Want a NOOK? Explore Now
A gripping true account of courage and survival at sea against impossible odds—and one of the finest untold World War II sagas of our time.
In December 1944, while on a mission to support MacArthur’s invasion of the Philippines, Admiral William “Bull” Halsey unwittingly steered his fleet of 170 ships into the teeth of a massive typhoon. The storm ultimately inflicted twice as much destruction and loss of life as the Battle of Midway, but Navy brass suppressed the scope of the disaster so as not to compromise the American advance on Tokyo. After the ensuing Court of Inquiry, Halsey never spoke again of the disaster.
It is only now, thanks to documents declassified sixty years after the events and scores of firsthand accounts from survivors, that the story finally has been told.
Admiral William “Bull” Halsey was the very image of a pugnacious hell-for-leather sea warrior, and he personified the desperate naval struggle that finally devastated Imperial Japan’s dream of empire. Yet even as the world was ringing with his fame, two incidents almost destroyed his reputation and threatened him with the humiliation of a court martial. The first of these took place during the epic Battle of Leyte Gulf, when Halsey fell for a Japanese ruse and abruptly abandoned General MacArthur’s invasion of the Philippines in order to chase down and destroy four empty enemy carriers. The battle was won anyway and the invasion succeeded, but very little of this was due to Halsey’s actions. What happened next might have been written by Shakespeare: the chastened admiral, on his way to refurbish his exhausted forces, led his Third Fleet straight into the teeth of the most intense Pacific cyclone of the century. Shrieking winds and mountainous waves smashed into Halsey’s ships, damaging his largest men-of-war and capsizing three destroyers, which were lost with all of their crewmen. The maritime tragedy was later immortalized by Herman Wouk in The Caine Mutiny. The authors have taken this high drama and presented it in a way that will appeal to a generation now far removed from these events. In their narrative the entire climax of the Pacific War comes to life again, the battles meticulously recast and explained in enough detail to satisfy the most astute military scholar, yet with enough excitement to please YA readers. In particular, they have presented all of the evidence of the oncoming storm that was available to Halsey at the time, in all of itscontradictions and uncertainties. Should the Third Fleet continue on its course, or flee? Ultimately the decision came down to Halsey’s own judgment, and the reader is left to decide if it was prudent or flawed from the outset. In all, this is an excellent piece of military reporting, recommended to all YA and adult collections. Reviewer: Raymond Puffer, Ph.D.
March 2008 (Vol. 42, No.2)
A contributing editor and foreign correspondent for Men's Health magazine, BOB DRURY has reported from numerous war zones. His book The Rescue SeasoN, was made into a documentary by the History Channel.
TOM CLAVIN is the author of seven books, including Dark Noon: The Final Voyage of the Fishing Boat "Pelican."
Anonymous
Posted October 5, 2009
I was impressed with this book's readability. The story was told dramatically and with specificity, flowing seamlessly from descriptions of men, ships, winds, and sea, as if written by one rather than two historian-writers.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.PSchiefelbein
Posted June 6, 2009
Halsey's Typhoon was quite readable yet full of fascinating information. I appreciated the structure of the book, the quotations heading each section, and the way it handled the difficulties faced by those attempting to define the nature and power of the storm. The book takes a very balanced view of Halsey himself, letting readers make their own decisions as to his competency as a commander. I highly recommend the book.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted May 10, 2009
This is a well-written book that keeps your interest throughout. Well-known sailors such as Bull Halsey and lesser-known sailors like future president of the United States, Gerald Ford are key players in this documentary. With wind speeds of 125 knots, barometric pressures as low as 26.30 and frequent knockdowns of sturdy US Navy ships, it was a true testament to the seamanship America has produced. Excellent reading.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.BillCA
Posted March 14, 2012
Halsey's Typhoon is the true story of Admiral Halsey's Third Fleet encounter with a super Pacific typhoon, 90-foot waves and 150 knot winds, while enroute to support the allied landings in the Philippines. It is a powerful well written story of courage and ship-handling skill by young naval officers in an attempt to save their ships and crews. The sacrifices made by the sailors on the small ships, destroyers and destroyer escorts, are described in vivid detail. For anyone who has been at sea, this is an absolute must read. Well researched, good character development.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.6179537
Posted January 19, 2011
The good: this book cover most of the aspects regarding 'Typhoon Cobra', including the memories of the survivors. a very well written book that conveys the feelings of desperation and fear the tin can sailors must have felt. The bad: the text os no easy read as the author willing it or not creates that very feeling of chaos the fleet was in as the story jumps from one ship to the other. ys
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.ICman
Posted June 7, 2009
I Also Recommend:
While efforts were made to keep the book unbiased and balanced, Halsey still is held up as some kind of faultless leader. The authors tend to excuse Halesy's errors because he got bad advice. They never explain why several junior officers were able to identified the approaching typhoon from their personal observations when the Admiral relying on his weather men was not. Could it have been that the Admiral safe on his stable battleship did not have the same concern and respect for the sea that the men on smaller ships had. I am happy that I read the book and got another view of the terrible loss of ships and men. For a different slant on the incident, I recommend Bruce Henderson's "Down To The Sea".
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted August 24, 2010
No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous
Posted December 29, 2008
No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous
Posted January 3, 2010
No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous
Posted November 14, 2011
No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous
Posted February 19, 2010
No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous
Posted December 30, 2009
No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous
Posted December 26, 2008
No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous
Posted July 4, 2009
No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous
Posted October 25, 2008
No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous
Posted August 31, 2011
No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous
Posted December 5, 2009
No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous
Posted January 11, 2009
No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous
Posted January 8, 2010
No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous
Posted April 29, 2011
No text was provided for this review.
Overview
A gripping true account of courage and survival at sea against impossible odds—and one of the finest untold World War II sagas of our time.
In December 1944, while on a mission to support MacArthur’s invasion of the Philippines, Admiral William “Bull” Halsey unwittingly steered his fleet of 170 ships into the teeth of a massive typhoon. The storm ultimately inflicted twice as much destruction and loss of life as the Battle of Midway, but Navy brass suppressed the scope of the disaster so as not to compromise the American advance on Tokyo. After the ensuing Court of Inquiry, Halsey never spoke again of the disaster.
It ...