Into the Raging Sea

Thirty-Three Mariners, One Megastorm, and the Sinking of the El Faro

By: Rachel Slade

Narrated by: Erin Bennett

“A Perfect Storm for a new generation, Rachel Slade's Into the Raging Sea is a masterful page-turning account of the El Faro's sinking.”
—Ben Mezrich, bestselling author of The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook

On October 1, 2015, Hurricane Joaquin barreled into the Bermuda Triangle and swallowed the container ship El Farowhole, resulting in the worst American shipping disaster in thirty-five years. No one could fathom how a vessel equipped with satellite communications, a sophisticated navigation system, and cutting-edge weather forecasting could suddenly vanish—until now.

Relying on hundreds of exclusive interviews with family members and maritime experts, as well as the words of the crew members themselves—whose conversations were captured by the ship’s data recorder—journalist Rachel Slade unravels the mystery of the sinking of El Faro.As she recounts the final twenty-four hours onboard, Slade vividly depicts the officers’ anguish and fear as they struggled to carry out Captain Michael Davidson’s increasingly bizarre commands, which, they knew, would steer them straight into the eye of the storm. Taking a hard look at America's aging merchant marine fleet, Slade also reveals the truth about modern shipping—a cut-throat industry plagued by razor-thin profits and ever more violent hurricanes fueled by global warming.

A richly reported account of a singular tragedy, Into the Raging Sea takes us into the heart of an age-old American industry, casting new light on the hardworking men and women who paid the ultimate price in the name of profit.

Good Read

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and it reinforces the respect everyone should give the ocean. Poor choices by Tote, the captain and weather feeds cost 33 people their lives. I could have, however, done without the political editorials. I will never buy or listen to a book by this author again. Just another Boston liberal pontificating.

Incredibly researched

A ton of research must've gone into this story, many facets, told well. One of the few stories that I already knew the ending of but still choked me up. Left me wanting to blame the crew, as blindly following a madman made me more angry than sympathetic.

heartbreaking

This book is informative. if the facts are true book is also very heartbreaking. I couldn't put it down. my hat is off to all the families, God bless.

VDR made for a chilling reality. Shocking.

great research enhanced the tragic facts behind the sinking of the El Faro. Fasinating and shocking.

Horrifying; must read

I have a son at Maine Maritime, which is a first class college of Marine arts and sciences. He is in the Regiment of Midshipmen, learning the engineering side of the nautical business. He could have been on his first voyage learning about steam propulsion. I am very proud of him and losing him, particularly to something as senseless as this incident, would kill me. Coastal Maine has been deeply hurt by this. I am a relative newcomer but I know people directly involved in this tragedy. Aside from the gripping narrative, the book raises the question of why this could happen and how we insure it never happens again. I am asking my son to read or listen to this and hope he will change his mind and do so. If your son or daughter wants to live on the oceans, let them make a decision based on reality. “Moby Dick” was reality in its time, and this book serves the purpose now. And for those of us who hate getting wet, let’s reflect on the low cost stuff we buy in the store every day. What does it REALLY cost?