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The Serpent's Coil: An Incredible Story of Hurricane-Battered Ships and the Heroic Men Who Fought to Save Them
The 1948 rescue of the Liberty ship Leicester is chronicled in vivid detail--a story that takes readers through two hurricanes before the crew is finally rescued. Reprint.
189 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1974
About the author
Farley Mowat
120 books660 followersFarley McGill Mowat was a conservationist and one of Canada's most widely-read authors.
Many of his most popular works have been memoirs of his childhood, his war service, and his work as a naturalist. His works have been translated into 52 languages and he has sold more than 14 million books.
Mowat studied biology at the University of Toronto. During a field trip to the Arctic, Mowat became outraged at the plight of the Ihalmiut, a Caribou Inuit band, which he attributed to misunderstanding by whites. His outrage led him to publish his first novel, People of the Deer (1952). This book made Mowat into a literary celebrity and was largely responsible for the shift in the Canadian government's Inuit policy: the government began shipping meat and dry goods to a people they previously denied existed.
The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society ship RV Farley Mowat was named in honour of him, and he frequently visited it to assist its mission.
Many of his most popular works have been memoirs of his childhood, his war service, and his work as a naturalist. His works have been translated into 52 languages and he has sold more than 14 million books.
Mowat studied biology at the University of Toronto. During a field trip to the Arctic, Mowat became outraged at the plight of the Ihalmiut, a Caribou Inuit band, which he attributed to misunderstanding by whites. His outrage led him to publish his first novel, People of the Deer (1952). This book made Mowat into a literary celebrity and was largely responsible for the shift in the Canadian government's Inuit policy: the government began shipping meat and dry goods to a people they previously denied existed.
The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society ship RV Farley Mowat was named in honour of him, and he frequently visited it to assist its mission.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
February 1, 2013
I've probably read this book 20+ times since I first met it when I was 12. It never gets old.
It is the kind of macro/micro writing that I think Mowat does spectacularly well, now focused on the story of three ships -- two deep-sea rescue tugs and one Lend-Lease surplus freighter.
A far-from-comprehensive list of things I learned from this book:
* What the legs on oil-drilling platforms are called.
* What kind of ballast you get from the Thames.
* The effect fog used to have on radios.
* What a Carley float is.
* Why you can't just tie up to the ship you're towing.
* How much list 60 degrees is.
* How some hurricanes start.
* What happens when your boiler explodes.
* How big a pump you can move in a dory.
* What it's like to fly a plane into a hurricane.
* How much weather satellites have changes the world.
* What the Great Circle Track is.
* What the Beaufort scale is.
And so much more. I can't get over how meticulous the research on this book is. The bit with the meterologists in Africa. The book that Sparky sets his soldering iron on. The thing is that Sparky (on the Leicester) died in the storm, so someone must have seen his cabin or inventoried his stuff? But it gives the whole book so much texture.
And it's not just the battle to save one ship. I still laugh at the stories of the crewmen, the guy from Come-By-Chance who was planning to take back blackstrap rum and retire forever, or the crew getting "pirate fever" and flitting all over their salvaged boat.
I think the reason this book and its companion are so repeatable for me is that I get dropped into a whole different world, and that world is as richly constructed as any of the most intricate science fiction books I read. It just happens to be history instead of make-believe.
Read if: You enjoy a good story. You love books about boats. You have liked other Mowat. You love seamless learning.
Skip if: You think non-fiction books should be dry. You are not that into learning salvage techniques of 60 years ago.
Also read: The Grey Seas Under: The Perilous Rescue Mission of a N.A. Salvage Tug, the companion book about Foundation Maritime.
It is the kind of macro/micro writing that I think Mowat does spectacularly well, now focused on the story of three ships -- two deep-sea rescue tugs and one Lend-Lease surplus freighter.
A far-from-comprehensive list of things I learned from this book:
* What the legs on oil-drilling platforms are called.
* What kind of ballast you get from the Thames.
* The effect fog used to have on radios.
* What a Carley float is.
* Why you can't just tie up to the ship you're towing.
* How much list 60 degrees is.
* How some hurricanes start.
* What happens when your boiler explodes.
* How big a pump you can move in a dory.
* What it's like to fly a plane into a hurricane.
* How much weather satellites have changes the world.
* What the Great Circle Track is.
* What the Beaufort scale is.
And so much more. I can't get over how meticulous the research on this book is. The bit with the meterologists in Africa. The book that Sparky sets his soldering iron on. The thing is that Sparky (on the Leicester) died in the storm, so someone must have seen his cabin or inventoried his stuff? But it gives the whole book so much texture.
And it's not just the battle to save one ship. I still laugh at the stories of the crewmen, the guy from Come-By-Chance who was planning to take back blackstrap rum and retire forever, or the crew getting "pirate fever" and flitting all over their salvaged boat.
I think the reason this book and its companion are so repeatable for me is that I get dropped into a whole different world, and that world is as richly constructed as any of the most intricate science fiction books I read. It just happens to be history instead of make-believe.
Read if: You enjoy a good story. You love books about boats. You have liked other Mowat. You love seamless learning.
Skip if: You think non-fiction books should be dry. You are not that into learning salvage techniques of 60 years ago.
Also read: The Grey Seas Under: The Perilous Rescue Mission of a N.A. Salvage Tug, the companion book about Foundation Maritime.
November 25, 2007
Another breath-catching adventure tale from a master story-teller. I could almost smell the ozone in the air and feel in my bones the barometer dropping.
June 26, 2024
This was an entertaining and succinct story about the rescue of a nearly sunken Liberty ship that had a lot of interesting details about marine salvage and the state of hurricane forecasting and tracking in the late 1940s.
My husband recommended this to me after I described Into the Raging Sea and Until the Sea Shall Free Them to him, and this book was a great contrast to those. It’s fascinating to compare the relatively rudimentary tracking tools available to the US in 1948 vs. those available in 2015, as well as how the general state of commercial shipping changed during those decades. The two men in charge of Foundation Maritime, the tugboat owners in this book, were both highly experienced in their field and were personally involved in solving complex problems with their ships. This is in stark contrast with the owners of the Marine Electric and the El Faro, the ships at issue in the other two books, who disclaimed responsibility at every turn and had no personal maritime experience.
It was also interesting to compare the Leicester, the ailing Liberty ship in this book, with the Marine Electric, which was also built during WWII, because the Leicester survived multiple storms more powerful than the single storm that sank the Marine Electric. Although the two ships were different classes and had many design differences, their relative resilience helps illustrate some of the points made in Until the Sea Shall Free Them about the toll taken on the Marine Electric and her fellows by decades of poor maintenance and economically motivated modifications.
I also enjoyed the contrast between the style of more recent nonfiction books I’ve read and this book, which is factual but includes plenty of embellishments that came from the involved mariners themselves, others who retold the story over time, or maybe the author himself. There are no footnotes here, no list of sources, no author’s note or afterword describing how the author put the story together, what he might have added, or what conclusion he draws from it. There’s just an entertaining narrative about something that happened, more or less. Reading it felt like listening to a storyteller, and it didn’t really matter that some of the minor details were probably untrue.
My husband recommended this to me after I described Into the Raging Sea and Until the Sea Shall Free Them to him, and this book was a great contrast to those. It’s fascinating to compare the relatively rudimentary tracking tools available to the US in 1948 vs. those available in 2015, as well as how the general state of commercial shipping changed during those decades. The two men in charge of Foundation Maritime, the tugboat owners in this book, were both highly experienced in their field and were personally involved in solving complex problems with their ships. This is in stark contrast with the owners of the Marine Electric and the El Faro, the ships at issue in the other two books, who disclaimed responsibility at every turn and had no personal maritime experience.
It was also interesting to compare the Leicester, the ailing Liberty ship in this book, with the Marine Electric, which was also built during WWII, because the Leicester survived multiple storms more powerful than the single storm that sank the Marine Electric. Although the two ships were different classes and had many design differences, their relative resilience helps illustrate some of the points made in Until the Sea Shall Free Them about the toll taken on the Marine Electric and her fellows by decades of poor maintenance and economically motivated modifications.
I also enjoyed the contrast between the style of more recent nonfiction books I’ve read and this book, which is factual but includes plenty of embellishments that came from the involved mariners themselves, others who retold the story over time, or maybe the author himself. There are no footnotes here, no list of sources, no author’s note or afterword describing how the author put the story together, what he might have added, or what conclusion he draws from it. There’s just an entertaining narrative about something that happened, more or less. Reading it felt like listening to a storyteller, and it didn’t really matter that some of the minor details were probably untrue.
March 11, 2017
Amazing. Who knew? I certainly learned a lot and enjoyed the tale along the way. Worth the effort.
April 27, 2015
Most of this book was way over my head, because my kind of boat runs in majority time on a 3000 acre lake. But it has superb detail in the category of that special frigate that rescues the biggest boys of all on salt water seas and in supposedly fatal and treacherous hurricane. Since 1941 origin construct- the feat of feats re Liberty are described to a T.
January 5, 2019
A brilliant book. This is a ripping yarn - with the bonus that it is a true story. Mowat has the knack of writing extremely fast-moving narrative, while painting lucid (and in this case terrfifying) pictures of the events he describes.
A family member sailed on the Foundation Josephine acouple of years after these events. I feel fortunate that he is still with us!
Highly recommended.
A family member sailed on the Foundation Josephine acouple of years after these events. I feel fortunate that he is still with us!
Highly recommended.
December 11, 2018
Wow. Best book I read this year.
September 4, 2024
High true adventure about the gutsiest guys I've ever read tell of. These men towing a crippled ship out of the way of a hurricane is amazing. I've never forgotten one man recounting jumping from their ship to the crippled vessel and timing it at the point where the rail would roll up out of the sea. He jumped, grabbed the rail and rode it down under the water again and up again, hurling himself over the rail and onto the ship, sliding through a hatch and pulling it shut behind him just as the ship rolled again, taking the corridor under water once more. He talked about hoping the ship would continue it's rolling and come up above the waves again and not just stay down. Nobody gets paid enough for this!
Mowat is a master storyteller and I'm really sorry he's not with us anymore. His books, about the arctic, about the losses of species this continent suffered after colonization, about the Franklin deep sea tug that saved so many, about the wolves he studied in the north, about the people of the north...are all masterful and will stay with you forever.
Mowat is a master storyteller and I'm really sorry he's not with us anymore. His books, about the arctic, about the losses of species this continent suffered after colonization, about the Franklin deep sea tug that saved so many, about the wolves he studied in the north, about the people of the north...are all masterful and will stay with you forever.
October 7, 2019
Book Review: Although it contains neither wolves nor Inuits, The Serpent’s Coil by Farley Mowat was a wonderful book. It tells the 1948 story of crews aboard rescue tug boats risking their lives to recover abandoned ships in the North Atlantic. Mowat captures the somber excitement (is that a thing?!) of the men as they maneuver between duty and realities posed by ocean currents and weather, including a pair of hurricanes (the coils). I enjoyed it immensely and recommend it if you like adventures involving rescues, ships, or the ocean.
September 28, 2020
I read this book after reading one of my great aunt’s letters (written in the 1960s). In the letter to her daughter, she mentions that her sister had been listening to it on A Chapter a Day on Wisconsin Public Radio. (I searched the archives and couldn’t find a record of it). It intrigued me so I found a copy and read it. I’ve always enjoyed reading Farley Mowat’s book and enjoyed this one also. Reading it has made me think twice about booking transAtlantic cruises. The rescue of the Leicester was intriguing and exciting.
August 22, 2022
An amazing story: A WWII liberty ship is damaged by a hurricane and a salvage tug goes out to rescue it. Two more hurricanes as the crew on the tug struggles to get a line aboard the listing ship and try to get it yo a safe harbour. Courage and perseverance is the story told in one of Farley Mowat's early books.
September 16, 2023
This book was super engaging and fun. i love stories about ships in storms in general and it was also really cool to read about (peripherally) old weather forecasting, some of the first airborne reconnaissance missions, and hurricanes back when they were just numbers. the characters were great too. all the salvage stuff made me think about maqroll.
January 22, 2019
Slender book about hurricanes in the Atlantic after WW II and the Victory ship Leicester's voyage from England bound for NY, hit with a hurricane that caused the sandy ballast to shift, causing a heavy list and exposing her bottom to the air. GOOD READ.
August 13, 2022
Just read it. Especially if you like storms, tragedy, history, ships, or just Canada.
You will like it, I promise. It's pacing is very fast and it is a wild, tragic ride through some post WWII maritime history.
It has a sister book, "Grey seas under grey sky's" if you really love this.
You will like it, I promise. It's pacing is very fast and it is a wild, tragic ride through some post WWII maritime history.
It has a sister book, "Grey seas under grey sky's" if you really love this.
October 6, 2025
An older mostly true sea story, likely with the liberties Mowat was known to take with some facts, and the actions of the people involved somewhat fictionalized. Still an interesting sea story for those that like the genre.
October 6, 2023
Love this book. The chapter that describes the anatomy of a storm continues to fascinate me no matter how many times I read it.
December 16, 2025
The writing was so incredible. I also loved how it told the story of all the ships and people involved.
March 8, 2017
its about ships n' stuff
November 11, 2021
This book took me a long time to read. Actually, I wondered if I would ever finish it! But it kept staring at me. Regardless, I'm glad that I got though it because it was a very good true story about tug boats and sinking ships.
The book is interesting, not because I am a Floridian and deal with a lot of weather events, but because all of these boats were involved in one or more hurricanes (#s VII, VIII, IX) that were tenacious in their relentless search for the same boats!
(BTW, hurricanes were not named in the 1950s, they were in Roman numbers.)
So, yes, the book was interesting and well-written and often very amusing; but, ladies, there were a few chapters about mechanical stuff that zoomed right over my head.
The book is interesting, not because I am a Floridian and deal with a lot of weather events, but because all of these boats were involved in one or more hurricanes (#s VII, VIII, IX) that were tenacious in their relentless search for the same boats!
(BTW, hurricanes were not named in the 1950s, they were in Roman numbers.)
So, yes, the book was interesting and well-written and often very amusing; but, ladies, there were a few chapters about mechanical stuff that zoomed right over my head.
Read
October 14, 2016Great book, one of the few books I've read cover to cover in one sitting.
December 16, 2008
There were about 200 SAM-key ships built during WW II. Called SAM- ships because of their origin: Uncle Sam Lend-lease. So each vessel became know as SAM-this or SAM that. They were Liberty ships that were basically identical in design. Barely half survived the war and many disappeared without a trace. There was some speculation it had to do with how the ballast was shipped (between decks rather than lower in the hull) when the ship was empty.
The Leicester was a renamed Samkey ship but the company that bought it after the war became concerned about ballasting and added shifting boards, a carry-over from clipper ship days when loads might shift as the ship heeled under sail. The Leiscester was about to sail into a vicious hurricane. How she survived is told in inimitable style by Farley Mowat.
Mowat is a big fan of the Merchant Marine and especially ocean-going salvage vessels, those specially built vessels designed to save big ships in trouble. (see Grey Seas Under ) The salvation of the Leicester was the Foundation Josephine who took the Leicester in tow after she developed a pronounced list and towed it out of one hurricane and through another to save the ship.
The Leicester confounded the experts and sailors who could not believe a ship could survive with such a horrifying list - more than 50 degrees and swells would make it even worse. Just connecting the towing line proved to be quite a feat, let alone towing the ship.
Great story well told.
The Leicester was a renamed Samkey ship but the company that bought it after the war became concerned about ballasting and added shifting boards, a carry-over from clipper ship days when loads might shift as the ship heeled under sail. The Leiscester was about to sail into a vicious hurricane. How she survived is told in inimitable style by Farley Mowat.
Mowat is a big fan of the Merchant Marine and especially ocean-going salvage vessels, those specially built vessels designed to save big ships in trouble. (see Grey Seas Under ) The salvation of the Leicester was the Foundation Josephine who took the Leicester in tow after she developed a pronounced list and towed it out of one hurricane and through another to save the ship.
The Leicester confounded the experts and sailors who could not believe a ship could survive with such a horrifying list - more than 50 degrees and swells would make it even worse. Just connecting the towing line proved to be quite a feat, let alone towing the ship.
Great story well told.
November 10, 2010
Though it took me a long while to actually get past page 10 of this book (mostly, due to my own prejudices), I actually found this to be quite a page turner with lots of cool information about ships and hurricanes and cyclones. This book takes you through the stories of the crew of a ship driving right through a hurricane, the crew on the tug searching for and rescueing the ship as well as many others linked to the storm and the rescue operation.
It was also cool to read this book on public transit and see how many people craned their necks to see what the book was. Can't say any of the other books I've red on the train have gotten that much attention. Weird, but cool.
It was also cool to read this book on public transit and see how many people craned their necks to see what the book was. Can't say any of the other books I've red on the train have gotten that much attention. Weird, but cool.
November 23, 2010
The Serpent’s Coil is Farley Mowat’s excellent account of the British merchant ship, the Leicester, and how it survived several hurricanes and was salvaged by the Josephine and Lillian in the late 40’s. Mowat does an expert job of tying all the disparate elements at play in the saga; weather, politics, honor and money all played a role in the events that occurred. Like Sebastian Junger’s The Perfect Storm, The Serpent’s Coil is gripping and keeps you on the edge of your seat. Mowat’s writing is outstanding and he never fails to make a story interesting. Really good stuff!
December 10, 2009
This is the book that started my interest in nautical books. My Dad sent this to me thinking I'd enjoy it. I can't remember what passed that he sent it but finally I got around to reading it. The action and suspense in this book can put any Hollywood story to shame, no action hero can keep up with this. Between the heroism and tireless effort of the crew and the suspense of the coming of the storms, this would have kept me up if I didn't force myself to put it down. Highly recommended for nautical fans.
February 4, 2010
great drama of a ship salvage in 1948. deep sea salvage tugs out of Nova Scotia find and bring in a freighter, leicester, after it is abandoned after a hurricane. one tug goes through a hurricane to get to it. then after they get it in port ANOTHER hurricane hits them in bermuda. farley mowat is a great writer who mixes human interest, technical stuff, and nature stuff so well. a classic Atlantic storm/tramp freighter/rescue book.
November 16, 2010
I know you have to take Farley Mowat with a grain of salt, but this is one book of his I can pick up and read again and again. It's kind of got the eccentric echo of Annie Proulx' "The Shipping News," with the oddball characters, though sometimes with Mowat the characters are the sea, the weather and the ships, rather than the people, most of whom are pretty thin in this novel.
Still, Mowat tells a good, readable tale of an adventure you'd never, ever want to go on.
Still, Mowat tells a good, readable tale of an adventure you'd never, ever want to go on.
April 20, 2013
I was intrigued by the story of the ship Leicester -- how it survived and was rescued despite the damages of two hurricanes. I was so impressed with Mr. Mowat's storytelling -- he painted a very real situation in my mind. I learned so many things about storms, life at sea, and the politics involved in this side of life.
October 11, 2014
What a great story of a sturdy old Liberty ship bound for NYC in the midst of a hurricane. A great read if you like "victory at sea" type imagery. I learned how important it was to have a working radio on board any vessel!!! My friend Sean gave me this book as one of his favorite books and one that he had read multiple times. The book shows its wear and is falling apart at the binding
September 8, 2008
They went down to the sea in ships, and the sea bumped back!!! Hurricanes, mans indomitable will. With a dark mystery thrown in.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews