The Sailing of the Intrepid

From 22-year naval and Marine veteran Montel Williams, a page-turning history of how one World War Two aircraft carrier's crew defied all odds, redefining the very meaning of what it means to struggle, persevere, and survive.

1944. The aircraft carrier Intrepid set sail on its first combat voyage. During the Battle of Truk Lagoon Intrepid was hit by a Japanese torpedo, jamming its rudder at a 45-degree angle. It could only sail in circles – precisely the same damage that had doomed the legendary German battleship Bismarck three years earlier.

As enemy planes and submarines scoured the Pacific for the wounded ship, she began the perilous 3,300-mile voyage to safety in Pearl Harbor. For a day, Captain Tom Sprague managed to control his ship by skillful manipulation of its engines – but then the winds shifted! Intrepid was out of control in the swirling Pacific. Bringing the ship home meant taking an extraordinary gamble – reaching back in maritime history for an ingenious solution.

If it worked.

With grit and determination, this spellbinding true story details the a remarkable survival story against all odds, for readers of Erik Larson, David Grann and Bob Drury.