Book Review: "Into the Raging Sea" by Rachel Slade

*This review was written on the 18th December, 2024

As you can tell, I am having a little break from work and my focus is to get back to some of the things I enjoy doing that may not just be reading (though I have definitely been doing more of that as well). I've been watching movies (as you can tell from the 'movie reviews' that are coming out on my page lately), going out for food, buying some new stuff for my apartment and obviously, drinking coffee with mint chocolate in it (it's my winter treat that I usually buy around Christmas). This book entitled Into the Raging Sea has been on my TBR for a while so, I thought: why not give it a go now?

Slade opens with the catastrophic loss of the El Faro, a massive American cargo ship that sank on 1 October 2015 in the Atlantic during Hurricane Joaquin, claiming all 33 crew members’ lives. The narrative begins with the ship’s departure from Jacksonville, Florida, on 29 September 2015, carrying cargo bound for Puerto Rico. Slade introduces the ship itself, describing its ageing structure and the vital but vulnerable trade route it navigated through the hurricane-prone Caribbean. It is presented to the reader as an avoidable disaster each step of the way, but if you an unfortunate enough to remember it happening - this ability to be avoided did not take away from the horrifying disaster that it was.

The El Faro was built in 1975 and designed for a 30-year lifespan, but corporate cost-cutting kept it operational well past its prime. Slade paints a stark picture of the maritime industry, marked by deregulation, reduced oversight, and the prioritisation of profit over safety. Tote Maritime, the ship’s owner, had chosen to delay costly repairs and upgrades, relying on outdated technology and flawed systems. The El Faro’s decrepit condition included a history of engine failures and a lack of modern weather-routing software, leaving it ill-prepared to face a major storm. Though we already know what's going to happen, there is still a certain amount of tension that is being built throughout the text.

Captain Michael Davidson, a seasoned mariner with decades of experience, takes centre stage as a complex figure. Slade portrays him as confident yet rigid, with a commanding presence that demanded respect but occasionally alienated his crew. His decision to maintain the ship’s scheduled route, even as Hurricane Joaquin intensified, becomes a pivotal focus of the book. Davidson underestimated the storm’s unpredictability and overestimated the El Faro’s ability to weather harsh conditions, leading to a series of decisions that placed the ship directly in harm’s way. I honestly believe this man simply made a horrid blunder and most of the disaster had more to do with the nature of the ship itself. I don't believe that a Captain would have an ego big enough to sail an old and broken ship on purpose through a storm. Davidson probably under-estimated both the storm and how old and broken the ship actually was before it hit the storm.

The book gives voice to the El Faro’s diverse crew, humanising the tragedy by sharing their backgrounds, motivations, and relationships. Among them were young sailors eager to establish careers, seasoned mariners supporting families, and individuals struggling with the physical and emotional toll of life at sea. Slade captures the friendships and underlying tensions on board, as well as the growing unease as the storm approached. The crew’s individual fears and collective efforts to confront the crisis emerge as an important element of the narrative. I loved this part of the book. I always love learning about the people who would perish in this disaster because it turns this into a reality for everyone. Everyone knows someone or other people like these and it makes us stop and think about it.

Through the description of the storm, the aftermath and everything in between, the author gives us a graphic physical description of the intensity felt on every level of the disaster. The massive changes in maritime travel that followed is something that makes us glad, but also upset that it costed the lives of thirty-three people to do so. All in all, this book is a fantastic, horrifying and important novel about how we need to stop putting profits above people's lives.