A must read for old seadogs like me!When you were there...the book takes on a new meaning. I was a mechanic with VP-9 when PD-02 went down off of the coast of Russia and went on to become a flight engineer with the Golden Eagles and had the opportunity to fly with Ed Caylor on a number of occasions. I knew most of the crew members personally and most all of the other people mentioned in the book. I was very young when we lost 5 of our crew members in the Pacific and the event had a huge impact on me. The book is very accurate and well written. It's great reading for aviation buff's and a must read for anyone that was part of VP-9.
The flight crew's desperate battle to survive is told with the authority, drama, and sensitivity that only someone with the author's background could provide. He draws on interviews with survivors, searchers, and even the master of the Soviet fishing trawler that saved the living and recovered the bodies of the dead. He also draws on recordings of radio communications, messages in the files of the state and defense departments, and the patrol squadron's own investigation of the ditching. Everyone who likes survival epics and enjoys reading sea and air adventures will be entertained by this engrossing true story. 240 pages. 11 photographs. 5 line drawings. 3 maps. Notes. Bibliography. Hardcover. 6 x 9 inches.