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160th out of 448 books
—
745 voters
Miracles on the Water: The Heroic Survivors of a World War II U-Boat Attack
by
Tom Nagorski
Ghost Soldiers
meets The Perfect Storm in the remarkable true story of the sinking of the S.S. City of BenaresIn September 1940, ninety lucky English children were placed aboard the S.S. City of Benares by their parents, bound from Liverpool to Canada. They were pioneers in a program designed to spirit British children from their war-ravaged homes to safer shores. But the...more
Paperback, 368 pages
Published
March 13th 2007
by Hyperion
(first published March 8th 2006)
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I just finished reading Miracles on the Water' - about a passenger liner (City of Benares) that was torpedoed in 1940 while crossing the north Atlantic. The passengers included ninety English children being evacuated to North America. Hundreds of passengers died and there were hardly any survivors.
One lifeboat lasted 8 freezing days in the big waves, and was one of the very few picked up. The young boys on that lifeboat were kept alive by a 41 year old teacher, Mary Cornish, who massaged their...more
Non fiction account of children sent via the passenger liner SS "City of Benares" to the supposed safety of Canada to escape the bombing of Britain. However, the ship was torpedoed by a Nazi submarine. Written by the great nephew of one of the survivors the author relied on extensive interviews with survivors as well as documentation of this awful tragedy. Due to procedural mistakes as well as the timing of the sinking, during a horrible storm, of the 400 passengers and crew there were only 148...more
I have always been perplexed by the fact that parents sent their children away to complete strangers to get them away from the war. This book was very enlightening and helped me understand the state of mind of those parents and their desire to protect their little ones.
Tom Nagorski does a great job at turning what is virtually a history lesson into a gripping story. I felt the thrill the children had as they began their adventure and their pain as the events turned adventure into tragedy. The fa...more
Tom Nagorski does a great job at turning what is virtually a history lesson into a gripping story. I felt the thrill the children had as they began their adventure and their pain as the events turned adventure into tragedy. The fa...more
I'm a voracious reader of "disaster" books (as long as they're well written), and this one definitely was. Based on an incident involving a passenger liner that was relocating 90 British children to Canada as part of an evacuation program, the author has a personal connection with the tale -- his great uncle had been aboard the ship and had been presumed dead.
This book could have been unbearably bleak, for the loss was awful, but the author concentrates on the heroism and spirit of the survivor...more
This book could have been unbearably bleak, for the loss was awful, but the author concentrates on the heroism and spirit of the survivor...more
This book should be required reading in school. It is a true story about bravery and survival during the war. Hundreds of little children were being sent to Canada from London due to the bombings during WW II. Their ocean liner was sunk by a Nazi submarine in the North Atlantic. There were very few adults on the ship so the children had to fend for themselves and take care of the littlest of them. It was amazing how many made it and how brave and strong they were when faced with life and death.
May 01, 2010
Melinda
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
history buffs
Recommended to Melinda by:
I think I saw the author on TV
I have been delving into WWII books a lot this year, and this is the most impressive story of courage and survival. The narrative is engaging, the book is extremely well-researched and I remained engrossed throughout the read. The book mainly focuses on the plight of 13 people (mostly children)who end up in a lifeboat for over a week. It is a powerful story of courage, humanity and the will to survive. I reads like fiction, so the story is captivating.
This is a wonderful story as well as a tearjerker. Nagorski has written on a subject that seems to be in need of attention. The story of the City of Benares' dead and survivors is written superbly. This is a book I can guarantee you won't be able to put down. Part I tells the story of the CORB children, the voyage and related info. Nagorski provides the background stories of many. Part II tells the story of the survivors in forgotten Lifeboat 12 who were left behind at the mercy of the North Atl...more
Another incident in history that I didn't have a clue about! In 1940, ninety English children boarded the SS City of Benares ocean liner to go to Canada to escape the Nazi blitzkrieg on London. Oddly enough, the ship set sail on Friday, the 13th. The ship was torpedoed by a German U-boat about 600 miles out and sunk, leaving behind lifeboats of survivors. This is their story, and what a story it is!!
Feb 15, 2008
K
marked it as to-read
On Sept. 17, 1940, at a little after ten at night, a German submarine torpedoed the passenger liner S.S. City of Benares in the North Atlantic. There were 406 people on board, including 90 children headed for peaceful Canada, their parents having elected to send them away from Great Britain to escape the ravages of World War II. The Benares sank in half an hour, in a gale that sent several of her lifeboats pitching into the frigid sea, more than three hundred miles from the nearest rescue vessel...more
This was a very very interesting book. I recommend it for anyone who has any interest in the Titanic, or World War II. It's the story of a boat full of evacuating children...the boat was hit by a German torpedo. Many perished, but the stories of those who survived are amazing. This was a moving book and I recommend you read it if at all possible! It's engagingly written too.
I loved this book. It is a gripping true story of of the survivors in Life Boat 12 after a U-Boat sinks their ship in the North Atlantic. This book is filled with tragedy as so many do not survive but I was deeply touched at the sacrifices that some were willing to make and the power of the human spirit.
pretty interesting tale of a liner in 1940 that was taking UK kids to canada to be safe from the war. then was torpedoed and most of the folks died in the cold cold north atlantic. 13 kids made it back alive. so lots of lifeboat action, rationing water etc..
Jan 13, 2009
Anne
marked it as to-read
I taught a mini lesson on the children of the London Blitz to my 6th graders, and they were absolutely amazed and entranced ( I will be using this lesson again). I can't wait to read this book now! Thanks to my mom for telling me about it. :)
Stayed up all night reading this and am nearly finished. Have a box of tissue ready. I knew it would be sad because children died, but the details of it are painful. Very detailed, which I like, and not emotional, which is good too. Very objective, without patriotic slant. Well written. Most excellent.
I can not get enough of lifeboat survival stories!! This is another incredibly good one, well written and researched. Great background material included as well as followup on the lives of the survivors. What more can a reader ask for?
I'm only about halfway finished with this book, but I it's so fascinating that I thought I would start reviewing it now. I haven't read such an incredible account of something so horrible since I read the excellent account of the Titanic disaster by Walter Lord (I think that book was called "A Night to Remember").
I've been reading this book mainly on the bus to and from work, but I stopped doing that late last week because several times I've nearly started crying on the bus because the story is...more
I've been reading this book mainly on the bus to and from work, but I stopped doing that late last week because several times I've nearly started crying on the bus because the story is...more
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The heroism of the children in this book is a daily inspiration. The book itself if a gripping reminder of the devastation of war and the vastness and power of the sea.
I read this because a good friend of mine, Michael, who sadly died last year aged 95, was an officer on Hurricane during the rescue mission of the City of Benares. This book is a recollection of those who survived the awful ordeal.
Aug 20, 2010
Olean Public Library
added it
- It is a story about the sinking of a passenger ship in war and it is important to remember that many people lost their lives in water-related incidents during the war.
Sobbed during this intense, heart breaking and miraculous story.
Amazing story that broke my heart and made me cry in public.
I loved this book. Be prepared to sob.
Amazing true story.
An amazing piece of history I knew nothing about.
White knuckle treatment of the fate of several hundred steamer passengers, many of them children bound for Canada to escape the German blitz; torpedoed by a Nazi u-boat in 1940, and left to fend for their lives in 12 lifeboats adrift in the stormy mid-Atlantic.
The author's great uncle was one of the survivors of the sinking of the City of Benares, and the descriptions of life and death on the storm-tossed Atlantic are gripping and bone-chilling.
The author's great uncle was one of the survivors of the sinking of the City of Benares, and the descriptions of life and death on the storm-tossed Atlantic are gripping and bone-chilling.
Wonderful yet heartbreaking. A story of British children sent away by their parents to try to escape the terrors of the Second World War and the bombing of England. They are put on an ocean liner with a large escort but the boat is torpedoed. The tragedy and yet unbeleavable bravery of these children who face the trial of thier lives. Also , the adults who try to save them. Such a wonderful book.
During the blitz, Great Britain attempted to send children to safety by arranging passage for them on refitted liners. Only two ships ever sailed with child evacuees, both were sunk by German U-boats. The first ship had all passengers saved, this book is about the second ship...
This was an amazing story, one that got harder and harder to put down the more I read.
This was an amazing story, one that got harder and harder to put down the more I read.
Wow!! It's a true account of a U-boat attack on a British ship transporting children to Canada. It's an excellent read, well researched even with interviews from the U-boat captain!! If you like WWII books, this is one from a different perspective.
One of the guys at work suggested this book. It's a true story, kinda hard to get into in the beginning but by the middle I coudln't put it down. In fact I was toying with the idea of calling in sick so I could finish it!
Mar 14, 2009
Lisa
marked it as to-read
I saw this author on Book TV a few years back and thought the subject was fascinating. A little technical right now for my taste, but I think it will be really good once we get past all that stuff.
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