{"product_id":"a-strange-whim-of-the-sea-the-wreck-of-the-uss-macaw-hardcover","title":"A Strange Whim of the Sea: The Wreck of the USS Macaw - Hardcover","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eTim Loughman\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOn January 16, 1944, the submarine rescue vessel USS \u003ci\u003eMacaw\u003c\/i\u003e ran aground at Midway Atoll while attempting to get a towing line to the stranded submarine USS \u003ci\u003eFlier\u003c\/i\u003e. The \u003ci\u003eFlier\u003c\/i\u003e was pulled free six days later, but another three weeks of salvage efforts plagued by rough seas and equipment failures failed to dislodge the \u003ci\u003eMacaw\u003c\/i\u003e. On February 12, amid huge waves, the ship began to slip aft into deeper water. As night fell and the \u003ci\u003eMacaw\u003c\/i\u003e slowly sank, the twenty-two sailors on board--ship's captain Paul W. Burton, his executive officer, and twenty enlisted men--sought refuge in the pilothouse, but by 2:30 a.m., that compartment had flooded almost entirely. Burton gave the order to open the portside door and make for the foremast. Three men climbed it but most of the others were swept overboard. Five of them died, including Burton. Three sailors from the base at Midway also lost their lives in two unauthorized rescue attempts.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDrawing on survivors' contemporaneous written statements and interviews conducted over a span of thirty years, \u003ci\u003eA Strange Whim of the Sea: The Wreck of the USS \u003c\/i\u003eMacaw traces the ship's service from its launch on San Francisco Bay to its disastrous final days at Midway. Ultimately, for Burton and the Macaw the real enemy was the sea, and in a deadly denouement, the sea won. Highlighting the underreported role auxiliary vessels played in the war, \u003ci\u003eA Strange Whim of the Sea\u003c\/i\u003e engages naval historians and students alike with a previously untold story of struggle, sacrifice, death, and survival in the World War II Pacific.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eTim Loughman\u003c\/b\u003e is a graduate of Dartmouth College and Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. He lives in Morro Bay, California.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 260\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.4 x 8.6 x 6.3 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIllustrated:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e November 15, 2022\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50405756731629,"sku":"9780813196220","price":61.49,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"url":"https:\/\/www.webster.direct\/en-gb\/products\/a-strange-whim-of-the-sea-the-wreck-of-the-uss-macaw-hardcover","provider":"Webster.Direct","version":"1.0","type":"link"}