All Present and Accounted For: The 1972 Alaska Grounding of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Jarvis and the Heroic Efforts that Saved the Ship

by Steven J. Craig

It was late November—one of the coldest periods to be on a ship near Alaska. The Coast Guard Cutter Jarvis had run aground during a severe storm and was taking on water. The engine room flooded, disabling the engines. Mountainous seas and gale force winds pounded the Jarvis, and to make matters worse, the ship was floating toward a rocky coastline that would surely destroy it and probably kill most, if not all, of the men. The ship’s captain ordered an emergency message be sent to the Seventeenth Coast Guard District Office in Juneau requesting Coast Guard assistance. But there were no Coast Guard assets near enough to provide immediate help. At 7:04 p.m., for one of the few times in Coast Guard history, a MAYDAY call for help would come from a Coast Guard vessel. This is the incredible story of the grounding and near sinking of the USCGC Jarvis and how her crew fought to save their ship—and themselves—from disaster.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

362 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 28, 2020

Reviews

[George · Rating 5 out of 5]

This really was a great book. I was on Jarvis when this happened. I worked in the Radio Room where we sent out the SOS and Mayday calls. When Steve Craig told me he was going to put this book together I told him I was glad he was doing so, because I really wanted to find out what happened! I lived that experience, I experienced it in the Radio Room. I knew that others were working hard to save the ship, but in the years that followed, I never got a full account from each person as to what happened. Steve put it all together and as I read the book, I was taken back to the incident. Now I understand what happened at certain times when, being stuck in Radio, I really did not understand before. Thanks Steve for a wonderful book, a great read and for your friendship.

[Jackie Kyger · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I knew about the Coast Guard Cutter Jarvis, a 378’High Endurance Cutter, I never knew that she was almost lost in her very first year of service.
So the story goes; in the Bering Sea, near the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, the Cutter Jarvis grounded enough to cause damage to the hull that resulted in taking on water in the engine room. It was not a hard grounding; they were not stuck. But they certainly would find themselves in a growing and concerning predicament. All of this taking place in storm conditions that were rare even for Alaska’s winter.
It is a story of a lot of little things that occurred, that leaned toward tragedy.
It is also a story of a lot of little things that occurred, that saved not only the ship, but the lives of the crewmembers fighting to save the ship.
This is a very good story that I recommend; especially if you would like some insight into leadership decisions from the highest level of command, to the team of non-rates, both in the engine room and on deck force. The author did his research and found the facts, but the best parts of the story are where he interviewed and shared the experiences of those who were there.

In my reading, I was right there with deck force as they tried to set the anchor detail.
In my reading, I was in the engine room as they worked endlessly to stay ahead of the flooding.

I appreciate the naming of the book and the special connection it had to Captain and crew. This book reminded me of my own CG sea duty tours, and that while we love the ship, it is the crew that makes it memorable.

The author, Captain Steven J. Craig, U.S. Coast Guard Reserve (Retired) did the crew of the Jarvis a huge service in documenting and bringing to the world, those cold dark nights!

[Dave · Rating 2 out of 5]

My 2 star rating is for the audiobook version of author Steven Craig’s book “All Present and Accounted For”. I would rate the book itself at 3 stars. It is an interesting and small piece of Alaska maritime history that deserved to be documented. The author does an adequate job of telling the story. About a third of the book, however digresses to stories about people and events that have very little bearing on the grounding of the Cutter Jarvis. Also, much of the book reads like an ‘After-Action’ military report and author Craig’s style of writing is very much ‘military/business’.
The audiobook get’s 1 star (being generous). I’ve listened to around 200 audiobooks and this is by far the worst. One would think that a competent narrator, out of respect for the author and listeners, would verify word pronunciation. The narrator, Michael Goodrick, mispronounces many (maybe most) place names, ship terms, and military terms. For god sakes, ensign is NOT pronounced en sine’. Didn’t anyone associated with this project proof or edit the narration? The man was clueless! Seriously, this audiobook should be redone with a different narrator.
One small additional note: the cover ‘photo’ is not a real picture. The cutter has been plopped into a raging sea photo and the scale is completely misleading. The USCGC Jarvis (WHEC-725) was 378’ long. That would make the seas on the order of 500-600’ or more! That should have been my first clue.

[Benjamin C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

BLUF: If you enjoy books about history, extraordinary seamanship, or the coast guard you will love this book.

I really appreciated the thorough research that was done and the way the stories were woven into the facts. At no point did I feel like I was reading a history book, but I would confidently cite this book as a historical reference. The supporting information on the lives of the crew and the ship itself was a fascinating bonus after completing the gripping tale. One of the stand out elements of the narrative is that it didn't attempt to assign blame or absolve anyone of their actions or decisions. The result was a incredibly researched narrative about a group of heroic and determined men accomplishing in-human feats in a hostile environment. I recommend you take the time to enjoy this book.

[Charles Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bravo Zulu !!! In my opinion a brilliant account of one of United States Coast Guards near fatal incidents. Through interviews with actual crew members it seemingly puts you on the cutter at the time of the grounding.

As a Coast Guard sailor myself, that spent two years Sailing the same waters I feel I've obtained a special bond with my shipmates that survived the grounding and all the events that followed.

All the crew members aboard the USCGC Jarvis during the events that took place upheld the Coast Guards core values of Honor, Respect and Devoted to Duty. They surly upheld the Coast Guard Moto of semper paratus!!!

I would definitely recommend this as a must read for Coast Guardsmen! If you enjoy historically correct non fiction it would also be a must read.

[Tim Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sad day

The title made me want to read about this event. I was not too thrilled to learn that over half of the book has nothing to do with the incident. That other half was about either history before the grounding or the careers of a few that were onboard, or the officers who had command after the stated subject of the title. Too little was about the actual grounding and the events that occurred to save the ship from sinking.

[Robert Lenzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding read

This book is well thought out. It follows the US Coast Guard Cutter Jarvis from starting to end. It not only tells of the grounding but also high points during her life. I was very pleased that the author also told us about crewmembers lives after the event. In many books the reader is left wondering what happened to the characters later in life. Not so with this book. Bravo Zulu!

[Chase Parsley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a wonderful and very well researched book by author Steven J. Craig. It is about an event of survival in Alaska - a real case study of some of the everyday heroes in the US Coast Guard. I learned a lot about the USCG, and the backstory of the 1897 Jarvis rescue in Alaska was very inspiring as a bonus! A heart-warming tale.

[jparvinjr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent.!!

This book was free book thru kindle unlimited.Enjoyed the reading so much that I read the book cover to the end in one reading. Enjoyed very much.

[Drew Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story is great. The writing is fair. The editing was poor. Too many typos, plenty of grammar issues. But it was good to read about an era close to mine.

[Gregg · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was ok. Too much time is spent on inconsequential details and the narration fails to generate suspense or buy in. I found this little better than a chronology of an extraordinary event.

[Morgan Reece · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the layout and storytelling of this book. I loved the excerpts of interviews and the overall pace!

[Gordondad2nine · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s history, cut and dried

[Susan Wooley · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I began reading All Present and Accounted For with some trepidation at the thought of reading an account of an event that haunted my father until he passed, I must say I found this book captivating. Since I was only sixteen years old at the time of the grounding, I was not aware of many of the details surrounding it. Either by accident or design, I was hardly “in the loop” of information. I remember a teacher at my high school approaching me and expressing concern about the fate of the Jarvis, and I was embarrassed to admit that I didn't know much. So at long last, I now do know a great deal about the Jarvis grounding thanks to the diligent research done by Capt. Craig. While I'm pretty sure that my father expressed his pride and appreciation for the Jarvis crew at the time, I would like to underscore that appreciation all these years later. And that appreciation includes Steven Craig for his fair and thorough account of a harrowing and confusing time.