Saved at the Seawall: Stories from the September 11 Boat Lift

by Jessica DuLong, Mitchell Zuckoff (Foreword)

Saved at the Seawall is the definitive history of the largest ever waterborne evacuation. Jessica DuLong reveals the dramatic story of how the New York Harbor maritime community heroically delivered stranded commuters, residents, and visitors out of harm's way. Even before the US Coast Guard called for "all available boats," tugs, ferries, dinner boats, and other vessels had sped to the rescue from points all across New York Harbor. In less than nine hours, captains and crews transported nearly half a million people from Manhattan. Anchored in eyewitness accounts and written by a mariner who served at Ground Zero,  Saved at the Seawall weaves together the personal stories of people rescued that day with those of the mariners who saved them. DuLong describes the inner workings of New York Harbor and reveals the collaborative power of its close-knit community. Her chronicle of those crucial hours, when hundreds of thousands of lives were at risk, highlights how resourcefulness and basic human goodness triumphed over turmoil on one of America's darkest days. Initially published as  Dust to Deliverance , this edition, released in time for the twentieth anniversary, contains new updates: a preface by DuLong and a foreword by Mitchell Zuckoff.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, American History, Audiobook, 21st Century, Historical, New York

258 pages, Paperback

First published July 28, 2017

About the author

Jessica DuLong is a journalist, historian, book collaborator/coach, and ghostwriter, as well as chief engineer, emerita of the retired 1931 New York City fireboat John J. Harvey.

Her latest book, "SAVED AT THE SEAWALL: Stories from the September 11 Boat Lift" (previously published as "DUST TO DELIVERANCE"), is the definitive history of the largest-ever waterborne evacuation.

Her first book, "MY RIVER CHRONICLES: Rediscovering the Work that Built America," won an American Society of Journalists and Authors Outstanding Book Award for Memoir.

Her journalism has appeared in Rolling Stone, CNN.com, Newsweek International, CNN.com, The Daily Beast, LitHub, Brevity, Nieman Storyboard, History News Network, Psychology Today, CosmoGIRL!, Newsday, and Maritime Reporter and Engineering News.

She appears in Spike Lee's HBO documentary series "NYC EPICENTERS 9/11-2021½" and, in cartoon form, in Maira Kalman's picture book, "FIREBOAT: The Heroic Adventures of the John J. Harvey."

Reviews

[Brad · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was a daily news reporter at Wired.com on September 11. I was running on a treadmill at Club One, the gym down the street from our offices, when I saw the second plane smash into the World Trade Center. I yelled "I think we're at war" in the direction of my colleague and friend, and we sprinted down the street to our offices.

Wired, like so many publications, abandoned our technology focus for the next few days. Instead, we dedicated the newsroom to covering what happened, which included coordinating with our New York City office.

I'm telling you this because even though I was in the middle of covering the terrorist attacks, I had never heard the story of the civilian boats, the captains, and the crew who evacuated somewhere around five-hundred thousand people on that horrific day.

Jessica DuLong, a writer and a former mariner, spent years tracking down the people involved in the single-largest water evacuation in American history. Then, she managed to weave together their stories into a narrative that both places you in the terrifying chaos of that day and grounds you in the individual stories of the firefighters, the police, the captains, the crew, and the civilians.

Normally, I like to read books while I'm sitting outside in open-air cafes or bars, but I had to stop doing that with this book because the tears kept flowing. The reason: This isn't just a book that strings together the events of the day; it's also a treatise on the human spirit and our ability to rally around each other in the most dire of circumstances.

I'll end this by telling you, dear reader, what I've told everyone else in my life: Read this book. It's a fascinating, beautiful, heartbreaking story about the triumph of the human spirit on one of our country's darkest days.

[Zibby Owens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author, mariner, historian, and journalist Jessica DuLong tells the story of the little-known boat lift — the largest in history — in the New York City harbor on 9/11. She shares what drove her to take action with the water rescue, as well as the individual narratives of so many others who transported an incredible half a million people to safety.

I found this to be the most powerful read. It didn't even feel like a book. It was an immersion into the darkness that was even under the cloud. I feel like I've learned a lot about 9/11. For me, it changed my entire life. I lost my best friend that day and have spent a lot of time watching footage; I've been down that rabbit hole many times. Yet I didn’t know of the things she described in the book, the whole scope of the rescue. I'd always wondered what had gone on down there that day and am so grateful for this story and for the answers I found to some of the questions I’ve had. I appreciate the author bringing us so many different stories from that time so that people can adequately mourn and connect to the day.

To listen to my interview with the author, go to my podcast at:
https://zibbyowens.com/transcript/jes...

[Chris Witkowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

An absolutely fascinating account of the hundreds of vessels that formed an American Dunkirk on September 11 to ferry to safety the thousands of people trapped near Ground Zero after the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers. DuLong tells the stories of several individuals, ranging from NYPD fireboat captains to owners of dinner cruise lines, all who immediately saw a need to help and began to work without hesitation. She also recounts the journeys of some of the people who escaped the mayhem as they found their way to the water and were eventually rescued and ferried to safety. One of the most gripping stories is of a 4 year old girl and her nanny who leave their apartment only to find the situation on the streets outside their building terrifying and seemingly unnavigable. How they find their way to safety is the stuff movies are made of.

As we're coming up on the 20th anniversary of 9/11 it is surprising to continue to learn about all the unsung heroes that braved the unimaginable that day to make a difference. The stories are endless and we're lucky to have writers like DuLong to chronicle them.

[Ruth York · Rating 4 out of 5]

Until my son decided to join the Coast Guard in 2012, I had not known about this amazing story from 9/11. Another Coast Guard mother shared the video on YouTube, narrated by Tom Hanks, with me. This book was well done, containing the stories of several people who were involved in this mass evacuation. It is amazing how so many came together to aid thousands of strangers, with little thought to their own safety.

[Lj Shurpik · Rating 4 out of 5]

These stories need to be told, these stories need to be remembered. Though I lost track of where I was timeline wise this book gave so many important stories of that day their time and I'm thankful for it. We need to remember this day. We need to remember how we all came together

[Holly Winner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved reading about this untold story of the largest maritime rescue in history. I was so impressed with the amount of research into this rescue and how the author wove the research with personal stories.

[Amber Spencer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this story about 9/11 that I knew absolutely nothing about. There’s so much goodness in the world and I love when people get to see and remember that goodness. Horrible things happened, so I’m grateful for a space like this book to highlight the good things.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must read for anyone who wants to learn more about the events of 9/11/01. This devastating attack in New York and Washington, DC has affected so many thousands of Americans and everyone of them has their own individual story.

The book is written about all the dedicated and resourceful mariners who operate all kinds of boats in the Port of New York and New Jersey. It presents several individuals and how their lives unfolded that terrible day and intertwined with one another. Thousands of stranded people were safely evacuated off Manhattan from many locations on the seawall with all types of water craft, ferries, dinner boats, tug boats, etc.

This story has not been widely told, but it is compelling and will inspire you.

[Carianne Carleo-Evangelist · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first hand stories of people involved in the water rescue and the people they served. I’ve read a number of 911 accounts, but in the occasion of the 20th, this was the perfect read. I didn’t know how much about how the marine rescue had come together and this was a wonderful account. I especially appreciated the collaboration between the coast guard, port authority, tourist boats and civilians, as well as emergency services to identify safe boarding spots and landings in NJ especially when at 11 they made the call to evacuate lower Manhattan

[Eleanor Horvitz · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars instead of 5 since I sometimes had problems keeping up with who was who. Aside from that I found it fascinating and upbeat and sad and a whole bunch of other emotions rolled into one. I never thought about how people were able to get out of Manhattan or how equipment and workers and supplies were able to get in!

[Mindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's unbelievable that more hasn't been written on this subject. Such an undertaking and the maritime community worked tirelessly to evacuate between 400,000 to 500,000 people. BOATLIFT- An Untold Tale of 9/11 Resilience is on Youtube....another great source of information.

[Erica · Rating 3 out of 5]

A different point of view from the usual.

[Lynn Alspach · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spectacular book. From interviews with the mariners and Coast Guard to the people they rescued, this book did not disappoint.

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. A story that you don’t often expect. Humbling, sad, but bravo!

[Kenneth Flusche · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW an unexpected surprise of a Book

[Matt- History on the Hudson · Rating 5 out of 5]

When duty calls, a person is left with a choice. Stand up and help or wilt away into obscurity. Human nature was on full display in the hours and days after two planes were driven into the towers of the World Trade Center. As thousands fled the danger of falling building and yet to be discovered toxic dust, but as panic spread quickly on the island of Manhattan, a small community went into high gear to help others. There were no choices on 9/11 as Jessica Dulong describes in Saved At the Seawall none for the thousands of frightened tri state area residents trying to flee and none for the hundreds of mariners who sprung into action and deliver them to safty . These little moments of a person's humanity that were the difference between life and death. Saved At The Seawall is not only a isolated story about ordinary heros but Dulong details at world unknown to many and explains the ethos that guides the marine community everyday. Dulong writes a harrowing face paced story that highlights the good inside all of us and leaves the reader feeling proud and uplifted by ordinary people doing extraordinary things.

[steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really interesting read. I had heard briefly before about the Sept 11 water evacuation out of lower Manhattan, but that was about it. When I saw this book mentioned in a in a interview, I knew I had to read it. And I'm so glad I did. While a bit dense in some areas, I enjoyed the behind the scenes look at the maritime community of New York Harbor and their unplanned and instinctive collaborative cooperation in the hours that followed the Twin Towers falling. Many of the stories shared in this book helped restore my faith in humanity. People helping others because they could, because they wanted to, because we are not alone no matter if we are a small child or a business man in a suit. Worth the read.

[mairiachi · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was so much technical information that I got a bit lost with the story. It jumps around from person to person but doesn't follow any one of them so I didn't connect to any of them. Had a hard time following the names, since we don't spend enough time with them to get to know someone and I forget names pretty easily so it was a lot of backtracking to see who she was talking about.

It did get me interested in reading more 9/11 stories though, and the people themselves have a really interesting, moving story. She just doesn't dwell on them long enough imo.

All in all, good story, educational, interesting during the first half, and then a bit slow and repetitive towards the end.

[Jasmyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second book I've read on September 11th this year. They're so heart wrenching and so sad, but I think they're important for two reasons: so we never forget what happened that day and so we recognize what good people are capable of doing in tragic circumstances. Focusing on the helpers on that day is so inspiring. I hope I could respond as selflessly.

[Christopher Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tough book to read. You learn a lot of intimate details about September 11th.
But that being said I encourage everyone to read it.
You lean about the resiliency of Our Nation. The people that put their lives on the line to save and rescue others on that terrible day.
The story of the evacuation of lower Manhattan on September 11th is truly incredible and awe inspiring.

[Frida Dillenbeck · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars is not enough for this historical account of first responders and survivors of 9/11 terror attack. Through out the read, chills covered my skin, tears filled my eyes, my throat closed. These stories give hope to all Americans. These real life experiences of Americans coming together in crisis make Americans proud to be Americans.

[Dorothea Giordano · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most of us have never heard that the maritime rescue on 9/11 was the largest maritime rescue in history--bigger than Dunkirk! So many stories here of courage, sacrifice, and generosity of both the rescuers and the rescued from that day.

[Brianna Cohen · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting deep dive into a perspective on 9/11 that isn’t discussed widely enough. I wish the writing were a bit tighter- by 300 pages in, I found myself skimming portions as the continued plot line didn’t find new elements to highlight.

[Ellie 9218 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had not known about this amazing story from 9/11. Civilian boats, professional shipmasters that rescued more than half a million people stranded at Ground Zero after the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers.

[Wendelmoet Boersema · Rating 3 out of 5]

Collage van indringende verhalen maar te veel details

[Jessica Wilkes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amazing story; poorly written and hard to follow. I really wanted to love this but halfway through it became a slog.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

2021 - Non-Fiction - 9-11 -

[Melissa C · Rating 3 out of 5]

So many heros. Very sad. Too much me. Couldn't wait for it to end.

[Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was informative and excellent. I could not put it down.

[Katie Stratton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved reading about ordinary people stepping up as heroes to evacuate Manhattan over the water after the September 11 tragedy.