Escape from Java: The Extraordinary World War II Story of the USS Marblehead

Escape from Java tells the true story of the USS Marblehead, an aging light cruiser serving with the United States Asiatic Fleet in the Philippines in 1941. As part of a small group of outdated ships, the Marblehead patrolled East Asian waters to demonstrate American presence in regions including China, Hong Kong, Japan, and Singapore. When World War II erupted in the Pacific, the Marblehead found itself on the front lines of Imperial Japan's attacks. On February 4, 1942, Japanese planes attacked the ship northeast of Java, striking it with two large bombs that caused fires, casualties, and damage to the steering gear. A third bomb exploded nearby underwater, tearing a gash in the hull and flooding compartments. The narrative follows crew members throughout the ship—gunners maintaining fire, medical staff treating wounded, and damage control sailors working in flooded sections. Though Japan radioed that the ship had been sunk, the Marblehead survived through the crew's courage and effort, embarking on a 13,000-mile journey back to the United States. The book documents this wartime survival story set against the early Pacific War fighting.