Ship of Miracles

14,000 Lives and One Miraculous Voyage

It was a miracle worthy of the season. When Captain Leonard La Rue spied from his twelve-man merchant ship, the Meredith Victory, the throng of Korean refugees on the docks of a city in flames, he didn't hesitate to do what others would consider impossible. In December of 1950, La Rue and his skeleton crew rescued fourteen thousand Korean refugees from the hands of the rapidly-approaching Chinese army in the city of Hungnam. Through the night and next day, a seemingly endless succession of refugees boarded the Meredith, their will to live and strong spirit steeling them against the bitter cold and incredibly crowded conditions. Standing shoulder to shoulder for three days the refugees and crew stoically endured as La Rue steered the ship through sea battle, a thirty-mile web of sea mines, and enemy shelling. Ship of Miracles is the incredible story of what has been called "the greatest rescue operation by a single ship in the history of mankind." Against all odds, the little merchant vessel transported its precious cargo to the island of Koje-Do on Christmas Eve completely unharmed, all fourteen thousand refugees alive and well, including an additional five new lives begun on this incredible journey. As the fiftieth anniversary of this miraculous rescue approaches, Ship of Miracles is as touching today as it was then; a tale you'll hold close to your heart, and return to time and again. While the United States Navy prepares to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the perilous evacuation at Hungnam and honor the Meredith Victory's miraculous feat, read this never-before-told account from the crew themselves, as they relate the incredible and unbelievable details of their three-day journey from fear to freedom.