One hundred and sixty minutes. That was all the time rescuers had before the largest ship in the world slipped beneath the icy Atlantic. There was amazing heroism and astounding incompetence as the most advanced ship in history sank by inches, taking luminaries from all over the world down with it. A network of wireless operators on land and at sea desperately sent messages across the dark, frozen North Atlantic to mount a rescue mission. More than 28 ships from four countries were involved in the rescue of Titanic survivors. It was the largest such operation to date and saved 710 people.
The race to save the largest ship in the world revealed both heroes and villains. At the heart of the rescue were two young Marconi operators aboard the Titanic, Jack Phillips and Harold Bride. They tapped furiously to send electromagnetic waves into the night as their room slanted toward the icy depths. It wasn't until the freezing water was around their ankles that they plunged into the sea to save themselves.
Based on his book One Hundred Sixty Minutes, author William Hazelgrove explores the most extensive rescue operation in maritime history and how it was executed using the cutting-edge technology of the time -- wireless.
William Hazelgrove is the National Bestselling author of ten novels and twelve narrative nonfiction titles. His books have received starred reviews in several publications, such as Publisher Weekly, Kirkus, and Booklist. He was the Ernest Hemingway Writer in Residence where he wrote in the attic of Ernest Hemingway’s birthplace from 1998 to 2008. He has written articles and reviews for USA Today, The Smithsonian Magazine, and other publications.
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