Sailing into the Abyss: A True Story of Extreme Heroism on the High Seas

by William R. Benedetto, Howard Thorsen (Foreword)

- Foreword by Howard B. Thorsen, Vice Admiral, USCG, Retired
- Will appeal to readers of such nonfiction bestsellers as The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger, In the Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick, and Isaac's Storm by Erik Larson

Genres: History, Nonfiction

254 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2005

Reviews

[Voyt · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Old Man and the..Bombs
POSTED AT AMAZON 2009
The Old Man (Captain Charles Wilson)..this is how the crew was calling him. His ship was not hauling a fish marlin, but explosives and bombs. Extraordinary book deserving to be the winner of the 2006 US Maritime Literature by all means. So much I have learned about life and struggle of seamen on board of modern mid XX century merchant cargo ships!
Drama and tragedy of "Badger State" and his heroic crew has been vividly depicted. On top of main saga, extremely interesting, numerous historical marine events from war and peace times of last two centuries make the reading totally engrossing.

[Jerry Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

For every well known story of maritime derring do and tragedy there are countless other tales that remain obscure and unknown, although the exploits of the central characters were equally heroic or tragic.

Such is the case with this story of a ship transporting munitions to the vietnam war. It is a account well told interspersed with potted histories of the ships and conflicts that led to the situation being described. I can see how these particular interludes could be seen as distracting from the main purpose of the story - the telling of the SS Badger State's struggle to survive the storms that beset it's final voyage.

However if you have any interest in maritime history these are interesting asides in their own right.

[Pat]

Terrifying but fascinating. With albatross flying around the ship, it certainly seemed like a doomed vessel.

[Karen C · Rating 2 out of 5]

Approximately at the half-way mark, I am officially giving up.

I typically really enjoy peril-on-the-high-seas stories, but this one has been nothing but a chore for me. I only made it this far because the book is on loan, and the lender keeps asking me excitedly if I have read it yet, and saying how great it is. Apparently, my opinion is not universal.

[Stan Armiger · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book despite what was said on the cover carried too much anecdoteal information which I found had only had a very tenuous relationship to the story it was supposed to be telling. This was highlighted by a painfully 35 page long chapter in the middle of the book that appeared to cover every US merchant navy shipwreck since the year dot. If I had wanted to read about this I would have found the appropriate book as all I wanted to read about was the circumstances surrounding the events of the final voyage of the "SS Badger State."
This could have been a good gripping 200 page account of the circumstances surrounding the last voyage of the above vessel but covered too many areas that were not relevant giving me 50 pages or so of frustration.

[Jim Myers · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amazing sea story! Short version here: http://www.statesmarinelines.com/ship... Yes, a lot of historical information on the Merchant Marine... I think it ties the Badger State, the Captain, officers and crewmen to that long honorable and dangerous profession.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is what happens when you mix high explosives, military intelligence, violent storms, and civilian heroism.

[Melody Eads · Rating 2 out of 5]

Slow...Took forever to get through it. More of a history lesson.

[Pancha · Rating 3 out of 5]

An account of the sinking of the Badger State, as well as some various history about the Merchant Marines.

[J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

boring and off topic too much