Frank Delaney has written a story of one man, the captain of a commercial freighter, who in 1951 single-handedly attempted to save his ship from sinking on the high seas. It is a story from a simpler time, presented as a portrait of one man who did what he did because it was, in his mind, the right thing to do, despite significant personal risk. Doing his job was the captain's main motivation. Doing it well was his modus operandi. Doing it without angling for personal gain or fame was assumed. In short, a tale of heroism by an ordinary man in a battle against Nature doing what he was trained and employed to do, albeit in extraordinary circumstances.

The writing style of this book leaves a little to be desired. There are discontinuities in the narrative which I found irritating. The author also, almost embarrassingly so, inserts part of his own story into the story of the protagonist. Delaney's childhood was not a happy one, apparently, and he connects his fascination with the sea captain's tale to his own father's failure to connect his with son the author. It just seems out of place.

Nonetheless, despite these faults, I recommend the book, especially if one has an interest in seafarers and the struggles between the elemental forces of water, weather, and human determination.