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Ship of Ghosts (Abridged): The Story of the USS Houston, FDR's Legendary Lost Cruiser, and the Epic Saga of Her Survivors Audiobook
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(4.00) - 479 listener ratings
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NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER "Son, we’re going to Hell." The navigator of the USS Houston confided these prophetic words to a young officer as he and his captain charted a course into U.S. naval legend. Renowned as FDR’s favorite warship, the cruiser USS Houston was a prize target trapped in the far Pacific after Pearl Harbor. Without hope of reinforcement, her crew faced a superior Japanese force ruthlessly committed to total conquest. It wasn’t a fair fight, but the men of the Houston would wage it to the death. Hornfischer brings to life the awesome terror of nighttime naval battles that turned decks into strobe-lit slaughterhouses, the deadly rain of fire from Japanese bombers, and the almost superhuman effort of the crew as they miraculously escaped disaster again and again–until their luck ran out during a daring action in Sunda Strait. There, hopelessly outnumbered, the Houston was finally sunk and its survivors taken prisoner. For more than three years their fate would be a mystery to families waiting at home. In the brutal privation of jungle POW camps dubiously immortalized in such films as The Bridge on the River Kwai, the war continued for the men of the Houston—a life-and-death struggle to survive forced labor, starvation, disease, and psychological torture. Here is the gritty, unvarnished story of the infamous Burma–Thailand Death Railway glamorized by Hollywood, but which in reality mercilessly reduced men to little more than animals, who fought back against their dehumanization with dignity, ingenuity, sabotage, will–power—and the undying faith that their country would prevail. Using journals and letters, rare historical documents, including testimony from postwar Japanese war crimes tribunals, and the eyewitness accounts of Houston’s survivors, James Hornfischer has crafted an account of human valor so riveting and awe-inspiring, it’s easy to forget that every single word is true.
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"We really enjoyed listening to this history book. We didn't know about this ship, but we have wanted to learn more about it and the early months post-Pearl Harbot. Although we heard new stories about the POW internments, we are always horrified by what happened to those captives. We were interested in the building of the railraod, and will probably need to do some research there, too. Really good book!"
— Darlis (4 out of 5 stars)
Ship of Ghosts Listener Reviews
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" Learned many things about WWII that I did not know. "
— Katherine, 2/10/2014 -
" FANTASTIC book. Highly readable account of little known American survivors who endured Japanese prison camps in southeast Asia and worked on the railroads over the "river Kwai." This is a history Americans should be more aware of. Enough material here for several movies; would make a great mini-series a la The Pacific and Band of Brothers. "
— David, 2/10/2014 -
" An amazing story of courage and survival. Fans of WWII will eat this up. Epic saga is right! "
— Greg, 1/27/2014 -
" A powerful and well written book on the Pacific theater during WWII. "
— Michelle, 1/8/2014 -
" great story of courage. "
— Joe, 1/6/2014 -
" Pretty intense. It's about the men who built the bridge made famous in The Bridge Over the River Kwai. Great for WWII nuts but there are other more engaging reads for the casual military history reader. "
— Ron, 1/1/2014 -
" So far a great book in honor and memory of the Sailors of the USS Houston and all the endured in POW camps through out the South Pacific. "
— Medic, 12/27/2013 -
" Slow read but pretty good "
— Shawn, 12/25/2013 -
" A lot of random things tacked on to a genuinely riveting story about the brutal construction of the Burma-Thai railroad. "
— Thomas, 12/12/2013 -
" Some of the greatest men that I have gotten to know if my life. "
— Sean, 10/13/2013 -
" Not really an uplifting story but certainly a tale of terrible things that humans do to each other during war. "
— Zach, 9/15/2013 -
" Great account of the USS Houston during WWII "
— Wendy, 2/12/2013 -
" Very good story of a ship that was lost early in WWII. It is the story of those who survived and those who did not. Humans are both amazing and cruel to the max. "
— Kim, 12/15/2012 -
" This book covers the entire length of WW2 without bogging down. The story of the little known USS HOUSTON and her crew winds from pre-war through to the bitter end. Their ship sunk in early 1942, the survivors endured horrific trials which lasted up to the time they were rescued in 1945. Great read. "
— Peter, 11/26/2012 -
" Not typically my type of book, but an excellent account of the ship my grandfather was on during WWII. Unfortunately, the author did not write about the Chinese sailors on the USS Houston, but it is a well written book nonetheless. "
— Jocelyn, 9/11/2012 -
" If you ever read "Bridge on the River Kwai" or saw the movie this book will tell you the back story about the Americans that endured that hell. "
— David, 7/30/2012 -
" An important and compelling story, just not written well. "
— John, 4/8/2012 -
" Nothing new here! "
— Annmbray, 8/22/2011 -
" I only read the first half. The part until they get captured. It was really cool. It talks about the history of the ship and the fleet it was with. Very interesting. "
— Michael, 5/1/2011 -
" I found it to be a very good documentation of many of the tragic losses our fighting men were forced to endure during the second great war. "
— Timothy, 3/12/2011 -
" To read this book is a life changing experience. "
— Mike, 12/24/2010 -
" One of the best books about WWII I've read. Very well written. "
— Janette, 10/25/2010 -
" Some of the greatest men that I have gotten to know if my life. "
— Sean, 9/23/2010 -
" Great account of the USS Houston during WWII "
— Wendy, 4/13/2010 -
" One of the best books about WWII I've read. Very well written. "
— Janette, 5/23/2009 -
" Learned many things about WWII that I did not know. "
— Katherine, 9/30/2008 -
" An amazing story of courage and survival. Fans of WWII will eat this up. Epic saga is right! "
— Greg, 9/2/2008 -
" Not really an uplifting story but certainly a tale of terrible things that humans do to each other during war. "
— Zach, 6/5/2008 -
" So far a great book in honor and memory of the Sailors of the USS Houston and all the endured in POW camps through out the South Pacific. "
— Medic, 6/5/2008
About James D. Hornfischer
James D. Hornfischer is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Neptune’s Inferno, Ship of Ghosts, and The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors, winner of the Samuel Eliot Morison Award, and others. A native of Massachusetts and a graduate of Colgate University and the University of Texas School of Law, he lives in Austin, Texas.
About Robertson Dean
Robertson Dean has played leading roles on and off Broadway and at dozens of regional theaters throughout the country. He has a BA from Tufts University and an MFA from Yale. His audiobook narration has garnered ten AudioFile Earphones Awards. He now lives in Los Angeles, where he works in film and television in addition to narrating.