On the Edge of Survival, Spike Walker
On the Edge of Survival, Spike Walker
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On the Edge of Survival
A Shipwreck, a Raging Storm, and the Harrowing Alaskan Rescue That Became a Legend

Author: Spike Walker

Narrator: Robertson Dean

Unabridged: 6 hr 2 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 10/12/2010


Synopsis

A Malaysian cargo ship on its way from Seattle, Washington, to China ran aground off the coast of western Alaska's Aleutian Islands on December 8, 2004, during a brutal storm, leading to one of the most incredible Coast Guard rescue missions of all time.

Two Coast Guard Jayhawk helicopters lifted off immediately from Air Station Kodiak during the driving storm in an effort to rescue the ship's eighteen crew members before it broke apart and sank in the freezing waters. Nine of the crew were lifted from the ship and dropped aboard a nearby Coast Guard cutter. But during attempts to save the last eight crew members, one of the Jayhawks was engulfed by a rogue wave that broke over the bow of the ship. When its engines flamed out from ingesting water, the Jayhawk crashed into the sea. The seven crew members from the ship who had been hoisted into the aircraft, along with the chopper's three-man crew, plunged into the bitterly cold ocean, where hypothermia immediately began to set in.

Interviewing all the surviving participants of the disaster and given access to documents and photos, acclaimed author Spike Walker has once again crafted a white-knuckle book of survival and death in the unforgiving Alaskan waters.

About Spike Walker

Spike Walker spent more than ten seasons aboard some of the most successful crab boats in the Alaskan fleet and rode out one of the worst storms in Alaska's history. He is the author of several works of nonfiction, including Working on the Edge, Nights of Ice, and Coming Back Alive.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Seth

The rescue story is incredible, however the writing isn't. That isn't to say it is terrible, but many times I found an awkward sentence, or cliche, that took the energy out of the narrative. That being said, any story featuring waves large enough to knock helicopters out of the sky is worth a read.......more

Goodreads review by J

3.5 In many ways I think I am not the target audience for this book, but it’s nice to step out of my comfort zone for a little bit. If you are familiar with military procedures, ships, and airplanes, I think you would enjoy this a lot more. But dang. This was a harrowing rescue. At times frustrating,......more

Goodreads review by Adam

Excellent read, and a quick one. Walker does a fantastic job describing the harrowing rescue of the sailors of the Selendang Ayu and the members of a HH-60 whose helicopter crashed during the rescue attempt. These Coast Guardsmen truly risked everything trying save the lives of the stranded sailors......more

Goodreads review by Paige

The story is amazing, but the writing is bad. There are so many distracting cliches. Spike switches from referring to himself as “this author” in one paragraph to “I” in the next. I found a lot of the quotes he used to be ineffective. I’m sill glad I read it because the details of what happened are......more