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The Last Run: A True Story of Rescue and Redemption on the Alaska Seas
It was a desperate mission that made front-page headlines and captured the attention of millions of readers around the world. In January 1998, in the dead of an Alaskan winter, a cataclysmic Arctic storm with hurricane-force winds and towering seas forced five fishermen to abandon their vessel in the Gulf of Alaska and left them adrift in thirty-eight-degree water with no lifeboat. Their would-be rescuers were 150 miles away at the Coast Guard station, with the nearby airport shut down by an avalanche. The Last Run is the epic tale of the wreck of the oldest registered fishing schooner in Alaska, a hellish Arctic tempest, and the three teams of aviators in helicopters who withstood 140-mph gusts and hovered alongside waves that were ten stories high. But what makes this more than a true-life page-turner is its portrait of untamed Alaska and the unflappable spirit of people who forge a different kind of life on America's last frontier, the "end of the roaders" who are drawn to, or flee to, Alaska to seek a final destiny.
400 pages, Paperback
First published June 29, 2004
80 people are currently reading
418 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
September 4, 2025
A writer comes upon a piece of a story, or perhaps many unarranged pieces, and begins to fit the pieces with others so that after a time a picture emerges. Maybe the author knows early on where the puzzle is taking him or her. Maybe not. What’s important…is that the puzzle takes the writer somewhere while he or she is collecting the pieces, contemplating them, arranging them. “Discovery through puzzlement,” she called it. I always liked that idea.
Todd Lewan - image from HarperCollins
A Perfect Storm meets the arctic. Facing eighty-foot waves, hurricane strength winds (110 mph) and golf-ball sized hail, and worrying about deadly icing, three Coast Guard crews risk all in the north Pacific to try to save a crew of five, floating in the frigid water after their boat sank. Award-winning writer Todd Lewan, a veteran AP reporter, lets us in on the desperation of the men, offering insight into why they were willing to take so great a risk to try fishing in such perilous conditions. He points out that the owner’s greed played a role in the condition of the boat they went out in. This is an engaging and exciting read. The rescue sequence would be a natural to grace the silver screen at some point, although the film The Finest Hours offers some wintry, albeit not Alaskan, oceanic rescue horrors, so it may be a while before another film-maker will want to weigh anchor on making this one. In the meantime, if you are casting about for an exciting true-life fish(ing) tale, you could do worse than to reel in The Last Run.
June 5, 2015
Reading this book reminds that:
1. I never want to be a fisherman in Alaska
2. The Coast Guard is one of the most under-valued and steely eyed group of people in the world.
1. I never want to be a fisherman in Alaska
2. The Coast Guard is one of the most under-valued and steely eyed group of people in the world.
January 3, 2022
I’ve now read this book twice, once long ago and again now after having just re-read The Perfect Storm. They’re both true, but I love that you get the whole story in this one, you learn what happens to all of the people involved, whether it’s heroic or heartbreaking. This is an amazing story and makes you want to hang out in your bed on stormy nights!
February 25, 2014
As other reviewers have pointed out this book starts out slow as the author builds the stories of the characters. Since it is a true story it is very very true life and you wonder if you want to dwell into the characters personal lives that much. The last 2/3 of the book it all comes together with a plot twist not normal for true life.
As a former UH-60 helicopter crew chief in a medevac unit I have never read a better account of the issues and emotions of high stress aerial rescues. He managed to capture that awful fear a helicopter crewmember feels upon the sound of "rotor droop" in the flight parameter death zone.
If you read this book you are reading an account that is just about as accurate as it can get for aerial rescue.
As a former UH-60 helicopter crew chief in a medevac unit I have never read a better account of the issues and emotions of high stress aerial rescues. He managed to capture that awful fear a helicopter crewmember feels upon the sound of "rotor droop" in the flight parameter death zone.
If you read this book you are reading an account that is just about as accurate as it can get for aerial rescue.
July 27, 2012
I mainly read this book because I'm acquainted with a relative of one of the rescuers and heard about this story. Lewan's tale of a dramatic helicopter rescue of Alaskan fisherman who were shipwrecked started out beautifully. But it quickly got bogged down in superfluous detail and background about each person's life. I basically felt like Lewan didn't have enough material for a whole book.... so he tried to flesh it out the best he could and all that stuff just made the book more difficult to read.
April 25, 2012
Great story, but i couldn't shake the fact that there's so much dialogue in a non-fiction book. Would've been stronger and more believable -- how are we supposed to buy all of that dialogue is accurate? -- without the extended passages, though.
April 26, 2016
Started a bit slow but quickly picked up. A very good adventure and an engrossing story. A good job detailing the boat life and heroism of the Coast Guard. Definitely would recommend this.
March 15, 2023
Story building / beginning of the book was a bit slow, but once it started to pick up speed and the event started unfolding I couldn't put the book down.
August 5, 2022
“Hey, what do you make of this?” Jesse reached down and picked up the mitten. It felt heavy. “Cut it open,” Doug said. Jesse snapped open a pearl-handled hunting knife. He slit a cross through the palm, turned the mitten over, shook it. Out spilled sand and…He jumped back. “That’s….that’s…” Now at his feet in the middle of the trail lay five very soggy, very white bits of skin. Attached to one was a gleaming, human fingernail.”
Struggling to make ends meet, the crew make a foolhardy decision to head off into stormy weather with an old fishing schooner, bad gear and big dreams. Gambling on a catch that will pull them out of dire straits, the 5 men headed 18h out of Sitka, Alaska and to the famous rock fishing grounds. The gamble looked like a good bet, but soon the boat loaded down with bounty sunk in the 38-degree sea and 100 miles per hour winds. This true story tells of a harrowing rescue.
Our cruise itinerary was changed and Sitka was swapped for Skagway ~ what luck! We loved Sitka and found a fantastic bookshop called Old Harbor Books. After nosing around for almost an hour, I settled on purchasing a local fishing rescue story, The Last Run by Todd Lewan.
This was a fantastic read! It started with a shock and then, like a roving camera, took readers on a 360-turn in-depth exploration of all the characters and the setting before linking the prologue back with the story. It was like sitting in an old bar with a grizzled fisherman listening to his stories of life at sea. It read like a conversation and all the places we walked, even the bookstore, were mentioned in the story.
Only one complaint ~ I should have realized that a fishing rescue story would include colourful language!
If you are on an Alaskan cruise, this is a great story to pick up. If you stop at Sitka, this would be essential reading!
Struggling to make ends meet, the crew make a foolhardy decision to head off into stormy weather with an old fishing schooner, bad gear and big dreams. Gambling on a catch that will pull them out of dire straits, the 5 men headed 18h out of Sitka, Alaska and to the famous rock fishing grounds. The gamble looked like a good bet, but soon the boat loaded down with bounty sunk in the 38-degree sea and 100 miles per hour winds. This true story tells of a harrowing rescue.
Our cruise itinerary was changed and Sitka was swapped for Skagway ~ what luck! We loved Sitka and found a fantastic bookshop called Old Harbor Books. After nosing around for almost an hour, I settled on purchasing a local fishing rescue story, The Last Run by Todd Lewan.
This was a fantastic read! It started with a shock and then, like a roving camera, took readers on a 360-turn in-depth exploration of all the characters and the setting before linking the prologue back with the story. It was like sitting in an old bar with a grizzled fisherman listening to his stories of life at sea. It read like a conversation and all the places we walked, even the bookstore, were mentioned in the story.
Only one complaint ~ I should have realized that a fishing rescue story would include colourful language!
If you are on an Alaskan cruise, this is a great story to pick up. If you stop at Sitka, this would be essential reading!
October 4, 2019
Hard to tell if the author was being lazy or blatantly lying to artificially inflate the tension.
Case in point: "It took him half a minute just to turn the helicopter; in that time, they had flown ten miles downwind of the EPIRB."
Do the math on that. Ten miles in 30 seconds is 20 miles in a minute, multiply by 60 and that's 1200 MPH... literally above Mach 1.
Here's a few examples of being lazy: "That's the 6018 on the T-Cast." "He was giving it gas only occasionally..." "... and tort, or power, gauges."
TCAS, Traffic Collision Avoidance System, is pronounced t-caz. Never heard anyone say t-cast. This is an example of hearing the term and not following up on it. Perhaps he mistook it for broadcast?
You don't give helicopters "gas" in reference to power. While the collective does modulate the amount of fuel as it's raised and lowered, it's also collectively adjusting each rotor blade's angle of attack. No pilot I've ever known has said give it more gas.
Finally, "tort" is a law term. It's torque that is one of the power gauges in a turbine aircaft.
I am a helicopter pilot with over a decade of experience and almost 3 thousand hours of flying in Alaska alone so these seemingly minor errors really ruined the book for me. The author had plenty of access to the pilots in the story and their transcripts but still couldn't be bothered to get the details right. There are more examples in the book that kept giving me the feeling that he was out to sensationalize the event and I can't respect that.
Case in point: "It took him half a minute just to turn the helicopter; in that time, they had flown ten miles downwind of the EPIRB."
Do the math on that. Ten miles in 30 seconds is 20 miles in a minute, multiply by 60 and that's 1200 MPH... literally above Mach 1.
Here's a few examples of being lazy: "That's the 6018 on the T-Cast." "He was giving it gas only occasionally..." "... and tort, or power, gauges."
TCAS, Traffic Collision Avoidance System, is pronounced t-caz. Never heard anyone say t-cast. This is an example of hearing the term and not following up on it. Perhaps he mistook it for broadcast?
You don't give helicopters "gas" in reference to power. While the collective does modulate the amount of fuel as it's raised and lowered, it's also collectively adjusting each rotor blade's angle of attack. No pilot I've ever known has said give it more gas.
Finally, "tort" is a law term. It's torque that is one of the power gauges in a turbine aircaft.
I am a helicopter pilot with over a decade of experience and almost 3 thousand hours of flying in Alaska alone so these seemingly minor errors really ruined the book for me. The author had plenty of access to the pilots in the story and their transcripts but still couldn't be bothered to get the details right. There are more examples in the book that kept giving me the feeling that he was out to sensationalize the event and I can't respect that.
October 15, 2018
This is normally my type of book. The first few pages were interesting but then the story got bogged down in much unnecessary detail (for me anyway). Not until page 160 does the story pick up. I think there was an attempt to give absolutely anyone that had anything to do with this story a place in the book and hence for me it became difficult to keep the characters straight.
Even during the exciting rescue pages (they are the highlight obviously) I still wasn't certain who was who at times. This detracts from the story.
Perhaps it would have been easier to keep the characters straight if the author had told his audience what happened instead of using dialog. I've read many ship wreck stories and this is the first one that I've struggled with. Never-the-less it is a story worth reading if you are into this type of story.
Praise of course to the incredible efforts of all who attempted and save the fishermen from their deaths.
Even during the exciting rescue pages (they are the highlight obviously) I still wasn't certain who was who at times. This detracts from the story.
Perhaps it would have been easier to keep the characters straight if the author had told his audience what happened instead of using dialog. I've read many ship wreck stories and this is the first one that I've struggled with. Never-the-less it is a story worth reading if you are into this type of story.
Praise of course to the incredible efforts of all who attempted and save the fishermen from their deaths.
June 2, 2019
My friend who was one of the pilots in this story loaned me this book, so I put up with the overall tediousness of the first half of it. "Book one," which is essentially the first chapter, included some fascinating forensics, but, aside from that, the first half is overly focused on the life history of the rescued fishermen. The second half of the book I couldn't put down. Just amazing that anyone was saved under incredible conditions. I wish more details were included explaining the technical aspects of the helicopter and equipment functions. There is another book about this rescue with over 4 stars, so I will probably read that one too at some point.
March 21, 2016
If I could've read only the second half and still understood the story line, it may have been given 4 out of 5 stars, but the first half and all the character development almost killed me.
September 17, 2019
Slow to develop a strong story line and jumped around to much.
September 29, 2021
4.5 stars, an incredible story of bravery and competence. The book jacket synopsis gives a good overview of this incident. Although the book starts a bit slowly, it comes to life in the tale of the sinking and rescue of the fishermen. The U.S. Coast Guard really shines throughout this story and we as a country are incredibly fortunate to have such an asset. I recommend "The Last Run" to anyone who likes a good (& true) tale of human fortitude.
December 14, 2023
I was interested in the first chapter, which started with a mystery and forensics. But the following first half of the book was slow and seemingly pointless. Once I got to the second half of the book it was incredible! Loved reading about the heroics of the rescuers and survivors. Just wish the first half of the book had been cut down significantly.
January 22, 2022
I had bad feelin for 1st time after Gig past me on the boardwalk. Tho a good friend that I’d run into in many a port, this time he looked right through me. So Gig if you still live hope your well and see this. Those wild west Pelican nights @ Rosie’s.
November 14, 2017
Was hoping he wasn't rescued
March 16, 2020
Starts out a little slow but turns into an epic page turner. Excellent writing and story telling. Impressed with the research the author must have done to write this incredible book
August 18, 2020
Fabulous! Couldn't put it down and have recommended to all my friends, which I don't do often.
August 26, 2021
awestruck
July 13, 2023
The author almost puts you on the edge of your seat with this horrifying read. If you like true life adventure READ IT!
December 16, 2019
A bit too much detail in the beginning for my liking, but as soon as it gets to rescue time, STRAP IN.
A solid 4/5 given how crazy the rescue was and how brave the members of the coast guard who participated were.
A solid 4/5 given how crazy the rescue was and how brave the members of the coast guard who participated were.
December 10, 2007
When I was in Juneau last June, I found myself glued to this book in the late hours after the grandkids had gone to bed, and in the wee morning hours before they got up. It has everything; first, it is a true story. The story centers on sinking of a fishing vessel in Alaska, the terrible ordeal the crew went through while waiting for rescue in the frigid waters, and the efforts of the Coast Guard to rescue them during a raging winter storm. But even more, it is a look into the lives of all of the people involved, before, during and after the tragic sinking, and the life lessons they learned, or re-learned. Fascinating, captivating story, well worth reading.
May 27, 2013
Note to my friends: crude language, blunt dialogue, discriptive action scenes.
Hilarious dialogue, I laughed so hard. I felt like I was right there on the boat as Bob Doyle worked along Mick, Mork, David Hanlon, and the Skipper. The water was cold, the fish were slimy, the waves were unbelievable and I can't believe they survived! Then the rescue teams efforts were described so well that even though I've never been in a chopper I felt like I was right there with the men in search of the survivors.
Truly an extraordinary read.
Hilarious dialogue, I laughed so hard. I felt like I was right there on the boat as Bob Doyle worked along Mick, Mork, David Hanlon, and the Skipper. The water was cold, the fish were slimy, the waves were unbelievable and I can't believe they survived! Then the rescue teams efforts were described so well that even though I've never been in a chopper I felt like I was right there with the men in search of the survivors.
Truly an extraordinary read.
August 1, 2014
Having just finished a trip to Alaska, I can confirm that it is filled with end-of-the-roaders, but also amazingly creative resourceful, self-reliant people, often in the same person, who make our lower 48 culture of whining seem shameful. This true, gripping story of just what's at stake when we order a fish dinner also reveals the depth of these people who live where we couldn't imagine living and who do what we couldn't imagine doing.
February 3, 2016
An engrossing true story of the struggles of coast guard men to save five fishermen who abandoned their ship in Alaska seas during a hurricane level storm in winter. Just the right amount of personal background is supplied about a few key individuals to make the story have depth. Makes one appreciate the skills and efforts of those who perform rescue missions for the coast guard and the travails potentially faced by fishermen.
April 27, 2020
Great story but a little long
It's a great story. Just a little bit too wordy for me. I found myself passing over several pages at a time when the author was sharing long winded background stories on the characters in the book. Too much information that I felt could have been told in a,few pages rather than while chapters. But once the story gets to the sinking and rescue (about 50% into the book) It's hard to put down.
It's a great story. Just a little bit too wordy for me. I found myself passing over several pages at a time when the author was sharing long winded background stories on the characters in the book. Too much information that I felt could have been told in a,few pages rather than while chapters. But once the story gets to the sinking and rescue (about 50% into the book) It's hard to put down.
February 6, 2010
For the first 160 pages, I wondered why I was reading this book. For the last 200 pages, I could hardly put it down. I had trouble caring about the characters to begin with but came to understand and care for them more in the end. It's another survival story (will this winter ever end?) having to do with the Alaskan fishing industry and the crew of an ill fated fishing boat, La Conte.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews