"The sinking of the troop carrier Dorchester in the icy waters off Greenland shortly after midnight on February 3, 1943, was one of the worst sea disasters of World War II. It was also the occasion of an astounding feat of heroism - and faith." "As water gushed through a hole made by a German torpedo, four chaplains - members of different faiths but linked by bonds of friendship and devotion - moved quietly among the men on board. Preaching bravery, the chaplains distributed life jackets, including their own. In the end, these four men went down with the ship, their arms linked in spiritual solidarity, their voices raised in prayer. In this narrative, author and journalist Dan Kurzman tells the story of these heroes and the faith - in God and in country - that they shared." "Drawing on extensive interviews with the chaplains' families and the crews of both the Dorchester and the German submarine that fired the fatal torpedo, Kurzman re-creates the intimate circumstances and great historic events that culminated in that terrible night. The final hours unfold with the electrifying clarity of nightmare - the chaplains taking charge of the dwindling supply of life jackets, the panic of the crew, the overcrowded lifeboats, the prayers that ring out over the chaos, and the tight circle that the four chaplains form as the inevitable draws near."--Jacket.

The suicide ship -- A rare kind of love -- Cold chills and a cake of ice -- An odd foursome -- Poor old George -- Blessing the bored -- The prophet and the prize -- En route to a safe place -- The poet and the carpet sweeper -- Running the gauntlet -- The wind and the warning -- God and the eight ball -- Too late for coffee -- Countdown to hypothermia -- The pen and the penniless -- A deadly decision -- Fulfilling destiny -- In search of buttered pancakes -- Plucked from a festive graveyard -- The risk of being human -- The bootlaces of sublimity.