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Halsey's Typhoon: The True Story of a Fighting Admiral, an Epic Storm, and an Untold Rescue Audiobook
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(3.10) - 354 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
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.
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"I'm actually reading this for the second time. Great book with lots of information on America's WWII navy. I'd never heard anything about this incident--fleet was decimated by a typhoon in the Pacific. Great details but the author doesn't get bogged down in them. Edge of your seat reading."
— Kivrin (5 out of 5 stars)
Halsey's Typhoon Listener Reviews
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" True story of the fortitude of the Greatest Generation. "
— Carolyn, 2/17/2014 -
" The story told in this book is quite amazing. I feel, however, that the writing could have used another pass by an editor. In the end, it's well worth reading. "
— bartlebee, 2/15/2014 -
" A neighbor gave me this book to read. He was on one of the ships caught in this storm during WWII. Pretty interesting beginning to the story. "
— Ron, 1/20/2014 -
" WOW! Why had I never heard of this incredible storm and its devastation? "
— Jean, 1/17/2014 -
" To be reviewed when I finish reading it. Started on 7/11/2009. "
— Garry, 12/28/2013 -
" Not for everyone, actually just at the beginning, but so far very interesting. Learning about the horrible nature of Pacific hurricanes as well as how the WWII military system did, or did not, work. "
— Edrisdaughtry, 12/5/2013 -
" I have read a lot about WWII history, especially about the war in the Pacific and the US Navy, but this book gave me a new perspective on that typhoon and the whole Philippinne campaign. Unreal what those guys went through in that storm. Henry Plage is one of my new heroes! "
— Joe, 10/14/2013 -
" The blunders that led up to a tragedy, and the following rescues. -Ian "
— Heather, 10/6/2013 -
" This is an absolutely terrific read. An amazing tale of an event during WWII that has received very little press. The story is riveting as it details the selfless acts of bravery from the Navy sailors during Typhoon Cobra. "
— Mike, 9/30/2013 -
" Interesting story. I thought the telling of the story was somewhat disjointed and this made it difficult to keep track of people and events. The second half was easier reading. "
— Karen, 7/25/2013 -
" WWII top brass ego this time, and it cost many sailors there lives "
— Phil, 6/26/2013 -
" Being a sucker for a non-fiction military battle story, this fit the bill. It was a page-turner with thrills, mayhem, heroism and utter incompetence on every page. "
— Michael, 3/10/2013 -
" A great beach read about heroism in WW2 unrelated to armed conflict on the battlefield. "
— Goatville9, 12/26/2012 -
" An all encapsulating overview of this little discussed WWII episode. I was particularly interested because it served as the inspiration for the events of "The Caine Mutiny". "
— doug, 12/29/2011 -
" Wow, never would have known this happened, had I not read this book. It's truly amazing how people can survive a tradgedy like this. "
— Dane, 10/20/2011 -
" Excellent book about a storm during WWII that decimated a pacific fleet during the war. "
— Molly, 7/22/2011 -
" Excellent recounting of a series of mistakes that resulted in the loss of several ships and many hundreds of men. It was this typhoon that formed the basis for the famous Caine Mutiny "
— Eric_W, 4/29/2011 -
" True story of the fortitude of the Greatest Generation. "
— Carolyn, 3/7/2011 -
" Wow, never would have known this happened, had I not read this book. It's truly amazing how people can survive a tradgedy like this. "
— Dane, 1/15/2010 -
" The blunders that led up to a tragedy, and the following rescues. -Ian "
— Heather, 1/8/2010 -
" Not for everyone, actually just at the beginning, but so far very interesting. Learning about the horrible nature of Pacific hurricanes as well as how the WWII military system did, or did not, work. "
— Edrisdaughtry, 8/22/2009 -
" To be reviewed when I finish reading it. Started on 7/11/2009. "
— Garry, 7/12/2009 -
" Excellent book about a storm during WWII that decimated a pacific fleet during the war. "
— Molly, 12/31/2008 -
" A neighbor gave me this book to read. He was on one of the ships caught in this storm during WWII. Pretty interesting beginning to the story. "
— Ron, 12/24/2008 -
" A gripping (cover-to-cover) account of the massive typhoon that devastated Admiral Halsey's fleet during WWII--and was kept hidden from the American public for years afterwards. "
— Sandra, 11/22/2008
About the Authors
Bob Drury, a Men’s Health contributing editor and chief military correspondent, has been nominated for three National Magazine Awards and a Pulitzer Prize. He has reported from Iraq, Afghanistan, Liberia, Bosnia, Northern Ireland, and Darfur, among other sites. He is also the author, coauthor, or editor of numerous nonfiction books, including The Last Stand of Fox Company: A True Story of US Marines in Combat, and the recipient of the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation’s 2010 General Wallace M. Greene Jr. Award for nonfiction.
Tom Clavin is a New York Times bestselling author and has worked as a newspaper editor, magazine writer, TV and radio commentator, and a reporter for the New York Times. He has received awards from the Society of Professional Journalists, Marine Corps Heritage Foundation, and National Newspaper Association. His books include the bestselling Frontier Lawmen trilogy?Wild Bill, Dodge City, and Tombstone?and Blood and Treasure with Bob Drury, among others.
About Eric Conger
Eric Conger is a stage actor, voice artist, and award-winning audiobook narrator. He has narrated more than 125 fiction and nonfiction audiobooks and was a four-time finalist for the Audie Award, both as a sole narrator in 2007 and 2008 and as part of a multicast reading in 2001 and 2012. He has earned numerous AudioFile Earphones Awards. His extensive voice-over work includes more than 5,000 narrations for commercial ventures. A graduate of Wesleyan University and the University of Paris, he also works as a writer and playwright. He has appeared in over fifty plays and has also translated plays of Molière and Feydeau for regional theaters.