In the snowy predawn of February 18, 1942, a convoy of three American ships zigzagged up the North Atlantic toward Newfoundland, heading for one of the worst disasters in naval history.

The ships were under radio silence to protect their position from the threat of German U-boats. A storm was raging, visibility was zero, and the currents had turned wildly unpredictable. With only unreliable soundings to guide them across the jagged ocean floor, all three vessels ran aground on the sheer rock coast of Newfoundland.

Attempts to carry lifelines ashore were thwarted by heavy surf, cold, oil slicks, and floating wreckage. A few sailors, however, overcame the odds and managed to reach the coast where the communities of Lawn and St. Lawrence effected a superhuman rescue operation.

Two hundred and three American sailors died as the Wilkes, the Pollux, and the Truxtun were battered against the icy shore by the treacherous North Atlantic. And those who survived would return home to receive not a hero's welcome but the harsh interrogation of their naval superiors.

**

### Review

"...all the elements of a triller; suspense, disaster, mystery and death..." -- *Books in Canada*

"A tale of shipwreck to rival that of the Titanic in excitement and suspense." -- *Quill and Quire*

"If anyone wants a story of tragedy and death, of suffering and endurance, of indecision and ruthlessness, this is it." -- *The Halifax Chronicle*

Another exciting addition to Canadian maritime history…a tragedy of classic proportions. Fascinating reading. -- *Vancouver Province*

Another exciting addition to Canadian maritime history…a tragedy of classic proportions. Fascinating reading. --Vancouver Province

If anyone wants a story of tragedy and death, of suffering and endurance, of indecision and ruthlessness, this is it. -- *Chronicle-Herald*

If anyone wants a story of tragedy and death, of suffering and endurance, of indecision and ruthlessness, this is it. --Chronicle-Herald

Miss Brown has a skill for isolating the most dramatic events and making them come alive. -- *The Globe and Mail*

Miss Brown has a skill for isolating the most dramatic events and making them come alive. --The Globe and Mail

Another exciting addition to Canadian maritime history…a tragedy of classic proportions. Fascinating reading. --Vancouver Province

If anyone wants a story of tragedy and death, of suffering and endurance, of indecision and ruthlessness, this is it. --Chronicle-Herald

### About the Author

Cassie Brown was a Newfoundlander, born and bred. A successful writer of stage and radio plays, she was also a reporter and columnist for the Daily News in St. John's for seven years. She is now considered one of Newfoundland's most respected authors.