What do you think?
Rate this book
In Peril: A Daring Decision, a Captain's Resolve, and the Salvage That Made History
"Strong and Braden's tale of an imperfect storm, three ships, and a daring rescue comes to vivid life in this gem of a book." -Publishers Weekly
"A marvelous yarn about an incredible rescue." -The Bangor (ME) Daily News
When Skip Strong, a thirty-two-year-old captain of the 688-foot oil tanker Cherry Valley received the call, all he knew was that an oceangoing tug with five men aboard was in distress off Florida's east coast. Caught in an unusually powerful storm, the tug's engines failed, and as the winds gusted to more than sixty miles per hour and the sea whipped into a frenzy, the tug and the barge it was pulling were in danger of being swept ashore.
Captain Strong also knew without a doubt that he would follow the thousandsyear- old tradition of the sea and come to the aid of the crew, the tug, and its cargo, despite the fact that he would have to maneuver his ship, laden with ten million gallons of oil, in extremely hazardous conditions. One mistake and Strong would be responsible for an ecological disaster on Florida's beaches equal to that of the Exxon Valdez.
What Captain Strong didn't know was that the tug was carrying a 150-foot aluminum fuel cell worth upwards of $50 million. And that in the instant he decided to rescue the tug and its crew he was opening the door on a dramatic and tense legal struggle that would pit him against the U.S. government for salvage rights.
IN PERIL is a taut, well-paced, and riveting drama wrapped around a seagoing world few people have the opportunity to glimpse.
"A marvelous yarn about an incredible rescue." -The Bangor (ME) Daily News
When Skip Strong, a thirty-two-year-old captain of the 688-foot oil tanker Cherry Valley received the call, all he knew was that an oceangoing tug with five men aboard was in distress off Florida's east coast. Caught in an unusually powerful storm, the tug's engines failed, and as the winds gusted to more than sixty miles per hour and the sea whipped into a frenzy, the tug and the barge it was pulling were in danger of being swept ashore.
Captain Strong also knew without a doubt that he would follow the thousandsyear- old tradition of the sea and come to the aid of the crew, the tug, and its cargo, despite the fact that he would have to maneuver his ship, laden with ten million gallons of oil, in extremely hazardous conditions. One mistake and Strong would be responsible for an ecological disaster on Florida's beaches equal to that of the Exxon Valdez.
What Captain Strong didn't know was that the tug was carrying a 150-foot aluminum fuel cell worth upwards of $50 million. And that in the instant he decided to rescue the tug and its crew he was opening the door on a dramatic and tense legal struggle that would pit him against the U.S. government for salvage rights.
IN PERIL is a taut, well-paced, and riveting drama wrapped around a seagoing world few people have the opportunity to glimpse.
252 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2003
1 person is currently reading
62 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 11, 2023
If you are a maritime nerd you will love this book
January 1, 2012
The author of this book is a tanker captain. He was sailing from New Orleans to Jacksonville FL when he got caught in a hurricane. He came upon a tugboat that was towing the external fuel tank for the space shuttle. The tug's engines had stopped functioning and he was drifting towards a reef. The tanker passed the tug a rope and towed it away from the reef and kept it from sinking at great risk of an oil spill. This is the dramatic story of a rescue at sea.The other part of the story has to do with the law of salvage. When one ship rescues another, it is entitled to a fraction of the value of the saved ship. This amounted to a lot of money for the space shuttle's fuel tank. Once the rescue was complete, the lawyers got involved. The captain and his shipping company eventually ended up with a large settlement as a result of their daring rescue.
December 12, 2008
If you like nautical, you'll love this story of a tanker captain who, through superior seamanship, used his oil tanker as a salvage vessel to rescue the tug and barge hauling one of the Shuttle's booster rockets.
The legal maneuvering to determine who should get the salvage value is great for maritime lawyer wannabes.
Great story.
The legal maneuvering to determine who should get the salvage value is great for maritime lawyer wannabes.
Great story.
October 24, 2013
Read this book a few years ago. Skip does an amazing job of explaining life at sea, day to day ship operations, and his amazing and dangerous rescue. It's a fantastic read, so very interesting.
August 3, 2014
riveting true story.
January 19, 2015
Even if I wasn't a huge nautical book fan this is an excellent book. I'm looking forward to reading this again.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews