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Books > History > World history > From 1900 > Second World War
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School of the Sea (Paperback, New)
Loot Price: R532
Discovery Miles 5 320
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School of the Sea (Paperback, New)
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Loot Price R532
Discovery Miles 5 320
Expected to ship within 12 - 19 working days
|
Based on his daily diary entries that provide a vivid and accurate
picture of events, the author candidly recounts his development as
a merchant mariner from his early years as an indentured apprentice
on the Elysia, followed by two years sailing on a passenger ship to
India before the Second World War erupted. At sea the war news is
relayed in bits and pieces, feeding the underlying tension that
keeps rising to the surface. Daily life is punctuated by terrifying
episodes such as seeing ships sunk in convoy or hearing bombs drop
beside the ship when in port during heavy air raids and the author
also relates the horrific experience of being torpedoed. The
extremes of nature that all on board had to contend with - winter
storms on the North Atlantic; navigating in convoy through flow ice
and avoiding icebergs; fog and the ever-present danger of
collision; the extreme heat experienced in the Red Sea and Persian
Gulf, without air conditioning - are all accurately described. He
also relates the problems encountered when sailing on worn-out
ships that would normally have been scrapped had it not been for
the war, and as a consequence experiencing leaks, engine trouble
and bursts of flame spouting from the funnel in areas where
submarines were operating! There are glimpses of the author's moods
and thoughts, sometimes funny, sometimes poignant and sometimes
romantic. He displays a droll sense of humour and there are
interesting philosophical comments dotted throughout the book. On a
return to peacetime sailing, the author was an officer on cargo
ships, qualifying as a Master Mariner before he left the sea.
"School of the Sea" is a treasure house of unusual information, the
kind not usually included in history books. It's personal, vivid,
and entertaining and contains some wonderful descriptions of the
dramas and mundane routines of shipboard society; stays in foreign
ports; when on leave and the long sequestered life at sea. So much
is missing from some existing maritime literature on WWII, where
the focus is mainly on danger, excitement and death - this book,
like no other, captures every dimension of daily life at sea and in
port.
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