Against The Sea
Ralph Barker has reconstructed a variety of sea stories, including some of the most dramatic episodes and rescues in modern times.
Among the epic stories included are the ordeal of Captain Kurt Carlsen and his involuntary 'mate' Kenneth Dancy on the sinking Flying Enterprise; the tragic wartime misunderstanding between the Queen Mary and her escorting cruiser which resulted in a fatal collision; the remarkable escape of 21 year old Alison Mitchell, twenty hours in the sea off Jersey after the shipwreck; the experience of Douglas Wardrop, who fell overboard unnoticed a thousand miles from land; and the thrilling helicopter rescue of the survivors of the French trawler Jeanne Gougy in 1962.
Against the fascinating background of the sea rivalry of the railway companies at the turn of the century, the author delves further into the past, to give a minute by minute account of the wreck of the South Western Railway Company's Channel steamer Stella on the Casquets in 1899; and several other striking episodes are vividly recorded.
There are twelve stories in all, each one of them a superb example of man's eternal struggle with the sea. All were originally written for the Sunday Express.
Other Books by Ralph Barker