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The Resource Twelve desperate miles : the epic WWII voyage of the SS Contessa, Tim Brady

Twelve desperate miles : the epic WWII voyage of the SS Contessa, Tim Brady

Creator
Summary
  • The Dirty Dozen meets Band of Brothers in this true story of how a rusty old New Orleans banana boat staffed with an unlikely crew of international merchant seamen, a gang of inmates from a local jail, and a French harbor pilot spirited out of Morocco by O.S.S. agents in the trunk of a Chevy, were drafted into service in WWII -- and heroically succeeded in setting the stage for Patton's epic invasion of North Africa. The largest amphibious invasion force ever to cross the Atlantic Ocean set sail from Virginia for North Africa in November 1942. Operation Torch was the true beginning of the liberation of Europe since control of Northwestern Africa -- Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia -- gave the Allies a base on the Mediterranean for the coming invasion of southern Europe. The prime objectives of the Moroccan invasion, headed by General George Patton, were the port city of Casablanca and an airfield 60 miles northeast of the city, which had the only concrete runways in the region. Unfortunately, the field was located a dozen miles up a shallow, twisting Moroccan river that wound its way down from the Atlas Mountains to the Atlantic. Patton needed five hundred tons of highly volatile airplane fuel and nine hundred tons of bombs delivered to that Moroccan airport to supply his planned air campaign against Casablanca, but he faced a major challenge: the river was too shallow for any available transport ship in the entire Allied fleet. As the clock ticked down on the invasion, the War Department searched every harbor and cove in the Atlantic and only at the last moment turned up the Contessa, a salt-caked, rust-stained Honduran-registered civilian freighter that had spent most of her undistinguished career hauling bananas and honeymooners from New Orleans to the river port harbors of the Caribbean. But at least she would be capable of hauling heavy cargo in shallow waters. Twelve Desperate Miles tells the incredible story of the Contessa's role in the opening salvo of World War II. This unremarkable ship, crewed by seamen from twenty-six different nations and eighteen sailors pulled from the Norfolk County jail, became the focus of the first invasion of the war as it was rushed to Virginia at the insistence of George Patton and quickly retrofitted for war. Too late to join the safety of the massive convoy sailing for Africa, the Contessa set out on her own through the U-Boat-infested waters of the Atlantic to the shores of Morocco, where she faced her final and most daunting challenge: the twelve mile voyage up the shallow and well-defended Sebou River, carrying an explosive cocktail of gasoline and bombs in her holds. In Twelve Desperate Miles, veteran history writer Tim Brady chronicles one of the great untold stories of the war. This surprising and entertaining account of the baptism of American forces on the Western Front is a mix of Moroccan intrigue, portraits of some of the great figures of the war (Patton, Eisenhower, Marshall, General Lucian Truscott) at its outset, snapshots of the daily workings of the colorful crew of a merchant ship, along with a thrilling account of the invasion of French Morocco. Twelve Desperate Miles offers a unique and fascinating picture of the war in its opening moments. - Publisher
  • Documents the World War II service of a Honduran banana boat staffed with international merchant seamen, inmates, and a French harbor pilot who heroically succeeded in setting the stage for Patton's epic invasion of North Africa
Language
eng
Work
Publication
Edition
1st ed.
Extent
xv, 328 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates
Contents
  • Dramatis personae
  • Prologue : A good citizen of Mehdia : Morocco, 1940
  • Part I. New York, June 1942
  • Airborne to London
  • Incorrigible
  • Claridge's
  • Halifax to Belfast
  • Walking the tightrope
  • D.C.
  • The apostles
  • The hazards of Port Lyautey
  • "I should like to embrace you"
  • Snatching the shark
  • Part 2. Hollywood
  • Tangier to Gibralter to England
  • Needs and wants
  • Meeting Gruenther
  • SOS
  • Amphibians
  • Monsieur Prechak
  • Looking for a ship
  • The pieces in place
  • Part 3. Dry dock
  • "Our worst war town"
  • Off to sea
  • Uncle Sam wants you
  • Convoy
  • Crossing
  • "Je m'engage et puis je vois"
  • Rendezvous
  • "Viva la France eternelle"
  • "Crack it open quickly"
  • The Dallas goes first
  • Twelve desperate miles
  • Armistice Day
  • Epilogue : The little Contessa did the trick."
Isbn
9780307590398
Instance
Label
Twelve desperate miles : the epic WWII voyage of the SS Contessa
Title
Twelve desperate miles
Title remainder
the epic WWII voyage of the SS Contessa
Statement of responsibility
Tim Brady
Creator
Subject
Genre
Language
eng
Summary
  • The Dirty Dozen meets Band of Brothers in this true story of how a rusty old New Orleans banana boat staffed with an unlikely crew of international merchant seamen, a gang of inmates from a local jail, and a French harbor pilot spirited out of Morocco by O.S.S. agents in the trunk of a Chevy, were drafted into service in WWII -- and heroically succeeded in setting the stage for Patton's epic invasion of North Africa. The largest amphibious invasion force ever to cross the Atlantic Ocean set sail from Virginia for North Africa in November 1942. Operation Torch was the true beginning of the liberation of Europe since control of Northwestern Africa -- Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia -- gave the Allies a base on the Mediterranean for the coming invasion of southern Europe. The prime objectives of the Moroccan invasion, headed by General George Patton, were the port city of Casablanca and an airfield 60 miles northeast of the city, which had the only concrete runways in the region. Unfortunately, the field was located a dozen miles up a shallow, twisting Moroccan river that wound its way down from the Atlas Mountains to the Atlantic. Patton needed five hundred tons of highly volatile airplane fuel and nine hundred tons of bombs delivered to that Moroccan airport to supply his planned air campaign against Casablanca, but he faced a major challenge: the river was too shallow for any available transport ship in the entire Allied fleet. As the clock ticked down on the invasion, the War Department searched every harbor and cove in the Atlantic and only at the last moment turned up the Contessa, a salt-caked, rust-stained Honduran-registered civilian freighter that had spent most of her undistinguished career hauling bananas and honeymooners from New Orleans to the river port harbors of the Caribbean. But at least she would be capable of hauling heavy cargo in shallow waters. Twelve Desperate Miles tells the incredible story of the Contessa's role in the opening salvo of World War II. This unremarkable ship, crewed by seamen from twenty-six different nations and eighteen sailors pulled from the Norfolk County jail, became the focus of the first invasion of the war as it was rushed to Virginia at the insistence of George Patton and quickly retrofitted for war. Too late to join the safety of the massive convoy sailing for Africa, the Contessa set out on her own through the U-Boat-infested waters of the Atlantic to the shores of Morocco, where she faced her final and most daunting challenge: the twelve mile voyage up the shallow and well-defended Sebou River, carrying an explosive cocktail of gasoline and bombs in her holds. In Twelve Desperate Miles, veteran history writer Tim Brady chronicles one of the great untold stories of the war. This surprising and entertaining account of the baptism of American forces on the Western Front is a mix of Moroccan intrigue, portraits of some of the great figures of the war (Patton, Eisenhower, Marshall, General Lucian Truscott) at its outset, snapshots of the daily workings of the colorful crew of a merchant ship, along with a thrilling account of the invasion of French Morocco. Twelve Desperate Miles offers a unique and fascinating picture of the war in its opening moments. - Publisher
  • Documents the World War II service of a Honduran banana boat staffed with international merchant seamen, inmates, and a French harbor pilot who heroically succeeded in setting the stage for Patton's epic invasion of North Africa
Cataloging source
DLC
http://library.link/vocab/creatorDate
1955-
http://library.link/vocab/creatorName
Brady, Tim
Illustrations
  • illustrations
  • maps
  • plates
Index
index present
Literary form
non fiction
Nature of contents
bibliography
http://library.link/vocab/subjectName
  • Contessa (Steamer)
  • Contessa (Steamer)
  • Contessa (Steamer)
  • World War, 1939-1945
  • World War, 1939-1945
  • World War, 1939-1945
  • Operation Torch, 1942
  • Guerre mondiale, 1939-1945
  • Guerre mondiale, 1939-1945
  • Opération Torch, 1942
  • Military campaigns
  • Riverine operations
  • North Africa
  • Morocco
  • World War, 1939-1945
  • World War, 1939-1945
  • Operation Torch, 1942
Label
Twelve desperate miles : the epic WWII voyage of the SS Contessa, Tim Brady
Instantiates
Publication
Bibliography note
Includes bibliographical references (pages 285-312)
Carrier category
volume
Carrier category code
  • nc
Carrier MARC source
rdacarrier
Content category
text
Content type code
  • txt
Content type MARC source
rdacontent
Contents
Dramatis personae -- Prologue : A good citizen of Mehdia : Morocco, 1940 -- Part I. New York, June 1942 -- Airborne to London -- Incorrigible -- Claridge's -- Halifax to Belfast -- Walking the tightrope -- D.C. -- The apostles -- The hazards of Port Lyautey -- "I should like to embrace you" -- Snatching the shark -- Part 2. Hollywood -- Tangier to Gibralter to England -- Needs and wants -- Meeting Gruenther -- SOS -- Amphibians -- Monsieur Prechak -- Looking for a ship -- The pieces in place -- Part 3. Dry dock -- "Our worst war town" -- Off to sea -- Uncle Sam wants you -- Convoy -- Crossing -- "Je m'engage et puis je vois" -- Rendezvous -- "Viva la France eternelle" -- "Crack it open quickly" -- The Dallas goes first -- Twelve desperate miles -- Armistice Day -- Epilogue : The little Contessa did the trick."
Control code
732848090
Dimensions
25 cm
Edition
1st ed.
Extent
xv, 328 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates
Isbn
9780307590398
Lccn
2011026090
Media category
unmediated
Media MARC source
rdamedia
Media type code
  • n
Note
WorldCat record variable field(s) change: 650
Other physical details
illustrations, maps
System control number
(OCoLC)732848090
Label
Twelve desperate miles : the epic WWII voyage of the SS Contessa, Tim Brady
Publication
Bibliography note
Includes bibliographical references (pages 285-312)
Carrier category
volume
Carrier category code
  • nc
Carrier MARC source
rdacarrier
Content category
text
Content type code
  • txt
Content type MARC source
rdacontent
Contents
Dramatis personae -- Prologue : A good citizen of Mehdia : Morocco, 1940 -- Part I. New York, June 1942 -- Airborne to London -- Incorrigible -- Claridge's -- Halifax to Belfast -- Walking the tightrope -- D.C. -- The apostles -- The hazards of Port Lyautey -- "I should like to embrace you" -- Snatching the shark -- Part 2. Hollywood -- Tangier to Gibralter to England -- Needs and wants -- Meeting Gruenther -- SOS -- Amphibians -- Monsieur Prechak -- Looking for a ship -- The pieces in place -- Part 3. Dry dock -- "Our worst war town" -- Off to sea -- Uncle Sam wants you -- Convoy -- Crossing -- "Je m'engage et puis je vois" -- Rendezvous -- "Viva la France eternelle" -- "Crack it open quickly" -- The Dallas goes first -- Twelve desperate miles -- Armistice Day -- Epilogue : The little Contessa did the trick."
Control code
732848090
Dimensions
25 cm
Edition
1st ed.
Extent
xv, 328 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates
Isbn
9780307590398
Lccn
2011026090
Media category
unmediated
Media MARC source
rdamedia
Media type code
  • n
Note
WorldCat record variable field(s) change: 650
Other physical details
illustrations, maps
System control number
(OCoLC)732848090

Subject

Genre

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