Mayday! Mayday!: The Most Exciting Missions of Rescue, Interdiction and Combat in the 200-Year Annals of the U.S. Coast Guard

Recounts the greatest moments in the Coast Guard's history, from dramatic sea rescues to anti-drug smuggling raids

YA-- In this well-written and exciting account of America's "most active branch of military service," Schreiner begins with a concise history of the Coast Guard, and then recounts missions from the early days of the service to the present. Heroes arise from these deeds, and YAs will learn much from their courage and sound judgment in extremely difficult situations. A fine and fitting tribute.
- Linda Vretos, West Springfield High School, VA
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

This action-packed collection of true stories reveals the scope of the Coast Guard's 200-year mission, demonstrating how this small, underfunded service plays an essential role in the war against drugs and attempts to avert offshore hazardous-waste accidents. The emphasis is on teamwork and individual heroism, presented here in dramatic stories of drug busts, cleanups after offshore oil spills, and rescues of shipwreck survivors. Several unusual cases, such as the violent and bloody confrontation between Coast Guardsmen and bootleggers during Prohibition, the 1836 defense against Indian attack at the Cape Florida Lighthouse and the Coast Guard's role in rescuing civilians during a 1972 outbreak of civil disorder in the Virgin Islands, are described. Schreiner ( The Trials of Mrs. Lincoln ) gracefully weaves into his narratives a history of the Coast Guard, showing how the service attracts volunteers by offering "the stimulation of risk and action in a good cause." Authentic, stirring tales from the annals of the unsung fifth branch of the military.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Ranging from the 1790 founding of the Revenue and Cutter Service (as it was then called) to the response to Hurricane Hugo in 1989, these 14 narratives illustrate the Coast Guard's various roles, including its vital search and rescue services and its mission to protect the coasts from pollution, foreign enemies, and smugglers. The author, a journalist and novelist, has done extensive research; he gets the technical details right, even down to using the correct jargon (i.e., SAR for search and rescue). Interviews with Coast Guard personnel enliven the dramatic narrative, as do several reproductions of real-life radio conversations. A good insight into the Guard and a worthwhile purchase for public libraries.
-John Kenny, San Francisco P.L.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.