Abandon Ship by Michael J. Tougias

Abandon Ship! tells the little-known story of a World War II sea disaster with a surprising twist.

Abandon Ship! The True World War II Story about the Sinking of the Laconia by Michael J. Tougias and Alison O’Leary. Little, Brown, 2023, 252 pages, including glossary and bibliography.

Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12

Recommended for: ages 10-15

A dangerous gamble

The passengers of the RMS Laconia knew it was risky to set out from Egypt to Liverpool without an escort. World War II was well underway and German U-Boats plied the Atlantic looking for likely targets. The Laconia was a former luxury liner-turned-troopship, but was now carrying mostly civilians, some British Navy sailors, and almost 2000 Italian prisoners of war captured in the North-Africa campaign. The route would take them down the coast of Africa and round the Cape before steaming toward Britain.

The first week passed without incident, but on September 12, 1942, the ship was spotted 500 miles off the coast of West Africa by the lookout on U-156, commanded by Lt. Werner Hartenstein. According to standard military practice, Hartenstein gave orders to track the ship until nightfall, then attack. Two torpedoes struck Laconia dead-on, ripping through her hull and killing hundreds of the Italian prisoners outright.

An attack-turned-rescue

After picking up survivors, Hartenstein realized he’d made a mistake and instantly turned the attack into a rescue operation. He signaled for help from any U-Boats or French vessels in the area (a call that displeased the Fuhrer once he learned of it), and put his own boat in danger from overcrowding and enemy fire. Meanwhile passengers from Laconia, including women and children, had filled an inadequate number of lifeboats and set loose on the open sea. Days of hunger, thirst, and exposure lay ahead and only a few survived. Their record of endurance forms a tense, personal narrative against the broader story of war at sea.

As always in such stories, true heroism shines among the chaos and panic. One of the most touching figures is Dr. Geoffrey Purslow, who served the suffering passengers in his lifeboat before succumbing to extreme dehydration. The remaining passengers lifted their croaking voices to sing “Abide with Me” before sliding his body into the ocean. Other passengers attributed their survival to divine intervention. WWII devotees (and others) will devour this little-known chapter of that huge conflict, and perhaps wonder how they would respond in similar circumstances.

Overall Rating: 4

• Worldview/moral value: 4
• Artistic/literary value: 4

Read more about our ratings here.

Also at Redeemed Reader:

• Reviews: Other “True Survival” stories by Michael J. Tougias are Attacked at Sea and The Finest Hours.
• Review: David Macaulay tells of a much happier Atlantic voyage (against the background of a history of ocean liners) in Crossing on Time.

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