Ship of Miracles: 14,000 Lives Saved on One Miraculous Voyage

It was a miracle worthy of the season. From his twelve-man merchant ship, the Meredith Victory, Captain Leonard La Rue spied a throng of Korean refugees on the docks of a city in flames. He didn`t hesitate to do what others would consider impossible. In December of 1950, La Rue and his skeleton crew rescued fourteen thousand Korean refugees from the hands of the rapidly-approaching Chinese army in the city of Hungnam. Through the night and next day, a seemingly endless succession of refugees boarded the Meredith, their will to live and strong spirit steeling them against the bitter cold and incredibly crowded conditions. Standing shoulder to shoulder for three days the refugees and crew stoically endured as La Rue steered the ship through sea battle, a thirty-mile web of sea mines, and enemy shelling.

Ship of Miracles is the incredible story of what has been called `the greatest rescue operation by a single ship in the history of mankind.` Against all odds, the little merchant vessel transported its precious cargo to the island of Koje-Do on Christmas Eve completely unharmed, all fourteen thousand refugees alive and well, including an additional five new lives begun on this incredible journey.

Bill Gilbert is the author of 18 books, covering politics, sports heroes, business, government and World War II. A former reporter for the Washington Post, he served in the air force during the Korean War.