This Edgar Award Finalist by two New York Times-bestselling authors provides an "exciting" account of the devastating and mysterious cruise ship fire ( The Washington Post).
In the early morning hours of September 8, 1934, the luxury cruise liner Morro Castle, carrying 316 passengers and 230 officers and crew, caught fire a few hours out of the New York harbor on a return voyage from Havana. The fire spread with terrifying swiftness, transforming the ship into a blazing inferno. One hundred thirty-four people died that night-was it an accident?
Writers Gordon Thomas and Max Morgan Witts prove that the disaster was no accident, but was planned, meticulously and deliberately, by an officer of the Morro Castle. His name: George White Rogers, chief radio officer. They also prove that Rogers was responsible for the death of the captain, who was poisoned several hours before the fire broke out.
Shipwreck is a spellbinding moment-by-moment account of the Morro Castle's last voyage, and one of the most spectacular disasters to stir the Atlantic Ocean. Through interviews with survivors, rescuers, and investigators, the authors detail a desperate investigation and the search for a mass murderer. Against the backdrop of the Great Depression and the buildup of World War II, Shipwreck is a sweeping tale of personal heroism, tragedy, and murder.
Autorentext
Gordon Thomas and Max Morgan-Witts are authors of four previous books, all highly successful in bookstores and book clubs, all acclaimed in the United States and abroad. The Day the World Ended and Voyage of the Damned were made into major motion pictures; Shipwreck won the Edgar Award in 1973; and The San Francisco Earthquake has been hailed as a major achievement of reporting and writing.
Zusammenfassung
Edgar Award Finalist: A gripping account of one of the most spectacular disasters off the coast of New Yorkbut was it a terrible accident, or arson? In the early morning hours of September 8, 1934, the luxury cruise liner Morro Castle, carrying 316 passengers and 230 officers and crew, caught fire a few hours out of the New York harbor on a return voyage from Havana. The fire spread with terrifying swiftness, transforming the ship into a blazing inferno. One hundred thirty-four people died that nightwas it an accident? Writers Gordon Thomas and Max Morgan Witts prove that the disaster was no accident, but was planned, meticulously and deliberately, by an officer of the Morro Castle. His name: George White Rogers, chief radio officer. They also prove that Rogers was responsible for the death of the captain, who was poisoned several hours before the fire broke out. Shipwreck is a spellbinding moment-by-moment account of the Morro Castle's last voyage, and one of the most spectacular disasters to stir the Atlantic Ocean. Through interviews with survivors, rescuers, and investigators, the authors detail a desperate investigation and the search for a mass murderer. Against the backdrop of the Great Depression and the buildup of World War II, Shipwreck is a sweeping tale of personal heroism, tragedy, and murder.
Inhalt
- Cover
- Title Page
- Contents
- Prologue
- Havana: September 5, 1934
- 1 - A Likely Suspect
- 2 - Charade
- 3 - Rumors of Sabotage
- At Sea: September 5-September 7, 1934
- 4 - Playing with Fire
- 5 - Poison
- 6 - The Storm Rises
- 7 - A Fatal Evening
- 8 - Who Killed the Captain?
- 9 - The Smell of Smoke
- 10 - Panic
- Fire at Sea: September 8, 1934
- 11 - The S.O.S.
- 12 - Out of Control
- 13 - Nightmare
- 14 - The Rescue Armada
- 15 - Jump!
- 16 - She's Worth a Fortune
- 17 - Abandon Ship
- 18 - Beached
- On the Beach
- 19 - Indictments
- 20 - The Verdict
- Appendices
- Acknowledgments
- Special Thanks
- Bibliography
- Copyright