83.5 Charing Cross Road: Ship of Ghosts: The Story of the USS Houston

Ship of Ghosts: The Story of the USS Houston

James D. Hornfischer, acclaimed author of The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors, delivers an unflinching account of heroism and honor at the limit of human endurance, and of the unsung warriors who waged one of the most remarkable battles of World War II.

Renowned as FDR's favorite warship, the cruiser USS Houston was a prize target trapped in the far Pacific after Pearl Harbor. Without hope of reinforcement, her crew faced a superior Japanese force ruthlessly committed to total conquest.

Hornfischer brings to life the awesome terror of nighttime naval battles that turned decks into strobe-lit slaughterhouses, until the Houston was finally sunk and its survivors taken prisoner.

For more than three years, the war continued for the crew in the brutal privation of jungle POW camps. But the men of the Houston fought back against their dehumanization with dignity, ingenuity, sabotage, willpower, and the undying faith that their country would prevail.

Using journals and letters, rare historical documents, and the eyewitness accounts of the Houston's survivors, James Hornfischer has crafted an account of human valor so riveting and awe-inspiring, it's easy to forget that every single word of it is true.

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