The Last American Sailors: A Wild Ride in the Modern Merchant Marine

By Michael R. Rawlins

A sadistic captain puts his crew on edge. A young officer has a breakdown in a near-collision. A sailor jumps to the bottom of the sea. The Last American Sailors recounts one man's decade in a... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0595301177
• ISBN13: 9780595301171
• Release Date: January 2003
• Publisher: Iuniverse Inc
• Length: 244 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.8" x 0.5" x 5.8"

Customer Reviews

An excellent story of a decade in the merchant marine

This is truly one of the most enjoyable books I have read in a long time. If you are at all interested in reading about life at sea, you will thoroughly enjoy this very well-written book. You won't find gripping page-turning passages such as those in "Perfect Storm," but you will be fascinated with the many interesting stories of Rawling's experience on ships in the merchant marine. I would highly recommend that the author get a new cover for this book--it makes the book look like something from some obscure press, or even self-published. But the mediocre cover belies the excellent writing contained within. I have always enjoyed dramatic stories of storms and disasters at sea, but this book is definitely one of my favorite all time books about life at sea. The book more than makes up for its lack of drama with many interesting stories about the author's experience during a decade in the merchant marine. Interspersed between the stories are numerous informative passages about the merchant marine, which I found fascinating. In this book, the author shares a wealth of tales involving the countless characters he crewed with and their quirky habits, an overbearing captain, near-misses at sea, and lots of good stories about his forays into port towns he visited during his career. The author's ability to relate these stories is top notch. His writing style is on par with some of the more established maritime authors, such as Sebastian Junger, Linda Greenlaw, and Spike Walker.

An Amazing Tale to Tell

A word to all those who contemplate running away to sea. At last there is a really good book that will let you know just what you are getting into. Rawlins captures the essence of his past decade in the merchant marine, and sheds much light on the lives of the merchant seamen cast of characters that sail aboard the merchant fleets and all that that entails. We are talking about some really strange adventures here, on land and at sea. For Rawlins is an intelligent keen-eyed observer who learned early on to keep his wits about him at all times, especially as those around him were losing theirs, sometimes wondering about just what he had gotten himself into after signing on aboard different ships. It is an amazing tale to tell as Rawlins tries to set the record straight about the merchant marine and the mysterious world of merchant shipping. He has a way with words that catches the irony of it all and does so with good style.

An informative and entertaining work

"It is rare for such an informative and entertaining autobiographical work to come from the lower decks... a work of importance to social history as well as maritime history."

A Great Find -- Great stories, great writing.

Review by Robert R. Frump, author of "Until the Sea Shall Free Them." This is a great find! "The Last American Sailors" -- Subtitled appropriately enough, A Wild Ride in the Modern Merchant Marine. These are the stories of Michael R. Rawlins, a merchant mariner for more than a decade, who can indeed turn a phrase. This is among the very best writing I've seen in recent years not just because Rawlins can turn a phrase but because he writes from first hand experience. Yes, John McPhee can hitch a ride on a boat and Langewiesche can do what he does so well (see below). Rawlins is not so seasoned a writer as those two, but what he lacks in polish he makes up for in authenticity. -- and a first hand knowledge and ease that neither of the two more famous authors will ever muster on this topic. What we have here is the unvarnished world of the merchant mariner told by a nautical Everyman with a great ear for dialogue and a great eye for character. Rawlins announces he will take the romance out of the sea for us but of course in the course of his story telling, he firmly establishes it. We hear no modern day tales of piracy -- but a day cleaning out a chemical tanker's holds is in its own way a modern day scarier tale. Buy it. Encourage this guy. Perfect for the son or daughter who thinks they want to go to sea, and for the uncle or father or grandfather who was there in an earlier day. Immensely readable and valuable.

A uniquely personal perspective of sea life

Written by a seaman and officer of extensive experience among over three dozen countries, Michael R. Rawlins' The Last American Sailors: A Wild Ride In The Modern Merchant Marine is a captivating and entertaining memoir that recounts vicious captains, tragedy at sea, the highlights of travel, and a great deal more concerning life as a merchant marine today. A uniquely personal perspective of sea life, challenges, hardships, and rewards, The Last American Sailors would make a welcome addition to any community library American Biography collection.