epic of courage and sacrifice. This is a book for anyone who wonders what happens when a ferocious sea attacks a ship and her crew.”
—Naval History
“Because of Bruce Henderson’s skills as a historian and a tale-teller, in this book I learned how my father died. Far more important, I learned how he lived.”
—Greil Marcus, author of The Shape of Things to Come