December 15, 2007
On the night of August 13, 1944, the U.S. submarine Flier was hit by a mine and sank to the bottom of the Sulu Sea.The sinking took only a minute and left only 14 of the 86 crewmen alive. After surviving 18 hours in the water, eight remaining crewmen swam to an island held by the Japanese. Sturma chronicles the vessels patrols before its sinking and describes the agony the survivors suffered in the water. He also recounts their time on the islanda lack of water; pain from sunburn, sore feet, and hunger; the construction of a raft; and the fear of shark attacks. The survivors met Filipinos from a guerrilla group who were supplied by Allied submarines in exchange for information and the protection of stranded sailors. With 14 black-and-white photographs and four maps, this account starkly depicts their struggle for survival.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)