Waves Astern

Book excerpt: “An interesting story about an interesting man, told in a most entertaining fashion. A real page turner” Dr Bob Allota, coauthor, “The Last Voyage of the SS Henry Bacon” In Waves Astern, E. Spurgeon Campbell recalls eight decades of adventures to exotic and sometimes isolated destinations while serving his country. At 20, Campbell was a radio operator in the Merchant Marine during World War II, later surviving enemy attacks and the sinking of the Henry Bacon whose “cargo” was a group of Norwegian refugees. Campbell recalls the February night in a lifeboat in the Arctic filled with terrified refugees, his efforts to send SOS signals in gale-force winds, and of their miraculous rescue. Decades later, he and the survivors were reunited when he was honored by the Norwegian government. Campbell’s odyssey includes “Cold War” episodes in Eniwetok and Thule, Greenland and a 20-year career with Radio Free Europe.