Most people will know of the Queen Mary and the Queen Elizabeth as a couple of old cruise liners -- many may have stayed at the Hotel Queen Mary in the ship's now permanent home in the waters of California. For a brief time, these ships were converted to military use in World War II to transport troops. On one occasion, the Queen Mary hit the British light cruiser HMS Curacoa, causing the ship to sink with the loss of hundreds of allied soldiers.

Daniel Butler is a great historian and storyteller and he makes the wartime history of these two ships come alive. He doesn't start with the day the decision was made to use these cruise ships for military use. He sets the stage and gives the readers an understanding of the years leading to World War II -- not only giving a political and military background, but also telling us what was happening in the shipping industry that led to the construction of these two ships.

To me the two most interesting parts of the book came when Butler tells about the most significant event of the Queen Mary's tour of duty (when the Curacoa was cut in two by her), and the most mundane (what it was like for a soldier to be transported on one of the Queens). If there is a weakness, it was here. I wish he could have had more first hand accounts from the surviving veterans who had crossed the ocean on their way to war. But of course, there are fewer and fewer such survivors still with us. Butler wrote this book just in time.

I liked the way Butler filled in the history of the Queen Mary and
Queen Elizabeth.He also told a very good clear picture of life
we lived aboard ship. On page 92 second phargaph tells of a March
1945 crossing . I was on that passage and well remember hearing
the depth charges explodimg.I still have my white tag and cabin
with number on D deck.To verify my memory I checked my discharge and called our coplit yes he remembered hearing the depth charges.
This tolded of the vital roll these two great ships played in
winning of the war.Many of these things where new to me and I was there.

A note to readers -- the first half of this book is more of a chronicle of WW I than an account of the Lusitania. If you're just a disaster buff, you'll probably like the Titanic stories better than this. The author explains in his final note that he deliberately focused on the historical context and meaning of this event rather than the minutia of the sinking itself (as he does in his Titanic book). I personally enjoyed the WWI refresher. There are still many unanswered questions about the ship's death -- did Churchill deliberately let it be struck to draw the US into battle? We may never know. The author does a nice job of putting this event in context. The sinking chapters are shorter than you'd think (heck, the ship went down in 18 minutes) but there is a lot of juicy background stuff here.

Review written by Donald Hyslop, co-author of TITANIC VOICES. The story of the supposedly unsinkable TITANIC has been told many times and from many perspectives since her tragic sinking 85 years ago. But as many children will testify, a good story well told can be recounted many times without ever tiring of hearing it. Daniel Butler has retold the story of the TITANIC in the finest tradition.

Extensively researched, well written and eminently readable, "UNSINKABLE" tells the story of the TITANIC from the money men who concieved her through to the money men who today try to raise her from the seabed. As well as attention to detail Butler attempts to analyze situations and actions from the social of the time rather than with hindsight. This leads to some interesting perspectives on, among other subjects, the Third Class passengers and the often overlooked crew. He also brings some modern investigative methods to explore issues--for instance--enlisting the help of a clinical psychologist to analyse Captain Smith's possible unravelling as the drama unfolded.

Butler has strong, sometimes passionate, views on many issues relating to the TITANIC and pulls no punches in putting these forward, his championing of Senator Smith and contempt for Captain Lord of the CALIFORNIAN, for instance, will be questioned by some. However, teh arguements he puts forward are well constructed and researched, yielding an approach much preferable to a dry facts and figures account. The chapter "Requiem," based on Butler's visits to victims' graveyards in Halifax is particularly moving, bringing home all too clearly the human tragedy of the disaster. Just as TITANIC slwoly deteriorates and disappears on the seabed, the harsh climate on the Canadian coast is also taking its toll on the gravestones of the victims.

No doubt the new Hollywood blockbuster film "TITANIC" will introduce a whole new generation to the story. When they come to seek more information on the subject I am sure that "UNSINKABLE" will become one of the texts they will turn to.

With the huge success of James Cameron's film, bookstores all over the world were swarmed with books about the World's most famous disaster at sea. The bad part was that most of the books were just reprints from old ones (even Lightoller's Titanic and other Ships came back), and some good books wound up in the Bargain bin.

I'm not complaining, since I got this incredible book in Staten Island for a very reasonable price, and it was a great buy. It was one of the few books that I've ever read to tell about the Titanic from Belfast to the iceberg, and all the legal, moral and ethical implications involving the disaster.

I read, some time ago, Walter Lord's "A Night to Remember" Lord's book is much more readable, for its pace is more novel-like. However, "Unsinkable" goes deeper in the subject, giving insights on all involved, including the "Californian", known as "the ship that didn't come"

Of course, there are many quotes from "A Night..."in this book, and its reading is also recommended. If you are interested in the story of this incredible ship, Read this book. You won't be disappointed.

As a self-certified Titanic buff, I found this book a very compelling account on the worst maritime diaster in history. I was especially intrigued by the role of the mystery ship Californian, "the ship that stood still". It really brought home the human tragedy of the event, something that may have been glossed over in Cameron's film. This book actually made me feel for the victims in a way I didn't think I could. A must read!