A World War II adventure story of epic proportions, this book tells the heroic tale of a dedicated band of men who refused to let their crippled ship sink to the bottom of the Pacific in late 1944. Based on over seventy eyewitness accounts and hundreds of official documents and personal papers, it records in rich detail the USS Houston's 14,000-mile perilous journey home to the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Part of Bull Halsey's famous Pacific Task Force 38, the Houston's had been supporting air strikes as a prelude to the Battle of Leyte Gulf, when she took an aerial torpedo hit that caused serious flo.;Preface; Acknowledgments; Foreword; Prologue; Chapter One: In Harm's Way; Chapter Two: The Showdown Commences; Chapter Three: Torpedo; Chapter Four: "Abandon Ship"; Chapter Five: Turnabout; Chapter Six: Streamlined Bait; Chapter Seven: "We'll Stand by You"; Chapter Eight: Turning Point; Chapter Nine: Organizing for Survival; Chapter Ten: A Most Delicate Condition; Chapter Eleven: "Persistence and Guts"; Chapter Twelve: Farewell to Pig Island; Chapter Thirteen: Dry Dock; Chapter Fourteen: Ready for Sea; Chapter Fifteen: Homeward Bound; Epilogue.