Into the Storm: Two Ships, a Deadly Hurricane, and an Epic Battle for Survival

The true story of two doomed ships and a daring search-and-rescue operation that shines a light on the little-known world of the elite Coast Guard swimmers trained for the most dangerous ocean missions

In late September 2015, Hurricane Joaquin swept past the Bahamas and swallowed a pair of cargo vessels in its destructive path: El Faro, a 790-foot American behemoth with a crew of thirty-three, and the Minouche, a much smaller ship with a dozen sailors aboard. From the parallel stories of these ships and their final journeys, Tristram Korten weaves a remarkable tale of the Coast Guard swimmers, officially known as Aviation Survival Technicians, one of the least known and most extraordinary units in the U.S. military. He also explores the science behind the increasingly erratic weather that is making their jobs all the more necessary due in part to climate change.

When the Coast Guard received word that the Minouche was taking on water on the night of October 1, the servicemen on duty helicoptered through Joaquin to the sinking ship. Rescue swimmer Ben Cournia dropped into the sea—in the middle of a raging tropical cyclone, in the dark—and for the next nine hours churned through the massive swells, loading survivors into a rescue basket dangling from the helicopter as its pilot struggled against wind, lightning, and monster waves. With pulsating narrative skill in the tradition of The Perfect Storm and Into Thin Air, Korten recounts Cournia’s heroic efforts to haul the Minouche’s crew to safety.

Tragically, things would not go as well for El Faro. Despite the exhaustive searching of her would-be rescuers, the loss of the ship became the largest U.S. maritime disaster in decades. As Korten narrates the ships’ very different fates, with insights drawn from insider access to crew members, Coast Guard teams, and their families, he crafts a moving and propulsive story of men in peril, military courage, and the awesome power of nature.