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Halsey's Typhoon: The True Story of a Fighting Admiral, an Epic Storm, and an Untold Rescue
In the tradition of The Perfect Storm and Flags of Our Fathers, Halseyâ s Typhoon chronicles the epic tale of men clashing against the ruthless forces of war and nature. In December 1944, Americaâ s most popular and colorful naval hero, Admiral William â Bullâ Halsey, unwittingly sailed his undefeated Pacific Fleet into the teeth of the most powerful storm on earth. Three destroyers were capsized sending hundreds of sailors and officers into the raging, shark infested waters. Over the next sixty hours, small bands of survivors fought seventy-foot waves, exhaustion, and dehydration to await rescue at the hands of the courageous Lt. Com. Henry Lee Plage, who, defying orders, sailed his tiny destroyer escort USS Tabberer through 150 mph winds to reach the lost men. Thanks to documents that have been declassified after sixty years and dozens of first-hand accounts from survivorsâ including former President Gerald Fordâ one of the greatest World War II stories, and a riveting tale of survival at sea, can finally be told.
322 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
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September 11, 2018
"Nearly 800 men had died and over 80 were injured; 3 destroyers had capsized and another dozen ships had been rendered inoperable; 146 aircraft were lost or damaged beyond repair; and America’s Big Blue Fleet was literally decimated. It seemed no wonder that some naval observers viewed the court’s conclusions as distinctly lenient."
Halsey’s Typhoon is one of the best, most engaging, naval warfare books I have ever read. This book is two different stories and they are both tragic and instructive. One part is devoted to the history of the Second World War in the Pacific and focuses on the “larger than life” character of Admiral “Bull” Halsey. The second tells the personal details of what each ship and many of the crews faced in the midst and aftermath of this incredible freak of a typhoon.
Halsey’s fleet was caught a gigantic typhoon (the first to ever bear a name) for reasons both avoidable and unforeseen. The resulting tragedy was, according to the Navy’s own statements worse than almost any naval battle during the war. While U.S. Naval statements have focused on the ships lost and damaged, the authors put their effort into revealing the personal stories that illuminate those statistics. I believe that you will get the best sense of the book’s narrative style if I share some selections.
"He thought he was well clear of the sinking Hull when he was violently sucked downward in a giant whirlpool. His ears popped at first, and then his eyes, so hard he thought they would blow out of their sockets. He was certain he was being siphoned into the big screws of a passing carrier or battlewagon. He couldn’t see a ship, he couldn’t see anything in this muck, but he was sure it was there. Then he shot back to the surface, as if fired from a gun. A huge swell carried him up its face, and from this vantage point, as if peering over a cliff, he watched the Hull gurgle and disappear beneath the slate gray sea. One moment she was lying on her side, a floating abattoir, and in the next she was gone. Douhan was too high in the air to make out how many sailors she pulled below with her."
"He was fairly certain the radioman on the Hull had failed to get off a distress signal before she capsized. This meant that no one knew he was out here. Sometime in the middle of the night, Ray Schultz began to think of his family, about how they would never get the straight story of his death."
The Hull was just one of a number of vessels so affected.
"The three vessels, all from his task group, were bunched together some 2,000 to 5,000 yards ahead of him. Via TBS radio each skipper informed Plage that he had lost steering control. All three were steaming in troughs at no more than 3 knots. Plage backed his own vessel down to 3 knots in order to avoid running up their sterns, and with the loss of speed, the Tabby took a stupendous roll, the inclinometer registering 72 degrees. Because she was “beamier” than a destroyer, with a lower center of gravity, the Tabby recovered from these heels much more quickly. But not long after another such roll, one of the mainmast’s porcelain insulators gave way, and the long metal pole began to whip and sway. As it worked itself loose, Plage knew it was only a matter of time before the mast crashed."
Plage was one of the heroes of this disaster. He stayed at command of his ship, USS Tabberer (“Tabby”), without sleeping for at least 60 hours. He gave away his clothes to some of those he rescued. His ship, and its men were extraordinary. "Lookouts, deck gangs, and rescue swimmers had been beaten black-and-blue, and the crew manning the cargo nets had, at times, been completely submerged as the ship rolled and heeled. Belowdecks, the ship’s black gang had squeezed enough power out of the Tabby’s engines to escape capture in the still-cavernous troughs. Now, although she continued to pitch down waves like a toboggan on a volcano, at least her constant rolls had decreased to “only” 30 degrees."
The heroics both by those in the water and those trying to rescue them were astounding. More so because the authors were able to get personal statements and observations by so many of them. They were engaged in the rescue effort for such a long time. "The men had just been carried aboard—only one sailor, the bantamweight, could walk under his own steam— when another Hull officer, Lt. (j.g.) Cyrus Watkins, was spotted several hundred yards off. The Tabby closed on Watkins, and the deck crew recognized that he was barely conscious and being circled by an eight-foot shark. Again rifles and tommy guns crackled, and the shark was momentarily driven away. But Watkins was still a good thirty yards from the Tabby when XO Bob Surdam saw the fin heading back toward the struggling floater. Surdam stripped off his uniform blouse and, without a life jacket, dived from the signal bridge. He reached Watkins and began towing him by his life preserver collar toward the ship. He was still fifty feet away when Torpedoman 1st Class Robert Cotton, manning the cargo nets, saw that Surdam was flagging. He, too, dived in. With the shark coiling about them, the two lifted Watkins aboard."
The effects of being in the water were not just the real possibility of attacks. "Aside from large predators such as sharks and giant barracuda, the Western Pacific teemed with bacteria and other tiny organisms and smaller fish that feasted on open flesh wounds, of which few Typhoon Cobra survivors were free." Just the hypothermia and the salt water took a great toll on their bodies.
"As the hours passed with no sustenance, Ayers began to lose his floatmates."
"Stealey had seen two of his crewmates eaten by sharks before his glazed eyes, and when the Cogswell’s deck crew hauled him in, he was semiconscious and near out of his head. Following a hot shower, he told a harrowing story through the swollen and bloody saltwater sores that lacerated his mouth. He had begun his ordeal in the water with fourteen to fifteen shipmates, he said, each gripping a single, floating ship’s line perhaps fifty feet long. Some men wore life jackets; others did not. But, one by one, every one had been either picked off by sharks or given up and slipped, exhausted and traumatized, below the surface, as if off on some far greater mission. Stealey had awakened that morning drifting beside the last, dead body, floating facedown in its kapok."
"Upon being hoisted to the deck, the dazed and hollow-eyed sailor was in such a deranged state he fought his rescuers, broke free, and tried to leap back into the sea. As they tackled him, Keith ranted that he had been riding a torpedo, which he intended to convey all the way to Japan to blow up the city of Tokyo."
Lucky, ingenious, hideous, pathetic, enervating, triumphant, the stories are many and varied and all compelling. After reading this book, I had many of those images in my mind. I also had recurring thoughts that, in many ways, the sea was as big a challenge/threat for these sailors as it was during the days of the square-rigged frigates and the same as it was for the Phoenicians as they made their way across the great sea between Europe and Africa.
The Navy isn’t the only military service that “protects its own” but it has made it difficult to get a full picture of what actually happened in “The War in the Pacific.” I was reminded of that while reading my GR friend Matt’s review of the USS Indianapolis disaster. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... It was deemed necessary to laud the heroic efforts while keeping tight control on what blame was distributed.
History is almost always dominated by the “winners,” but thanks to determined historians we are seeing more of how this immense conflict was actually fought and that is a very good thing.
Halsey’s Typhoon is one of the best, most engaging, naval warfare books I have ever read. This book is two different stories and they are both tragic and instructive. One part is devoted to the history of the Second World War in the Pacific and focuses on the “larger than life” character of Admiral “Bull” Halsey. The second tells the personal details of what each ship and many of the crews faced in the midst and aftermath of this incredible freak of a typhoon.
Halsey’s fleet was caught a gigantic typhoon (the first to ever bear a name) for reasons both avoidable and unforeseen. The resulting tragedy was, according to the Navy’s own statements worse than almost any naval battle during the war. While U.S. Naval statements have focused on the ships lost and damaged, the authors put their effort into revealing the personal stories that illuminate those statistics. I believe that you will get the best sense of the book’s narrative style if I share some selections.
"He thought he was well clear of the sinking Hull when he was violently sucked downward in a giant whirlpool. His ears popped at first, and then his eyes, so hard he thought they would blow out of their sockets. He was certain he was being siphoned into the big screws of a passing carrier or battlewagon. He couldn’t see a ship, he couldn’t see anything in this muck, but he was sure it was there. Then he shot back to the surface, as if fired from a gun. A huge swell carried him up its face, and from this vantage point, as if peering over a cliff, he watched the Hull gurgle and disappear beneath the slate gray sea. One moment she was lying on her side, a floating abattoir, and in the next she was gone. Douhan was too high in the air to make out how many sailors she pulled below with her."
"He was fairly certain the radioman on the Hull had failed to get off a distress signal before she capsized. This meant that no one knew he was out here. Sometime in the middle of the night, Ray Schultz began to think of his family, about how they would never get the straight story of his death."
The Hull was just one of a number of vessels so affected.
"The three vessels, all from his task group, were bunched together some 2,000 to 5,000 yards ahead of him. Via TBS radio each skipper informed Plage that he had lost steering control. All three were steaming in troughs at no more than 3 knots. Plage backed his own vessel down to 3 knots in order to avoid running up their sterns, and with the loss of speed, the Tabby took a stupendous roll, the inclinometer registering 72 degrees. Because she was “beamier” than a destroyer, with a lower center of gravity, the Tabby recovered from these heels much more quickly. But not long after another such roll, one of the mainmast’s porcelain insulators gave way, and the long metal pole began to whip and sway. As it worked itself loose, Plage knew it was only a matter of time before the mast crashed."
Plage was one of the heroes of this disaster. He stayed at command of his ship, USS Tabberer (“Tabby”), without sleeping for at least 60 hours. He gave away his clothes to some of those he rescued. His ship, and its men were extraordinary. "Lookouts, deck gangs, and rescue swimmers had been beaten black-and-blue, and the crew manning the cargo nets had, at times, been completely submerged as the ship rolled and heeled. Belowdecks, the ship’s black gang had squeezed enough power out of the Tabby’s engines to escape capture in the still-cavernous troughs. Now, although she continued to pitch down waves like a toboggan on a volcano, at least her constant rolls had decreased to “only” 30 degrees."
The heroics both by those in the water and those trying to rescue them were astounding. More so because the authors were able to get personal statements and observations by so many of them. They were engaged in the rescue effort for such a long time. "The men had just been carried aboard—only one sailor, the bantamweight, could walk under his own steam— when another Hull officer, Lt. (j.g.) Cyrus Watkins, was spotted several hundred yards off. The Tabby closed on Watkins, and the deck crew recognized that he was barely conscious and being circled by an eight-foot shark. Again rifles and tommy guns crackled, and the shark was momentarily driven away. But Watkins was still a good thirty yards from the Tabby when XO Bob Surdam saw the fin heading back toward the struggling floater. Surdam stripped off his uniform blouse and, without a life jacket, dived from the signal bridge. He reached Watkins and began towing him by his life preserver collar toward the ship. He was still fifty feet away when Torpedoman 1st Class Robert Cotton, manning the cargo nets, saw that Surdam was flagging. He, too, dived in. With the shark coiling about them, the two lifted Watkins aboard."
The effects of being in the water were not just the real possibility of attacks. "Aside from large predators such as sharks and giant barracuda, the Western Pacific teemed with bacteria and other tiny organisms and smaller fish that feasted on open flesh wounds, of which few Typhoon Cobra survivors were free." Just the hypothermia and the salt water took a great toll on their bodies.
"As the hours passed with no sustenance, Ayers began to lose his floatmates."
"Stealey had seen two of his crewmates eaten by sharks before his glazed eyes, and when the Cogswell’s deck crew hauled him in, he was semiconscious and near out of his head. Following a hot shower, he told a harrowing story through the swollen and bloody saltwater sores that lacerated his mouth. He had begun his ordeal in the water with fourteen to fifteen shipmates, he said, each gripping a single, floating ship’s line perhaps fifty feet long. Some men wore life jackets; others did not. But, one by one, every one had been either picked off by sharks or given up and slipped, exhausted and traumatized, below the surface, as if off on some far greater mission. Stealey had awakened that morning drifting beside the last, dead body, floating facedown in its kapok."
"Upon being hoisted to the deck, the dazed and hollow-eyed sailor was in such a deranged state he fought his rescuers, broke free, and tried to leap back into the sea. As they tackled him, Keith ranted that he had been riding a torpedo, which he intended to convey all the way to Japan to blow up the city of Tokyo."
Lucky, ingenious, hideous, pathetic, enervating, triumphant, the stories are many and varied and all compelling. After reading this book, I had many of those images in my mind. I also had recurring thoughts that, in many ways, the sea was as big a challenge/threat for these sailors as it was during the days of the square-rigged frigates and the same as it was for the Phoenicians as they made their way across the great sea between Europe and Africa.
The Navy isn’t the only military service that “protects its own” but it has made it difficult to get a full picture of what actually happened in “The War in the Pacific.” I was reminded of that while reading my GR friend Matt’s review of the USS Indianapolis disaster. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... It was deemed necessary to laud the heroic efforts while keeping tight control on what blame was distributed.
History is almost always dominated by the “winners,” but thanks to determined historians we are seeing more of how this immense conflict was actually fought and that is a very good thing.
December 19, 2024
"By December 1944, the United States had amassed the greatest naval forces in the history of warfare. The sailors of this contemporary armada had no way of knowing that theirs would be the last world war to ever employ such sea power. Nor, like the Spanish and Mongol cohorts who sailed before them, could they guess at the forces of nature soon to be arrayed against them." -- on page 68
Another World War II-based historical narrative by the dynamic duo of Drury & Clavin that is simultaneously riveting, heartrending, and triumphant, Halsey's Typhoon recounts the horror that was called 'Typhoon Cobra,' a mid-December 1944 cyclone that struck the U.S. Navy's Pacific Fleet while it was en route to the Philippines. Said fleet, nicknamed the 'Big Blue Blanket' and then-commanded by the popular Admiral Bill 'Bull' Halsey, was a mixture of ships (ranging from small destroyer escorts up to the hulking aircraft carriers) that became caught unaware - as meteorological technology was barely into its infancy at the time - in a severe storm that wreaked havoc for days. Unsurprisingly, the smaller craft were the hardest hit - which were often crewed by junior / untested officers and the even younger sailors, many in the 18 to 20 age bracket - and it became a fight for survival as ships were damaged / capsized / destroyed and their men were thrown into roiling, shark-infested sea. While this incident was inarguably a tragedy - nearly 800 servicemen died, and all are named at the book's conclusion - it was also a time of great courage, heroism and true grit as a number of these 'citizen sailors' performed rescues or held on against stacked odds to survive and help others. (One particular moment caught me out of the blue when it was slyly revealed that a junior-grade lieutenant - who acted with great bravery per the text - would one day become U.S. president.) I had purchased this book earlier in the year but held off reading it until the event's 80th anniversary, and once again it reminds me to be thankful for the service and sacrifice of our many WWII veterans.
Another World War II-based historical narrative by the dynamic duo of Drury & Clavin that is simultaneously riveting, heartrending, and triumphant, Halsey's Typhoon recounts the horror that was called 'Typhoon Cobra,' a mid-December 1944 cyclone that struck the U.S. Navy's Pacific Fleet while it was en route to the Philippines. Said fleet, nicknamed the 'Big Blue Blanket' and then-commanded by the popular Admiral Bill 'Bull' Halsey, was a mixture of ships (ranging from small destroyer escorts up to the hulking aircraft carriers) that became caught unaware - as meteorological technology was barely into its infancy at the time - in a severe storm that wreaked havoc for days. Unsurprisingly, the smaller craft were the hardest hit - which were often crewed by junior / untested officers and the even younger sailors, many in the 18 to 20 age bracket - and it became a fight for survival as ships were damaged / capsized / destroyed and their men were thrown into roiling, shark-infested sea. While this incident was inarguably a tragedy - nearly 800 servicemen died, and all are named at the book's conclusion - it was also a time of great courage, heroism and true grit as a number of these 'citizen sailors' performed rescues or held on against stacked odds to survive and help others. (One particular moment caught me out of the blue when it was slyly revealed that a junior-grade lieutenant - who acted with great bravery per the text - would one day become U.S. president.) I had purchased this book earlier in the year but held off reading it until the event's 80th anniversary, and once again it reminds me to be thankful for the service and sacrifice of our many WWII veterans.
March 13, 2020
A book where the title is somewhat misleading, though big parts of this book is centered around Admiral Bull Halsey and his decisions/mistakes led to this tragedy, what makes this book great is the personal stories from both the survivors of the three sunken ships and the brave little USS Taberer and it's crew. The book is well researched and the author puts it all on these pages in a very interesting way and there is a lot to be learned from this book. Highly recommended!!
April 10, 2015
This is a sea story that all naval personnel and all who spend time on the water will find riveting and horrifying. The 4 Star Halsey's Typhoon: The True Story of a Fighting Admiral, an Epic Storm, and an Untold Rescue recounts the Dec 1944 encounter of the U.S. Third Fleet with Typhoon Cobra (the first named typhoon). More sailors will die in the storm than were lost in the Battle of Midway. Three ships will be lost and many more extremely damaged. Drury and Clavin tell a story that is every bit as dramatic as any battle. This was a kind of battle and you will find heroics, incompetence and serendipity in who lives and dies. Well-told.
Here is the setup.
Yet despite Japan’s seeming invincibility, as early as October 1942, while U.S. Marines and Japanese soldiers were still fighting to exterminate one another on Guadalcanal, CINCPAC Nimitz sensed that the U.S. was already winning a grinding war of attrition across the Pacific. Japan had a robust, if limited, manufacturing capability, and its capture of the resource-rich territories enveloping the South China Sea certainly upgraded that facility. But within a year of the attack on Pearl Harbor the United States was simply outproducing the rest of the combined world in ships, planes, weapons—and martial ideas.
A writer once observed that war is God’s way of teaching Americans geography, and certainly the ensuing rolling D-days of unpronounceable specks of coral and sand from Tarawa to Kwajalein to Eniwetok to Tinian to Peleliu left every U.S. sailor, soldier, and airman fighting across these alien shores of the Pacific embossed in his psyche. At bottom, however island-hopping raids and landings had one common goal: taking of the Philippines as a springboard from which to launch the invasion of Japan.
Moreover, unlike the great land battles being fought against Nazis in Africa and Europe, the Pacific Theater was and would remain primarily a naval and air campaign. The Japanese may have occupied far-flung islands, but they still needed to supply them. Without realizing it, the enemy had disastrously exceeded its chew ratio. As such, Nimitz exhorted his admirals never to shy taking the “calculated risks” that would decimate the enemy’s land, sea, and air forces.
Halsey has been criticized for his actions during the Battle of Leyte Gulf when he ran after the decoy Japanese carriers and left MacArthur’s landing ships unprotected. Now Halsey wants to stay close to the Philippines so he can support MacArthur’s landings on Mindoro. Unfortunately, his refueling rendezvous is smack dab in the middle of the track of a monster typhoon. Almost everyone is slow to realize the storm coming is a typhoon and Halsey is very slow to take actions that could have enabled his fleet to escape the worst. His actions have devastating results but forecasting was little different from earlier times. And this was wartime, bad weather is no excuse to stop the mission.
The authors put you right in the middle of the action, from the greenest young sailor on his first voyage to the admirals’ staterooms. Most of the story is at the individual ship and sailor level. So terrifying and yet so many heroes arise from ordinary crewmembers. After the destroyer escort The Hull capsizes, the survivors are swimming in the middle of a typhoon:
He started to swim, to where he did not know or care. Soon enough he realized he could “sense” by the surface current and wave action the impending crash of one of the huge crushers. As it closed on him he would hear the roar, and seconds before the wave broke, out of some primal instinct, he kicked his feet, folded his arms across his chest…and taught himself to bodysurf, as if learning to fly while talking. He began gliding down the face of ninety-foot combers.
He saw shipmates doing the same. He rode one wave with Fire Controlman 1st Class Al Taylor, who curved in midair with the resilience of a dolphin and hollered, “Woo-ee, Chief! What a ride!”
Next he found himself bodysurfing parallel to Chief Radioman Burt Martin, who screamed, “Any port in a storm, right, Arch?”
Strongly recommended!
Here is the setup.
Yet despite Japan’s seeming invincibility, as early as October 1942, while U.S. Marines and Japanese soldiers were still fighting to exterminate one another on Guadalcanal, CINCPAC Nimitz sensed that the U.S. was already winning a grinding war of attrition across the Pacific. Japan had a robust, if limited, manufacturing capability, and its capture of the resource-rich territories enveloping the South China Sea certainly upgraded that facility. But within a year of the attack on Pearl Harbor the United States was simply outproducing the rest of the combined world in ships, planes, weapons—and martial ideas.
A writer once observed that war is God’s way of teaching Americans geography, and certainly the ensuing rolling D-days of unpronounceable specks of coral and sand from Tarawa to Kwajalein to Eniwetok to Tinian to Peleliu left every U.S. sailor, soldier, and airman fighting across these alien shores of the Pacific embossed in his psyche. At bottom, however island-hopping raids and landings had one common goal: taking of the Philippines as a springboard from which to launch the invasion of Japan.
Moreover, unlike the great land battles being fought against Nazis in Africa and Europe, the Pacific Theater was and would remain primarily a naval and air campaign. The Japanese may have occupied far-flung islands, but they still needed to supply them. Without realizing it, the enemy had disastrously exceeded its chew ratio. As such, Nimitz exhorted his admirals never to shy taking the “calculated risks” that would decimate the enemy’s land, sea, and air forces.
Halsey has been criticized for his actions during the Battle of Leyte Gulf when he ran after the decoy Japanese carriers and left MacArthur’s landing ships unprotected. Now Halsey wants to stay close to the Philippines so he can support MacArthur’s landings on Mindoro. Unfortunately, his refueling rendezvous is smack dab in the middle of the track of a monster typhoon. Almost everyone is slow to realize the storm coming is a typhoon and Halsey is very slow to take actions that could have enabled his fleet to escape the worst. His actions have devastating results but forecasting was little different from earlier times. And this was wartime, bad weather is no excuse to stop the mission.
The authors put you right in the middle of the action, from the greenest young sailor on his first voyage to the admirals’ staterooms. Most of the story is at the individual ship and sailor level. So terrifying and yet so many heroes arise from ordinary crewmembers. After the destroyer escort The Hull capsizes, the survivors are swimming in the middle of a typhoon:
He started to swim, to where he did not know or care. Soon enough he realized he could “sense” by the surface current and wave action the impending crash of one of the huge crushers. As it closed on him he would hear the roar, and seconds before the wave broke, out of some primal instinct, he kicked his feet, folded his arms across his chest…and taught himself to bodysurf, as if learning to fly while talking. He began gliding down the face of ninety-foot combers.
He saw shipmates doing the same. He rode one wave with Fire Controlman 1st Class Al Taylor, who curved in midair with the resilience of a dolphin and hollered, “Woo-ee, Chief! What a ride!”
Next he found himself bodysurfing parallel to Chief Radioman Burt Martin, who screamed, “Any port in a storm, right, Arch?”
Strongly recommended!
November 9, 2019
Dramatic true story of a maritime military operation interrupted by an enormous typhoon. Admiral Halsey’s fleet was preparing to support MacArthur’s invasion of Luzon in the Philippines in 1944, when they steered directly into the course of Typhoon Cobra with its 90-foot waves and over 100 knot gusting winds. This book tells an inspiring story of sailors confronting life-or-death situations. Though much of the story is tragic, the highlight is a valiant rescue effort by a relatively inexperienced captain and crew of a small Destroyer Escort.
The first part of the book sets up the military objectives and participants. The second part tells of the gathering storm, leadership decisions, and the ships’ maneuvers. The rescue effort is riveting, and it is worth reading the book just for this portion. The travails of the sailors contending with the elements, wounds, sharks, madness induced from drinking saltwater, and numerous miseries are heart-wrenching. Though the authors do not dwell on the carnage, the graphic descriptions are not for the faint-hearted.
The authors are journalists, trying to determine if the sinking of ships and loss of life was preventable. The transcripts of the U.S. Naval Court of Inquiry had been recently declassified and formed much of the basis of their analysis, along with survivors’ stories and in-depth research. These stories jump around a bit, and it is sometimes difficult to keep track of which ship is being referenced. The personal anecdotes are particularly effective in showing what the sailors encountered as their ships were battered by the storm.
Two examples of these personal accounts include:
“Clinging to the top of the Cape Esperance’s center mast with every muscle in his body, Paul Schlener was not sure what to do as the storm increased in intensity. His watch was technically over, but whether through oversight or intention, no crewmate had relieved him and no officer had signaled for him to climb down. In fact, the scud was so thick that he could barely make out the deck sixty feet below. He was petrified.”
and
“Kosco sat upright in his bunk. He was overwhelmed “with a feeling of great, leaden weights pressing on [my] shoulders.” He threw on his heavy weather gear and scrambled up the iron skipper’s ladder to the navigation deck. Leaning into the wind and listening to the pounding surf, he surveyed the otherworldly tableau; giant, mottled whitecaps stretched endless in every direction under a black, starless dome. If the dark side of the moon were covered by sea, he thought, this is what it would look like.”
I am very glad that meteorology has progressed since WWII, and it is unlikely that a fleet would be unaware of the location of such a large storm today. There are definitely lessons in leadership to be gleaned from this book, primarily related crisis management. It definitely creates food for thought on how the reader would react in a similar situation. Part military analysis, part man vs. nature, part survival story, this book is filled with peril, catastrophe, and heroism. I read it in observance of Veterans’ Day and found it a powerful tribute to the Brotherhood of the Sea.
The first part of the book sets up the military objectives and participants. The second part tells of the gathering storm, leadership decisions, and the ships’ maneuvers. The rescue effort is riveting, and it is worth reading the book just for this portion. The travails of the sailors contending with the elements, wounds, sharks, madness induced from drinking saltwater, and numerous miseries are heart-wrenching. Though the authors do not dwell on the carnage, the graphic descriptions are not for the faint-hearted.
The authors are journalists, trying to determine if the sinking of ships and loss of life was preventable. The transcripts of the U.S. Naval Court of Inquiry had been recently declassified and formed much of the basis of their analysis, along with survivors’ stories and in-depth research. These stories jump around a bit, and it is sometimes difficult to keep track of which ship is being referenced. The personal anecdotes are particularly effective in showing what the sailors encountered as their ships were battered by the storm.
Two examples of these personal accounts include:
“Clinging to the top of the Cape Esperance’s center mast with every muscle in his body, Paul Schlener was not sure what to do as the storm increased in intensity. His watch was technically over, but whether through oversight or intention, no crewmate had relieved him and no officer had signaled for him to climb down. In fact, the scud was so thick that he could barely make out the deck sixty feet below. He was petrified.”
and
“Kosco sat upright in his bunk. He was overwhelmed “with a feeling of great, leaden weights pressing on [my] shoulders.” He threw on his heavy weather gear and scrambled up the iron skipper’s ladder to the navigation deck. Leaning into the wind and listening to the pounding surf, he surveyed the otherworldly tableau; giant, mottled whitecaps stretched endless in every direction under a black, starless dome. If the dark side of the moon were covered by sea, he thought, this is what it would look like.”
I am very glad that meteorology has progressed since WWII, and it is unlikely that a fleet would be unaware of the location of such a large storm today. There are definitely lessons in leadership to be gleaned from this book, primarily related crisis management. It definitely creates food for thought on how the reader would react in a similar situation. Part military analysis, part man vs. nature, part survival story, this book is filled with peril, catastrophe, and heroism. I read it in observance of Veterans’ Day and found it a powerful tribute to the Brotherhood of the Sea.
December 25, 2018
By late 1944 the war in the Pacific had irrevocably turned in favor of the United States after the Battle of Leyte Gulf in October, however, there was still a great deal of fighting to be done in the Philippines under General MacArthur. As part of this fighting, the Third Fleet under Admiral Halsey undertook to protect MacArthur's men. The pugnacious admiral was still smarting from the criticisn, some real and some implied, for being tricked at Leyte Gulf so he was not about to 'abandon' MacArthur's men in December. Unfortunately for 800 men and three destroyers, the weather stepped in to foul up Halsey's plans.
This book starts a bit slow as the author lays out all the pieces in the battle between the Third Fleet and Typhoon Cobra. Just as the small ships, destroyers, destroyer escorts, and escort carriers, which had one of their finest hours off Samar, took the brunt of the damage in October, it was the destroyers who fought the mountainous waves and wind trying to survive. Three did not, and many other ships were heavily damaged before reaching the safety of Ulithi.
The author ably describes the peril the men faced, and those who were responsible for them being there in the first place. One was the fleet's chief meteorolgist who misread what was happening. In addition, part of the problem was a lack of fuel and design, making the small ships more vulnerable. But the book is called HALSEY'S TYPHOON for a very good reason because he and his trusted commander of Task Force 38, Admiral McCain, made some questionable decisions that delayed their taking appropriate measures.
This is an interesting book about a wartime tragedy. Nearly 800 men were lost, partly because of ignorance and partly because of obstinacy to 'stay on station'. One of the ships, the USS Hull, had a new commander, who insisted on following orders instead of looking out for his ship. Ironically, he was the only one of the three commanders to survive. In contrast, the commander of the destroyer escort, USS Tabberer, Henry Plage, chose to disregard his orders so his ship could rescue some 50 men from a watery grave. Needless to say, he was a true hero to those who made it home.
The book concludes with the results of the investigation into the tragedy, and with a look at the lives of those who took part. It also makes you realize how powerful nature can be. Even a 'fighting admiral' cannot fight a typhoon.
This book starts a bit slow as the author lays out all the pieces in the battle between the Third Fleet and Typhoon Cobra. Just as the small ships, destroyers, destroyer escorts, and escort carriers, which had one of their finest hours off Samar, took the brunt of the damage in October, it was the destroyers who fought the mountainous waves and wind trying to survive. Three did not, and many other ships were heavily damaged before reaching the safety of Ulithi.
The author ably describes the peril the men faced, and those who were responsible for them being there in the first place. One was the fleet's chief meteorolgist who misread what was happening. In addition, part of the problem was a lack of fuel and design, making the small ships more vulnerable. But the book is called HALSEY'S TYPHOON for a very good reason because he and his trusted commander of Task Force 38, Admiral McCain, made some questionable decisions that delayed their taking appropriate measures.
This is an interesting book about a wartime tragedy. Nearly 800 men were lost, partly because of ignorance and partly because of obstinacy to 'stay on station'. One of the ships, the USS Hull, had a new commander, who insisted on following orders instead of looking out for his ship. Ironically, he was the only one of the three commanders to survive. In contrast, the commander of the destroyer escort, USS Tabberer, Henry Plage, chose to disregard his orders so his ship could rescue some 50 men from a watery grave. Needless to say, he was a true hero to those who made it home.
The book concludes with the results of the investigation into the tragedy, and with a look at the lives of those who took part. It also makes you realize how powerful nature can be. Even a 'fighting admiral' cannot fight a typhoon.
November 22, 2008
This is a book that I probably never would have read if my Dad hadn’t been in a typhoon himself in the Pacific during WWII. His recollections of that experience are pretty riveting. (90 ‘ waves cresting over the bridge where he was stationed for 4 hours trying to steer the ship! Another ship careening by out of control, and missing his by yards.)
This is the account of another typhoon just a few months earlier but in a very similar location – east of the Philippines. At the time (late 1944), the US was preparing to attack the Japanese on their last stronghold on the Philippines (Luzon.) The book in large part revolves around the decision of the Admiral to send his ships into the typhoon to refuel in order to most effectively continue that campaign.
The descriptions on the force of the typhoon and its effect on ship and sailors are most impressive. I’ve spent some time on the ocean, and a 35 mph breeze is quite a challenge, but winds of over 100mph and 90+ foot seas. That is beyond daunting. There are some pretty amazing accounts of sailors who spent days afloat after their ship sank. (body surfing down the 90’ swells in order not to drown, fending off sharks, surviving on little or no food and water. )
Though probably not the intent of the book, I was overawed by the mobilization on resources for killing. The descriptions of refueling and the amount of fuel that was consumed by each vessel is staggering. Giant aircraft carriers. The domestic production of ships, planes, and armaments. Even the mail – the War Department realized that mail from home was important to morale, and so had a pretty good mail service and huge crates of mail were shipped to remote corners of the Pacific.
In sum, this was a pretty good book, though probably not everyone’s cup of tea.
This is the account of another typhoon just a few months earlier but in a very similar location – east of the Philippines. At the time (late 1944), the US was preparing to attack the Japanese on their last stronghold on the Philippines (Luzon.) The book in large part revolves around the decision of the Admiral to send his ships into the typhoon to refuel in order to most effectively continue that campaign.
The descriptions on the force of the typhoon and its effect on ship and sailors are most impressive. I’ve spent some time on the ocean, and a 35 mph breeze is quite a challenge, but winds of over 100mph and 90+ foot seas. That is beyond daunting. There are some pretty amazing accounts of sailors who spent days afloat after their ship sank. (body surfing down the 90’ swells in order not to drown, fending off sharks, surviving on little or no food and water. )
Though probably not the intent of the book, I was overawed by the mobilization on resources for killing. The descriptions of refueling and the amount of fuel that was consumed by each vessel is staggering. Giant aircraft carriers. The domestic production of ships, planes, and armaments. Even the mail – the War Department realized that mail from home was important to morale, and so had a pretty good mail service and huge crates of mail were shipped to remote corners of the Pacific.
In sum, this was a pretty good book, though probably not everyone’s cup of tea.
October 8, 2023
A Typhoon is one of those things that sometimes doesn't quite something that makes sense in the minds eye since it is an unfamiliar term for most Americans. Apparently a Typhoon is much like a Hurricane with a bit of emphasis. Still it is listed in the book as one of the most feared features of weather. A fact that seemed to be proven in spades by the 3rd Fleet got caught in one.
This was an an extraordinary account of one of the worst cases of unintentional wondering into a storm capable of doing more damage to the 3rd Fleet than the Japanese ever did. It was a accident compounded by mistakes in judgement by a number of individuals. There was loss of life, a number of smaller ships but that wasn't all that was done as far as damage. The ships that were sunk were all small in the general of the smallest size but the damage was done to even some of the larger ships. Carriers had planes tossed off the decks or tossed around the hanger decks. On the stern of many ships the AA gun tubs were damaged or ripped off.
All of this and more is covered in this book, mostly as viewed through a prism of a trail that was held after the fact and it is very well done. A part of the war that is generally overlooked in the grand sweeping histories of the Pacific War. It is a great read and a powerful one.
This was an an extraordinary account of one of the worst cases of unintentional wondering into a storm capable of doing more damage to the 3rd Fleet than the Japanese ever did. It was a accident compounded by mistakes in judgement by a number of individuals. There was loss of life, a number of smaller ships but that wasn't all that was done as far as damage. The ships that were sunk were all small in the general of the smallest size but the damage was done to even some of the larger ships. Carriers had planes tossed off the decks or tossed around the hanger decks. On the stern of many ships the AA gun tubs were damaged or ripped off.
All of this and more is covered in this book, mostly as viewed through a prism of a trail that was held after the fact and it is very well done. A part of the war that is generally overlooked in the grand sweeping histories of the Pacific War. It is a great read and a powerful one.
September 12, 2019
”No one who [has not] been through a typhoon can conceive its fury. The 70-foot seas smashing you from all sides. The rain and the scud are blinding; they drive at you flat out, until you can’t tell the ocean from the air. At broad noon I couldn’t see the bow of my ship, 350 feet from the bridge... [The] typhoon tossed our enormous ship as if she were a canoe. Our chairs, tables, and all loose gear had to be double-lashed; we ourselves were buffeted from one bulkhead to another; we could not hear our own voices above the uproar. What it was like on a destroyer one-twentieth [our] size, I can only imagine.” - Admiral William “Bull” Halsey
This is the slowest-starting WWII history I’ve read in a while. Thankfully, it got better! In December 1944, “Bull” Halsey’s Third Fleet found itself in a monstrous Pacific typhoon. Not knowing initially the size and danger of the storm, they continued to steam on in formation. In an episode that was hushed up at the time by the Navy, nearly 900 men saw their ships go to the bottom of the Philippine Sea. Only 93 were rescued - 55 by the USS Tabberer alone, who although being gravely damaged itself, stayed on the scene to search for survivors under still hazardous conditions. This book tells their story - and once it finally gets around to their story, it’s very dramatic!
The highlight of the book really is the stories of the men themselves. Some spent as many as four days floating in the Pacific, being blasted by sea spray at over 100 mph which peeled and blistered their skin. They were tossed by 70 foot waves that remained huge even after the storm had moved on. Even worse, many watched their shipmates go mad from the ordeal and die or be torn to pieces by hungry sharks. The book doesn’t address the court martial hearings that were held in great depth, but it concludes that Halsey did the best he could with limited information and weather forecasting abilities. It ends well, but was a bit of a slog getting to the storm.
This is the slowest-starting WWII history I’ve read in a while. Thankfully, it got better! In December 1944, “Bull” Halsey’s Third Fleet found itself in a monstrous Pacific typhoon. Not knowing initially the size and danger of the storm, they continued to steam on in formation. In an episode that was hushed up at the time by the Navy, nearly 900 men saw their ships go to the bottom of the Philippine Sea. Only 93 were rescued - 55 by the USS Tabberer alone, who although being gravely damaged itself, stayed on the scene to search for survivors under still hazardous conditions. This book tells their story - and once it finally gets around to their story, it’s very dramatic!
The highlight of the book really is the stories of the men themselves. Some spent as many as four days floating in the Pacific, being blasted by sea spray at over 100 mph which peeled and blistered their skin. They were tossed by 70 foot waves that remained huge even after the storm had moved on. Even worse, many watched their shipmates go mad from the ordeal and die or be torn to pieces by hungry sharks. The book doesn’t address the court martial hearings that were held in great depth, but it concludes that Halsey did the best he could with limited information and weather forecasting abilities. It ends well, but was a bit of a slog getting to the storm.
June 13, 2019
Loved this book. It was exciting and full of detail I really enjoyed. Over 800 sailors died. 3 destroyers sunk and 126 planes lost. The storm was more deadly than midway and coral sea combined. Must read
June 27, 2018
June 26, 2018
A review by Anthony T. Riggio of the book “Halsey's Typhoon” by Bob Drury and Tom Clavin:
I remember my father telling me about a Pacific Ocean typhoon he experience while he was in the Navy in the Pacific in 1944. He described it in words of great hyperbole and it excited my very young imagination to almost feel the brutality of the ocean during this storm refereed to in captioned book.
I spotted this book on Amazon and immediately ordered the hard bound edition and I am happy I did as there was a map on the inside cover I constantly referred to as well as a few photographs of some of the people mentioned in this historical work.
The book starts out with a presentation involving the review of the Naval Board of Inquiry wherein “blame was to be fixed. Unlike a Court Martial an inquiry is not as punitive but could fix blame on leadership decisions. Of course, the objectives of the inquiry involved commanding officers of both the Third Fleet and the commanders of the ships most affected by this terrible storm. The storm occurred just before MacArthur's planned invasion of the Philippines and Halsey's Third Fleet was an integral part of the invasion. Halsey had ordered his fleet to rendezvous with oil tankers to fuel up before this invasion. Absent the unforeseen or predicted storm, he had plenty of time to return to the area of invasion. During the time between December 17, 1944 and the planned invasion the Typhoon was barely identified by the people responsible for watching the weather conditions. Failure to recognize the dangers given “radio silence” and a lack of technology we have become so accustomed to, resulted in the loss of more than 800 sailors and eight ships and 146 aircraft lost on several air craft carriers.
The book described during the storm, the plight of the identified smaller ships, primarily Destroyers and Destroyer escorts, and their crews as they faced 100 foot waves and the pounding forces of nature on steel ships.
The authors described in very great details, based on reports of the 55 survivors who spent three days floating in the Pacific ocean after their respective ships sank. The images painted by the authors were both harrowing and graphic, and leave the reader almost breathless.
The after math was both rewarding and disappointing to the reader as these events all took place during the Christmas season and the efficiency of the Navy to resolve fault all occurred during this season.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and gave it five stars out of five and highly recommend its reading.
A review by Anthony T. Riggio of the book “Halsey's Typhoon” by Bob Drury and Tom Clavin:
I remember my father telling me about a Pacific Ocean typhoon he experience while he was in the Navy in the Pacific in 1944. He described it in words of great hyperbole and it excited my very young imagination to almost feel the brutality of the ocean during this storm refereed to in captioned book.
I spotted this book on Amazon and immediately ordered the hard bound edition and I am happy I did as there was a map on the inside cover I constantly referred to as well as a few photographs of some of the people mentioned in this historical work.
The book starts out with a presentation involving the review of the Naval Board of Inquiry wherein “blame was to be fixed. Unlike a Court Martial an inquiry is not as punitive but could fix blame on leadership decisions. Of course, the objectives of the inquiry involved commanding officers of both the Third Fleet and the commanders of the ships most affected by this terrible storm. The storm occurred just before MacArthur's planned invasion of the Philippines and Halsey's Third Fleet was an integral part of the invasion. Halsey had ordered his fleet to rendezvous with oil tankers to fuel up before this invasion. Absent the unforeseen or predicted storm, he had plenty of time to return to the area of invasion. During the time between December 17, 1944 and the planned invasion the Typhoon was barely identified by the people responsible for watching the weather conditions. Failure to recognize the dangers given “radio silence” and a lack of technology we have become so accustomed to, resulted in the loss of more than 800 sailors and eight ships and 146 aircraft lost on several air craft carriers.
The book described during the storm, the plight of the identified smaller ships, primarily Destroyers and Destroyer escorts, and their crews as they faced 100 foot waves and the pounding forces of nature on steel ships.
The authors described in very great details, based on reports of the 55 survivors who spent three days floating in the Pacific ocean after their respective ships sank. The images painted by the authors were both harrowing and graphic, and leave the reader almost breathless.
The after math was both rewarding and disappointing to the reader as these events all took place during the Christmas season and the efficiency of the Navy to resolve fault all occurred during this season.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and gave it five stars out of five and highly recommend its reading.
January 28, 2019
Admiral William “Bull” Halsey was a great leader during the Pacific War against Japan, but one of the worst episodes of his tenure occurred during December 1944 when he led his carrier group through a typhoon.
Halsey was tried in a military court – the framework of this story with the details of the actions surrounding the battle against the Japanese and the storm and the subsequent rescue efforts providing the story within. This book is a great piece of history in telling of the tragedy, bravery, heroism, valor – sometimes in violation of orders, etc., by the US Navy – and pointing out that it all might well have been avoided.
I found this to be a well-written book about an oft-overlooked event in the Pacific War and will likely re-read this one and search among the sources for more information – which is what a great history book should do!
Halsey was tried in a military court – the framework of this story with the details of the actions surrounding the battle against the Japanese and the storm and the subsequent rescue efforts providing the story within. This book is a great piece of history in telling of the tragedy, bravery, heroism, valor – sometimes in violation of orders, etc., by the US Navy – and pointing out that it all might well have been avoided.
I found this to be a well-written book about an oft-overlooked event in the Pacific War and will likely re-read this one and search among the sources for more information – which is what a great history book should do!
July 24, 2022
Very well told account of the disaster that hit the Third fleet in December 1944. I had heard of Halsey Typhoon but never really knew the story. Authors Drury and Clavin do an excellent job of telling an engrossing and powerful story of survival and heroism during a deadly typhoon that nearly decimated the Third Fleet. You get to know the men and circumstances that occurred during the typhoon as well as the aftermath and the struggles the survivors went through before being rescued. Highly recommended.
May 3, 2019
I had high hopes for this book just based on the number high rates and seeing this constantly on the history shelves at every bookstore. However, my hopes were dashed quickly when on the first half of the book was filled with errors in ship types, over use of nautical slang and exposition that is not related at all the overall story or even theme.
What is the overall story? It's the loss of 3 destroyers during Typhoon Cobra due a combination of hubris of Admiral Halsey or his staff and ineffective weather casting by the US Navy.
The whole book bogs for me with these errors, typos and historical hindsight that destroys the theme. Things that should have been caught by a competent editor, slipped thru the cracks.
What are some of these errors?
Well in one portion of the book the authors make reference to the US Navy heavy weather manual that states that the amount of energy released by a typhoon is equivalent to 5 times the amount of energy released at both the nuclear bombs released against Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Wait...what??? The 1944 edition says that??? Well the authors make that impression in writing of the book. Yet, the typhoon that struck was December of 1944, first nuclear weapon that is used was July of 1944 and actually used in August of 1945. So how could they have known the energy release? Well I believe after reviewing the bibliography that the authors were talking of a modern edition of the heavy weather guide, again the writing doesn't make that impression.
There were errors in the theme where the authors seemed to say that Halsey and his staff didn't grasp the storm size and danger until it was too late. That this was due to poor reporting of weather among the fleet and in general for the 40s. Yet, for every page on how sucky the weather guessers were in 1944, the authors at the same time destroy their argument with "If they had read their Bowditch..." which is hindsight 20/20 sort of thing that throws off the theme of the book.
Finally, and to me the biggest error is lack of an editor to provide a coherent timeline in a book about units spread across 300 nautical miles of ocean. The authors would be busy talking about one ships and its in the middle of the typhoon, then segue to another at trouble as well, but would have a line about that would be "...at the same time the fleet was being descended upon by the typhoon...." which was jarring for me. Since wait are we in the typhoon or not? This is a glaring error repeated for about 80% of the chapters dedicated to the ships that were being damaged by the typhoon.
As the epilogue the authors miss that due to this event the Navy adjusted weather reporting and made typhoon recon a priority for the rest of the war. As well it would have been interesting if the authors spent more time with the actual court of inquiry and its proceedings. Instead they used segments of the findings to open chapters, said it happened and only covered parts where the commanding officers of the 3 destroyers that capsized and sunk were actually charged with anything.
Ultimately, I think there are better books about Typhoon Cobra or Halsey's Typhoon. This just has too many errors for a historian or sailor to be able to glean useful information from let alone draw good conclusions about the actions of the fleet, the staff and individuals involved.
What is the overall story? It's the loss of 3 destroyers during Typhoon Cobra due a combination of hubris of Admiral Halsey or his staff and ineffective weather casting by the US Navy.
The whole book bogs for me with these errors, typos and historical hindsight that destroys the theme. Things that should have been caught by a competent editor, slipped thru the cracks.
What are some of these errors?
Well in one portion of the book the authors make reference to the US Navy heavy weather manual that states that the amount of energy released by a typhoon is equivalent to 5 times the amount of energy released at both the nuclear bombs released against Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Wait...what??? The 1944 edition says that??? Well the authors make that impression in writing of the book. Yet, the typhoon that struck was December of 1944, first nuclear weapon that is used was July of 1944 and actually used in August of 1945. So how could they have known the energy release? Well I believe after reviewing the bibliography that the authors were talking of a modern edition of the heavy weather guide, again the writing doesn't make that impression.
There were errors in the theme where the authors seemed to say that Halsey and his staff didn't grasp the storm size and danger until it was too late. That this was due to poor reporting of weather among the fleet and in general for the 40s. Yet, for every page on how sucky the weather guessers were in 1944, the authors at the same time destroy their argument with "If they had read their Bowditch..." which is hindsight 20/20 sort of thing that throws off the theme of the book.
Finally, and to me the biggest error is lack of an editor to provide a coherent timeline in a book about units spread across 300 nautical miles of ocean. The authors would be busy talking about one ships and its in the middle of the typhoon, then segue to another at trouble as well, but would have a line about that would be "...at the same time the fleet was being descended upon by the typhoon...." which was jarring for me. Since wait are we in the typhoon or not? This is a glaring error repeated for about 80% of the chapters dedicated to the ships that were being damaged by the typhoon.
As the epilogue the authors miss that due to this event the Navy adjusted weather reporting and made typhoon recon a priority for the rest of the war. As well it would have been interesting if the authors spent more time with the actual court of inquiry and its proceedings. Instead they used segments of the findings to open chapters, said it happened and only covered parts where the commanding officers of the 3 destroyers that capsized and sunk were actually charged with anything.
Ultimately, I think there are better books about Typhoon Cobra or Halsey's Typhoon. This just has too many errors for a historian or sailor to be able to glean useful information from let alone draw good conclusions about the actions of the fleet, the staff and individuals involved.
May 3, 2020
This is a well researched, finely written, account of a maritime disaster in WWII.
In December 1944 Admiral Bill Halsey commanded the South Pacific 3rd Fleet, assigned to cover and support General Douglas MacArthur's major landings in the Philippines. The book recounts Typhoon Cobra ripping through the fleet of ships and exposes the many errors and and arrogant men who lead the fleet. It also shines light on the heroes who tried in vain to save the lives of the sailors caught in this storm. From the vessels that sunk, there were many, only 93 men were saved. Most of these men spent 48 hours or more drifting in shark infested waters, without food or water many with out and life vests.
A satisfying history read for those of you who like the genre
In December 1944 Admiral Bill Halsey commanded the South Pacific 3rd Fleet, assigned to cover and support General Douglas MacArthur's major landings in the Philippines. The book recounts Typhoon Cobra ripping through the fleet of ships and exposes the many errors and and arrogant men who lead the fleet. It also shines light on the heroes who tried in vain to save the lives of the sailors caught in this storm. From the vessels that sunk, there were many, only 93 men were saved. Most of these men spent 48 hours or more drifting in shark infested waters, without food or water many with out and life vests.
A satisfying history read for those of you who like the genre
April 16, 2013
In December 1944 Admiral Halsey lost his mojo with his sailors. Weeks before he had taken the bait and gone after the Japanese ghost carriers and almost lost Leyte Gulf. He was so focused on the enemy that he didn't concern himself with the storm of the century. Kudos to those skippers who disobeyed orders and made their first priority saving their ship. The authors tell the story in a vivid, personal style with vignettes from different crew members on multiple ships. Indeed it can get confusing at times with all the participants. However, it's a must read about man versus nature and some great acts of heroism you've never heard about. The skipper of the USS Tabberer, Henry Plage, saved his ship and crew, disobeyed orders, and then went on to save some 55 sailors drifting in the ocean. He accounted for the majority of the survivors. Three destroyers were lost with most of their crews. More sailors killed than at several naval battles of the war. And nobody really knew much about it for several weeks. Halsey didn't get timely warning from his weather staff and got a slap on the wrist for this mishandling. There are pictures and an appendix listing the names of the crew who were killed. Missing is an appendix with the recommendations and opinions of the investigation into the incident. Some of the recommendations appear at the beginning of each chapter. This book had a personal connection as my uncle was the MPA on one of Halsey's cruisers in this storm. The authors describe some of the engineering measures that were taken on ships to make them survive the storm and it gave me more of an appreciation of the challenges he faced. Oh, and President Ford was in the typhoon on a jeep carrier and we hear much about his bravery too.
March 22, 2011
Folks here is your father's day/birthday gift for the man in your life who loves stories about the sea. It is a terrific and sweeping look at a little known event during WWII when the entire 3rd fleet sailed into and through an incredibly large typhoon, later called Halsey's Typhoon, after Admiral Bull Halsey, commander of the 3rd fleet and WWII hero. It was a white-knuckle read that was so intense I had disturbing dreams (I'm sure that they were nightmares, but I can't remember anything but being in an ocean with large swells) for a couple of nights. However, it was fascinating and filled with acts of bravery that made you understand how such experiences shaped and drove an entire generation. By the middle of the book I just wanted to know that these sailors would be survive. The uncertainty killed me since I knew that over 800 sailors perished in this storm. Written by a war correspondent, the book has the perfect cadence and background information to make it an exciting and absorbing read.
The best part yet though of the book is the numerous references to Nathaniel Bowditch. He is the subject of my current read aloud: Carry On, Mr. Bowditch, a Newbery award winner back in the 1950s. Fortunately one of the librarians has read everything, so knew immediately that such a book existed and that it was a treasure. I'm thoroughly enjoying that one!
The best part yet though of the book is the numerous references to Nathaniel Bowditch. He is the subject of my current read aloud: Carry On, Mr. Bowditch, a Newbery award winner back in the 1950s. Fortunately one of the librarians has read everything, so knew immediately that such a book existed and that it was a treasure. I'm thoroughly enjoying that one!
September 8, 2016
Normal men doing the improbable against impossible circumstances.
Written in a compelling chronological sequence of events, this account grabs your mind and soul as you share with these intrepid men their fears, bravery, exhaustion, devastation en extremis and release in their rescue. For both those survivors of ships sunk during the typhoons and three undeserving dedication of those committed to the rescue of survivors this account depicts the challenge, difficulty and burden each sailor has for his shipmates and fellow mariners.
A compelling read. A startling account. The writer brings you into the ocean with the survivors. He places you alongside a rescuer who selflessly dives into mountainous waves to save a life. You pace the deck study maps with the officers tasked against impossible odds.
As you complete this book, you are wrenched from your armchair into a voyeurs role: that of witness to the events as they unfold, hour after long hour.
As a veteran with 100% disability due to combat injuries including a broken neck and lower spine, I feel grateful for these less extreme injuries. The old maxim is certainly true: It is hard to complain of having no shoes when confronted with a person with no legs.
Written in a compelling chronological sequence of events, this account grabs your mind and soul as you share with these intrepid men their fears, bravery, exhaustion, devastation en extremis and release in their rescue. For both those survivors of ships sunk during the typhoons and three undeserving dedication of those committed to the rescue of survivors this account depicts the challenge, difficulty and burden each sailor has for his shipmates and fellow mariners.
A compelling read. A startling account. The writer brings you into the ocean with the survivors. He places you alongside a rescuer who selflessly dives into mountainous waves to save a life. You pace the deck study maps with the officers tasked against impossible odds.
As you complete this book, you are wrenched from your armchair into a voyeurs role: that of witness to the events as they unfold, hour after long hour.
As a veteran with 100% disability due to combat injuries including a broken neck and lower spine, I feel grateful for these less extreme injuries. The old maxim is certainly true: It is hard to complain of having no shoes when confronted with a person with no legs.
October 11, 2014
Second time around for this incredibly absorbing saga! Bull Halsey has sent the entire Third Fleet - the Big Blue Fleet - into the middle of Typhoon Cobra. Halsey is focused on supporting MacArthur's landings in the Philippines and doesn't pay proper attention to the relatively scant weather information he receives. No one - with exception of Nathaniel Bowditch (19th century author of The American Practical Navigator) - seems able to accurately predict the path of typhoons so Halsey ignores the danger signs. 793 sailors and several ships are lost. Descriptions of the power of the typhoon and its effect on ships and sailors are mesmerizing - if horrific!. Old class destroyers fitted with modern radar and communications equipment are too top-heavy to weather the power of the 100 foot waves, and failures to properly ballast the ship tanks prove fatal. My daughter, a professor of naval architecture, uses the book in her classes to demonstrate problems in ship design and function.
October 29, 2008
it's pretty stunning to think about a destroyer going belly up in 90' waves, wind that tears the skin off your face, and being lost in the philippine sea for days while hunted by sharks. that said, the writing leaves much to be desired. i found it hard to keep the characters and ships straight in my mind and might have been just as happy reading only the second half. the author's did a fine job of collecting these untold stories, i only wish they had done a better job of organizing the material.
June 7, 2014
A true World War II tale of unexpected disaster and a daring rescue mission in the face of a fierce storm. A good historical read about the naval war in the Pacific.
January 27, 2022
This book drew my interest because of my general affinity for learning about history. That my grandfather endured this storm aboard the USS Dyson only added to my intrigue. My late grandfather didn’t speak at length of his war experience, but what he did share was profound. Granddad spoke of lashing himself to a railing or other objects as the angry sea tossed the ship about. The vivid descriptions in this book reminded me of when my grandfather spoke of walls of water so high, it was as if you could reach out and touch the sea as the ship heaved and lurched.
The book takes a while to get going as they set the scene, and some may view this as little more than incomprehensible military jargon, but I encourage you to stick with it. Once the story engages with the principal subject of the book, it will reward you with a harrowing experience. The authors masterfully wield the written word to create a visceral experience that is horrifying and heroic all at once. I can’t overstate the importance of this book, as it is an all-consuming account of a chapter of Naval and WWII history that is often forgotten.
The book takes a while to get going as they set the scene, and some may view this as little more than incomprehensible military jargon, but I encourage you to stick with it. Once the story engages with the principal subject of the book, it will reward you with a harrowing experience. The authors masterfully wield the written word to create a visceral experience that is horrifying and heroic all at once. I can’t overstate the importance of this book, as it is an all-consuming account of a chapter of Naval and WWII history that is often forgotten.
May 19, 2021
Pretty good historical non-fiction. The author did a good job getting veterans to open up about the most terrifying and formative few days of their lives. Pretty amazing that over 700 deaths, the loss of 3 ships, over 100 aircraft and damage to many more just resulted in a court of inquiry that never really affected anything. The audio-book does have some interesting afterwords/interviews that are worth the listen. This book makes me wonder what would have happened to Halsey with today's media and risk aversion. Following on, what are we losing by setting up the system that way?
January 12, 2019
Very interesting account of Typhoon Cobra which swamped Bull Halsey’s 3rd fleet and caused more damage than most Japanese attacks. Great stories of survival and heroism especially by Henry Lee Plage and the USS Tabberer. Also follow the court martials and inquiries into Halsey and his staff’s actions.
did-not-finish
April 11, 2019While I'm sure this is a very interesting, well-written account of what happened during this massive storm, I just can't get into it and have too many other books to read. Sorry Dad!
Read
May 26, 2025DNF. The concept of the book is interesting but I expected it to be more of a story whereas it’s really a more history based novel.
July 23, 2019
Great book about a lesser known series of events during World War II. Tells the story of the incredible typhoon that a portion of Admiral Halsey's fleet ventured into. Incredible stories of bravery and survival as well as cowardice.
According to the authors, knowledge of weather at the time of World War II had not advanced much since the 19th century.
According to the authors, knowledge of weather at the time of World War II had not advanced much since the 19th century.
March 3, 2015
This is a great book, which I can highly recommend. In all honesty I had a bit of difficulty of getting into it at first. I did not like the Dramatis Personae listing in beginning (in all reality I am probably not experienced enough to maneuver this with a Kindle), I felt the introductions to what a typhoon is were introduced in the wrong locations, but once I got into this book I could not stop reading.
Bob Drury and Tom Clavin excel in describing the personality of a man, who was driven by the wish to take revenge for the Pearl Harbor attack, who was haunted by that he could not participate in the Battle of Midway, in short, a man, who had a ‘personal agenda’ with Japanese Admiral Yamamoto. His reaction to Yamamoto’s assassination,
“… Halsey silenced him with a wave and a scowl. “What’s good about it?” he demanded. “I’d hoped to lead that scoundrel up Pennsylvania Avenue in chains, with the rest of you kicking him where it would do the most good.”…”
The authors also give credit to Yamamoto’s skills,
“… The Japanese navy never won another major sea battle…”
The decisive language of the book makes it memorable. I also liked how the authors managed to sum up military events in short precise sentences every reader can remember, forever.
“… The American victory in the Battle for Leyte Gulf was, and remains to this day, the largest naval engagement in the history of the world…”
Most American students do even not know where Leyte Gulf is located, so this short crisp sentence can be understood as an encouragement to look it up to know this one very important historic event. I liked that a lot. Bob Drury and Tom Clavin also excelled in explaining concepts in a colorful and outspoken way that makes them more real than some of the abstract writings I have read.
[Kamikaze] “… But it was not the ancient Japanese Bushido – the “way of the warrior” code of conduct and moral principles – that concerned Halsey. It was this bomb-laden steel hurtling from the skies and sending his vessels to the bottom of the sea…. Even the Marines charging into the meat grinders of Guadalcanal and Tarawa believed they had a fighting chance to come out alive…”
Most interestingly the first time I had heard about Halsey’s typhoon was in middle school, in biology class. The teacher showed a picture of hundreds of stranded sailors who treaded water waiting to be rescued. Around them swam in circles hundreds of sharks ready to devour the helpless sailors. (This picture was supposed illustrate that sharks are vicious predators.) Reading ‘Halsey’s Typhoon’ told a totally a different story. There were no hundreds of sailors swimming together. Few sailors, who managed to survive the going down of their vessels found creative ways to stay alive (or not). Their ‘little stories’ matter in this huge story of big fleets, driven admirals, bad weather forecasting, a vicious typhoon on a unusual path, and the bad luck of these forces colliding. By bringing them together Bob Drury and Tom Clavin have created a fantastic book, which I can highly recommend to everybody who is interested in history, psychology, and strategy.
Readers who are interested in politics will be delighted to find detailed information about Vice Admiral John Sidney McCain, the senator’s father, and Gerald Ford, the future president, whose bravery shone during the dramatic events.
Loved the book, 5 stars,
Gisela Hausmann, author & blogger
Bob Drury and Tom Clavin excel in describing the personality of a man, who was driven by the wish to take revenge for the Pearl Harbor attack, who was haunted by that he could not participate in the Battle of Midway, in short, a man, who had a ‘personal agenda’ with Japanese Admiral Yamamoto. His reaction to Yamamoto’s assassination,
“… Halsey silenced him with a wave and a scowl. “What’s good about it?” he demanded. “I’d hoped to lead that scoundrel up Pennsylvania Avenue in chains, with the rest of you kicking him where it would do the most good.”…”
The authors also give credit to Yamamoto’s skills,
“… The Japanese navy never won another major sea battle…”
The decisive language of the book makes it memorable. I also liked how the authors managed to sum up military events in short precise sentences every reader can remember, forever.
“… The American victory in the Battle for Leyte Gulf was, and remains to this day, the largest naval engagement in the history of the world…”
Most American students do even not know where Leyte Gulf is located, so this short crisp sentence can be understood as an encouragement to look it up to know this one very important historic event. I liked that a lot. Bob Drury and Tom Clavin also excelled in explaining concepts in a colorful and outspoken way that makes them more real than some of the abstract writings I have read.
[Kamikaze] “… But it was not the ancient Japanese Bushido – the “way of the warrior” code of conduct and moral principles – that concerned Halsey. It was this bomb-laden steel hurtling from the skies and sending his vessels to the bottom of the sea…. Even the Marines charging into the meat grinders of Guadalcanal and Tarawa believed they had a fighting chance to come out alive…”
Most interestingly the first time I had heard about Halsey’s typhoon was in middle school, in biology class. The teacher showed a picture of hundreds of stranded sailors who treaded water waiting to be rescued. Around them swam in circles hundreds of sharks ready to devour the helpless sailors. (This picture was supposed illustrate that sharks are vicious predators.) Reading ‘Halsey’s Typhoon’ told a totally a different story. There were no hundreds of sailors swimming together. Few sailors, who managed to survive the going down of their vessels found creative ways to stay alive (or not). Their ‘little stories’ matter in this huge story of big fleets, driven admirals, bad weather forecasting, a vicious typhoon on a unusual path, and the bad luck of these forces colliding. By bringing them together Bob Drury and Tom Clavin have created a fantastic book, which I can highly recommend to everybody who is interested in history, psychology, and strategy.
Readers who are interested in politics will be delighted to find detailed information about Vice Admiral John Sidney McCain, the senator’s father, and Gerald Ford, the future president, whose bravery shone during the dramatic events.
Loved the book, 5 stars,
Gisela Hausmann, author & blogger
February 18, 2022
I would imagine the first question is why this crime fiction lover chose to read a book about a tragedy at sea during World War II. The answer is simple: my grandfather. My grandfather served in the US Navy aboard an LST in the South Pacific during World War II. He drove landing craft up on the beachheads and also served as an anti-aircraft gunner. He was very tight-lipped about his service, only mentioning three things. One of them was being caught in a typhoon and how everyone aboard was well beyond being merely seasick. When I read the synopsis of Halsey's Typhoon, I wondered if this could be the typhoon my grandfather mentioned.
When I finished reading the book, I did a little research and compared some dates. This wasn't the typhoon my grandfather mentioned, and for that, I am eternally thankful. What I couldn't foresee was how emotionally involved I would be as I read Halsey's Typhoon. Of course, I learned things. What makes a typhoon in the Pacific deadlier than a hurricane in the Atlantic. How ships were refueled at sea. I learned about ship design and how retro-fitting some of the old destroyers in the Pacific Third Fleet sealed their doom during the typhoon. (Stay away from top-heavy ships.) I also gained respect for a future president who survived this tragedy.
Authors Bob Drury and Tom Clavin gave us readers Halsey's background, they set the scene, they let the typhoon bludgeon us then cast us adrift in rough seas with no water and no protection from the sharks before letting us be rescued. Reading this book was sometimes exhausting. I was completely emotionally invested in Halsey's Typhoon. I grew to know the men, to care about what happened to them. I was a nervous, seasick wreck during the horrendous typhoon. I cried as the ships sank and men-- most of them barely out of their teens-- desperately tried to save themselves. And my heart swelled when the commander of the badly damaged USS Tabberer defied orders in order to continue to search for and rescue survivors. As far as I'm concerned, there would never be enough medals to give Lieutenant Commander Henry Lee Plage.
When all is said and done, what was at the heart of this hushed-up disaster? I think it can be summed up in one sentence from the book: "Meteorology was not high on the U.S. Navy's list of wartime priorities." That is not wise when you're responsible for thousands of men aboard hundreds of ships traveling vast expanses of water that are at the mercy of the weather.
Halsey's Typhoon is a brilliantly written piece of wartime naval history that reads like the best fiction. I couldn't put it down.
When I finished reading the book, I did a little research and compared some dates. This wasn't the typhoon my grandfather mentioned, and for that, I am eternally thankful. What I couldn't foresee was how emotionally involved I would be as I read Halsey's Typhoon. Of course, I learned things. What makes a typhoon in the Pacific deadlier than a hurricane in the Atlantic. How ships were refueled at sea. I learned about ship design and how retro-fitting some of the old destroyers in the Pacific Third Fleet sealed their doom during the typhoon. (Stay away from top-heavy ships.) I also gained respect for a future president who survived this tragedy.
Authors Bob Drury and Tom Clavin gave us readers Halsey's background, they set the scene, they let the typhoon bludgeon us then cast us adrift in rough seas with no water and no protection from the sharks before letting us be rescued. Reading this book was sometimes exhausting. I was completely emotionally invested in Halsey's Typhoon. I grew to know the men, to care about what happened to them. I was a nervous, seasick wreck during the horrendous typhoon. I cried as the ships sank and men-- most of them barely out of their teens-- desperately tried to save themselves. And my heart swelled when the commander of the badly damaged USS Tabberer defied orders in order to continue to search for and rescue survivors. As far as I'm concerned, there would never be enough medals to give Lieutenant Commander Henry Lee Plage.
When all is said and done, what was at the heart of this hushed-up disaster? I think it can be summed up in one sentence from the book: "Meteorology was not high on the U.S. Navy's list of wartime priorities." That is not wise when you're responsible for thousands of men aboard hundreds of ships traveling vast expanses of water that are at the mercy of the weather.
Halsey's Typhoon is a brilliantly written piece of wartime naval history that reads like the best fiction. I couldn't put it down.
March 17, 2013
A really interesting book... well written and captivating. "Halsey's Typhoon" was a best seller when it was first published in 2007, and it is now available in paperback. For anyone interested in military history, more specifically, naval history, you will thoroughly enjoy this true story about a tragic event from WWII in the Pacific. Many of you may have read in history books about the horrendous typhoon in 1944 when Admiral Halsey, one of the great naval heros of modern times, sent a task force into a typhoon with winds well over 100 knots and seas of over 100 feet high resulting in the loss of three ships and damage to many more ships and planes... 793 officers and sailors perished at sea.
The authors lead the reader into understanding Halsey and what led to this disaster and why in the end so many lives were lost, whereas in today's world with worldwide forecasting and weather satellites, along with better technology as to how to design ships, this would most likely never happen again. But what really makes this book a page-turner is that the authors did their homework while time was still on their side: they interviewed many of the survivors and heard firsthand as to what happened and how they survived in the storm-tossed, shark-infested seas, while so many of their shipmates either parished within their ships or during the trials of trying to survive in the water.
As a side note: As so often happens when I read a book about events that have taken place during my lifetime, I come across places and people in the stories that I know or have known. As an example, one of the skippers of a ship in the typhoon was the father of one of my very best friends after the war in the early 50s; and another officer mentioned in the story later became a vice admiral and had the pleasure of escorting my bride down the asile when we were married. Additionally, as a junior naval officer myself, I once worked for an admiral who was the son of one of the key characters in the story. It also so happens that three months after this typhoon my father was on the staff of Admiral Halsey during the closing days of the war and was there with him on USS Missouri for the signing of the Surrender in Tokyo Bay.
The authors lead the reader into understanding Halsey and what led to this disaster and why in the end so many lives were lost, whereas in today's world with worldwide forecasting and weather satellites, along with better technology as to how to design ships, this would most likely never happen again. But what really makes this book a page-turner is that the authors did their homework while time was still on their side: they interviewed many of the survivors and heard firsthand as to what happened and how they survived in the storm-tossed, shark-infested seas, while so many of their shipmates either parished within their ships or during the trials of trying to survive in the water.
As a side note: As so often happens when I read a book about events that have taken place during my lifetime, I come across places and people in the stories that I know or have known. As an example, one of the skippers of a ship in the typhoon was the father of one of my very best friends after the war in the early 50s; and another officer mentioned in the story later became a vice admiral and had the pleasure of escorting my bride down the asile when we were married. Additionally, as a junior naval officer myself, I once worked for an admiral who was the son of one of the key characters in the story. It also so happens that three months after this typhoon my father was on the staff of Admiral Halsey during the closing days of the war and was there with him on USS Missouri for the signing of the Surrender in Tokyo Bay.
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