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The Wreck of the Memphis
A vivid account of the tsunami waves that demolished the Memphis in Santo Domingo Harbor in August 1916 and the court-martial that followed.
- GenresHistoryNonfiction
328 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1966
About the author
Edward L. Beach
60 books35 followersEdward Latimer Beach, Jr. was a highly-decorated United States Navy submarine officer and best-selling author.
During World War II, he participated in the Battle of Midway and 12 combat patrols, earning 10 decorations for gallantry, including the Navy Cross. After the war, he served as the naval aide to the President of the United States and commanded the first submerged circumnavigation.
After World War II, Beach wrote extensively in his spare time following in the footsteps of his father, who was also a career naval officer and author. His first book Submarine! (1952) was a compilation of accounts of several wartime patrols made by his own as well as other submarines.
In all, Beach published thirteen books, but is best known for his first novel, Run Silent, Run Deep (1955), which appeared on The New York Times Book Review bestseller list for several months. A movie of the same name, based loosely on the novel and starring Clark Gable and Burt Lancaster, was released by United Artists in 1958. Beach penned two sequels to Run Silent, Run Deep: Dust on the Sea (1972), relating in detail a war patrol by Eel leading a wolfpack, and Cold is the Sea (1978), set in 1961 aboard a nuclear submarine.
In addition to Submarine!, Beach wrote several more books on naval history, including The Wreck of the Memphis (1966); United States Navy: 200 Years (1986), a general history of the Navy; Scapegoats: A Defense of Kimmel and Short at Pearl Harbor (1995); and Salt and Steel: Reflections of a Submariner (1999).
Keepers of the Sea (1983) is a pictorial record of the modern navy with photography by Fred J. Maroon. For a number of years Beach was co-editor of Naval Terms Dictionary as that standard reference work passed through several editions. His last work, completed shortly before his death, was to prepare for publication his father's manuscript of his own distinguished service in the navy. That book, From Annapolis to Scapa Flow: The Autobiography of Edward L. Beach, Sr (2003), is Captain Beach, Sr.'s personal account of the navy from the age of sail to the age of steam.
In addition to his books, Beach was a prolific author of articles and book reviews for periodicals ranging from Blue Book Magazine to National Geographic, and Naval History to American Heritage.
During World War II, he participated in the Battle of Midway and 12 combat patrols, earning 10 decorations for gallantry, including the Navy Cross. After the war, he served as the naval aide to the President of the United States and commanded the first submerged circumnavigation.
After World War II, Beach wrote extensively in his spare time following in the footsteps of his father, who was also a career naval officer and author. His first book Submarine! (1952) was a compilation of accounts of several wartime patrols made by his own as well as other submarines.
In all, Beach published thirteen books, but is best known for his first novel, Run Silent, Run Deep (1955), which appeared on The New York Times Book Review bestseller list for several months. A movie of the same name, based loosely on the novel and starring Clark Gable and Burt Lancaster, was released by United Artists in 1958. Beach penned two sequels to Run Silent, Run Deep: Dust on the Sea (1972), relating in detail a war patrol by Eel leading a wolfpack, and Cold is the Sea (1978), set in 1961 aboard a nuclear submarine.
In addition to Submarine!, Beach wrote several more books on naval history, including The Wreck of the Memphis (1966); United States Navy: 200 Years (1986), a general history of the Navy; Scapegoats: A Defense of Kimmel and Short at Pearl Harbor (1995); and Salt and Steel: Reflections of a Submariner (1999).
Keepers of the Sea (1983) is a pictorial record of the modern navy with photography by Fred J. Maroon. For a number of years Beach was co-editor of Naval Terms Dictionary as that standard reference work passed through several editions. His last work, completed shortly before his death, was to prepare for publication his father's manuscript of his own distinguished service in the navy. That book, From Annapolis to Scapa Flow: The Autobiography of Edward L. Beach, Sr (2003), is Captain Beach, Sr.'s personal account of the navy from the age of sail to the age of steam.
In addition to his books, Beach was a prolific author of articles and book reviews for periodicals ranging from Blue Book Magazine to National Geographic, and Naval History to American Heritage.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 26, 2025
On August 29th 1916 the huge US Navy Armored Cruiser USS Memphis, actually originally classified as an early battleship, was moored on active duty outside Santo Domingo, an exposed harbor, under the author's father's command. The commanding admiral of the mission, in order to save on the use of coal, had ordered only a few of the ship's steam boilers to be kept online since she was not expected to be relocated in the near future. Standing orders were the ship was to be able to fire up additional boilers and be able to move within 45 minutes, which seemed reasonable even an in exposed anchorage. Yet on this day something that still is unexplained occurred that ended in tragedy and the loss of the vessel and lives.
Without any warning whatsoever, immense waves began to flow into the harbor. There was no wind, no storm. The captain ordered the recall of a shore party and held a ceremony to say goodbye to the captain of another vessel who was onboard. By this time the waves had increased even more.
In those days the engineering department of a naval vessel was under separate operations of the chief engineer who did everything he could to follow the plan in place to bring more boilers online after the captain ordered up emergency movement. But no one had foreseen the sudden arrival of huge waves absent any incoming storm. The engineers did their best, but the huge waves caused deck plates to move and fall into the bilges, made shoveling and carrying hot coals almost impossible, then the waves became so high that water began poring down the ventilators, dousing the boilers. At some point, the waves became so high water actually came down the smoke stacks! Meanwhile the boat carrying the shore party swamped and everyone was drowned.
Due perhaps to pride in operations the engineering and separate command, the engineering department never informed the captain of the growing troubles lighting up more boilers and bringing up steam. Waves increased so much that the ship began to hit the bottom of the harbor and be damaged. Finally, a huge tidal wave appeared in the distance and the captain ordered immediate speed. But the wet boilers simply could not bring up enough power to move the ship. The huge tidal wave struck, and the ship was driven ashore, its bottom crushed, and left a total loss. The ship's strong construction and location meant it lay wrecked on the rocks for years afterwards.
The captain was court-martialed and found guilty of not keeping his ship in condition to allow for immediate movement even though he was simply following the admiral's orders. The captain was too much a gentleman to go on record saying he was following orders and that the engineering department had failed to inform him of the problems they were having. Years later most of the charges against him were released and he held other important commands, making it clear no one actually blamed him for what happened, but he never rose beyond the rank of captain.
To this day it isn't clear what caused the massive waves that wrecked the Memphis, but the most likely explanation is an undersea earthquake or perhaps a build up of sea waves from a storm far out to sea.
The author, while clearly trying to absolve his father, does a fine job of presenting a fair and accurate depiction of what happened in this bizarre tragedy of US Navy history. My only fault with this book were the lack of any photos of the Memphis or the wreck, which even given the book's age, any internet shows many black and white photos of the time were available to be printed in even a book of this vintage. Maybe the captain's son just couldn't bear to show them.
Despite the age of this book, this is a great read anyone interested in navy history or disasters will enjoy!
Without any warning whatsoever, immense waves began to flow into the harbor. There was no wind, no storm. The captain ordered the recall of a shore party and held a ceremony to say goodbye to the captain of another vessel who was onboard. By this time the waves had increased even more.
In those days the engineering department of a naval vessel was under separate operations of the chief engineer who did everything he could to follow the plan in place to bring more boilers online after the captain ordered up emergency movement. But no one had foreseen the sudden arrival of huge waves absent any incoming storm. The engineers did their best, but the huge waves caused deck plates to move and fall into the bilges, made shoveling and carrying hot coals almost impossible, then the waves became so high that water began poring down the ventilators, dousing the boilers. At some point, the waves became so high water actually came down the smoke stacks! Meanwhile the boat carrying the shore party swamped and everyone was drowned.
Due perhaps to pride in operations the engineering and separate command, the engineering department never informed the captain of the growing troubles lighting up more boilers and bringing up steam. Waves increased so much that the ship began to hit the bottom of the harbor and be damaged. Finally, a huge tidal wave appeared in the distance and the captain ordered immediate speed. But the wet boilers simply could not bring up enough power to move the ship. The huge tidal wave struck, and the ship was driven ashore, its bottom crushed, and left a total loss. The ship's strong construction and location meant it lay wrecked on the rocks for years afterwards.
The captain was court-martialed and found guilty of not keeping his ship in condition to allow for immediate movement even though he was simply following the admiral's orders. The captain was too much a gentleman to go on record saying he was following orders and that the engineering department had failed to inform him of the problems they were having. Years later most of the charges against him were released and he held other important commands, making it clear no one actually blamed him for what happened, but he never rose beyond the rank of captain.
To this day it isn't clear what caused the massive waves that wrecked the Memphis, but the most likely explanation is an undersea earthquake or perhaps a build up of sea waves from a storm far out to sea.
The author, while clearly trying to absolve his father, does a fine job of presenting a fair and accurate depiction of what happened in this bizarre tragedy of US Navy history. My only fault with this book were the lack of any photos of the Memphis or the wreck, which even given the book's age, any internet shows many black and white photos of the time were available to be printed in even a book of this vintage. Maybe the captain's son just couldn't bear to show them.
Despite the age of this book, this is a great read anyone interested in navy history or disasters will enjoy!
March 14, 2022
Great read, but no photos, maps, or charts!
April 24, 2010
I need to give full disclosure I'm not an impartial voice on reviewing Edward Beach. I met him once at a book signing and found him to be gracious, warm and someone to strive to be like. Yes waiting to meet him I was like a teen waiting to meet their favorite star or singer. Simply Captain Beach was the Naval Historian I would love to be. To me Edward Beach was a rock star.
The Wreck of the Memphis is about the destruction of the U.S.S. Memphis CA-10 which was commanded by Edward Beach Sr., the father of the author. While Captain Beach can't be a fully impartial voice in the description of the Memphis demise he does maintain a mostly impartial voice. What Beach does is explain to the reader how the Memphis was constructed the theory behind her construction and the physical construction of the ship. This is important because later the reader is given a clearer picture of what was going on to the crew inside the ship.
As the title suggests this is a history of a shipwreck. When I first read this book a few years ago I was thinking how a ship could be wrecked in a harbor. This book explains what happened to a certain degree. Beach's theory is a tsunami wrecked the Memphis which seems plausible but there were a few tropical disturbances in the area so alternative theories could be a rogue wave or a freak storm surge cause by the tropical disturbances. Whatever the cause for the shipwreck Cat. Beach gives a human and technological face to the wreck of the U.S.S. Memphis. The reader will find themselves cheering and hoping for the crew but with the knowledge that their heroics will be in vain.
This book is for any fans of Capt. Beach, the early modern US Navy, books of humans against nature or those who love shipwreck books.
The Wreck of the Memphis is about the destruction of the U.S.S. Memphis CA-10 which was commanded by Edward Beach Sr., the father of the author. While Captain Beach can't be a fully impartial voice in the description of the Memphis demise he does maintain a mostly impartial voice. What Beach does is explain to the reader how the Memphis was constructed the theory behind her construction and the physical construction of the ship. This is important because later the reader is given a clearer picture of what was going on to the crew inside the ship.
As the title suggests this is a history of a shipwreck. When I first read this book a few years ago I was thinking how a ship could be wrecked in a harbor. This book explains what happened to a certain degree. Beach's theory is a tsunami wrecked the Memphis which seems plausible but there were a few tropical disturbances in the area so alternative theories could be a rogue wave or a freak storm surge cause by the tropical disturbances. Whatever the cause for the shipwreck Cat. Beach gives a human and technological face to the wreck of the U.S.S. Memphis. The reader will find themselves cheering and hoping for the crew but with the knowledge that their heroics will be in vain.
This book is for any fans of Capt. Beach, the early modern US Navy, books of humans against nature or those who love shipwreck books.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews