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Dark Noon | 
 enlarge | Author: Tom Clavin
Publisher: International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press
Category: Book
List Price: $14.95
Buy New: $5.99
You Save: $8.96 (60%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  4 reviews
Sales Rank: 355907
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 256
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.7
ISBN: 0071486593
Dewey Decimal Number: 363.1230974721
EAN: 9780071486590
ASIN: 0071486593
Publication Date: April 5, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Dark Noon is the mesmerizing re-creation of a fateful day at sea. It is also a story of the postwar American dream as experienced in the fishing village of Montauk, Long Island, where fish were money and where optimism and success went hand in hand. And it’s a story of the end of an era, when one terrible disaster changed the fishing culture of a prosperous port forever. “Meticulously researched. A fascinating story.”--Distinction “A first-rate reportorial job that builds to a taut and suspenseful climax of incredible detail. The harrowing description of men gaff-hooked out of the churning swells is unforgettable.”--The Independent
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| Customer Reviews:
Tragic and Harrowing December 3, 2005
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
In this season of great storms, and with the first anniversary of the Asian tsunami approaching, we have repeatedly been reminded of both our mortality and vulnerability in the face of nature's sometimes unpredictable, and certainly uncontrollable, wrath. In that vein, noted journalist and author Tom Clavin has written a book that looks back over 50 years to what can only be described as a "small" storm, though it had devastating consequences for scores of people, their families and friends, and in particular, one community that relied on the benevolence and bounty of the sea for its livelihood, and future well being.
Dark Noon is about a freak storm, a squall really, that hardly registered beyond the confines of the far East End of Long Island on a Labor Day weekend in 1951, six years after the end of World War II, and one year into the now almost forgotten "police action" that would take thousands of lives in Korea. But as Clavin's book makes poignantly clear, even a footnote to history can have profound consequences to those involved, and in this case, provide riveting drama to a new generation of readers.
Clavin paints a vivid picture of the sometimes hard-luck fishing village of Montauk (about 100 miles east of New York city) at the mid-point of the past century. We are reminded of how different America, and this now "glamorous" outpost of the Hamptons, once was, while at the same time, we inevitably see the parallels with today. As already noted, one war had just ended, and one was commencing. Americans who had survived the Great Depression, and secured the major regions of their planet with blood and sacrifice were looking forward to a peaceful and prosperous tomorrow. But at the same time, the world around them had changed, and not necessarily for the better. With another war brewing far away, and the specter of the atomic bomb always present, they so much wanted to simply relax and have some fun on that fateful Labor Day weekend so long ago.
The particular diversion that Dark Noon examines is the once booming recreational fishing business in Montauk. Every weekend, thousands of (mostly blue-collar New York city) anglers would board a Long Island Railroad train called the "Fisherman's Special" in the early hours of the morning, then stream out of the station at the end of the line. There they would crowd onto a series of "open boats" that took them out into the Atlantic for some "deep-sea" fishing. One of those boats, the Pelican, is the primary subject of this book. Captained by a handsome and charismatic World War II veteran named Eddie Carroll-who in the now grainy newspaper prints of the time somewhat resembles a Cary Grant with his captain's hat cocked just so to the side-the Pelican became a magnet for the fishing crowd.
Carroll, who was carrying an engagement ring in his pocket that he hoped to slip on his lovely, Swedish girlfriend's finger, was the most popular of a host of captains who worked out of a dockyard once know (without a trace of irony) as "Fishangri-la." But perhaps the lovely weather that morning, the luck of past voyages where Carroll's customers were rewarded with big catches, or the knowledge that the season was coming to an end-and his new life about to start-lured Carroll into a false sense of security. The Pelican put out to sea with over 60 passengers, making it far too heavy to handle in the event of a sudden change in fortune. And, of course, that is precisely what happened to the Pelican, as the reader well knows before even starting the book.
But knowing the ending does not distract from the steadily building drama, and terrible foreboding, as Clavin introduces us, one by one, to the passengers, the crew of the Pelican, the surrounding cast of captains and mates on other boats, and those who wait back onshore. Among those captains, by the way, is the legendary Frank Mundus, who later became the world's most famous shark hunter and the model for Quint in Jaws. He is also an important, and fascinating figure in this book.
To say more about how it all ends would rob the reader of the story's harrowing, and yes, heart-breaking climax, as the storm builds and events overtake the Pelican. But suffice it to say, you are likely to shed a few tears as the characters who inhabit this story begin to plunge into the sea, and then fight for survival. Of course, there is heroism and horror aplenty, plus stupidity and amazing resourcefulness. In that regard, this book reminds us of the last moments in that super-hit film of the Titanic disaster, but thankfully, spares us all the ludicrous melodrama. Truth is always far more compelling, and Clavin is masterful at delivering the real deal.
Author Michael Tougias October 15, 2005
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Tom Clavin has done a fine job with a riveting narrative of the events before, during and after the accident with the Pelican. It must have been incredibly difficult to research this tragedy which took place in 1951, but the author brings it to life in a very readable and informative style.
When I was writing Ten Hours Until Dawn it was challenging enough because the sea rescue and tragedy I was writing about was 28 years old, so to think Tom Clavin made an event 54 years old read like it happened yesterday is really amazing.
Dark Noon is a must read for anyone who likes adventure, history, and maritime lore.
 Old tragedy brought to life in new book September 4, 2005
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I liked the book, because the author was able to incorporate local color into an era that dates back over 50 years. Local and New York city news archives along with in depth interviews no doubt helps bring the reader into the 1950's time period. There were however some inaccurate historical facts included. This is why I rated it 4 stars. Anyone interested in maritime stories should pickup a copy.
A Bad Day at Sea September 1, 2005
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
Going up in the air, or out to sea (or building your city below sea level like New Orleans) means that once in a while nature takes offense and smites these people with something nasty. On Labor Day in 1951 the charter fishing boat Pelican faced a ferocious storm that blew in without warning. Overloaded with 62 passengers when half that would have been safe, the Pelican sank and most of them drowned.
Mr. Clavin has written a story that brings the story of the Pelican to life. He describes the atmosphere of New Yorkers catching the train out to the tip of Long Island and for $8 going fishing out on the Atlantic. He is able to make the book read like a good mystery, as if we didn't know what was going to happen.
He includes a discussion of the boat and its captain, the weather and how the sudden storm arose. He tells of the rescue of some of the passengers and what has happened to montauk since.
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