The Raft Audiobook By Robert Trumbull cover art

The Raft

The Courageous Struggle of Three Naval Airmen Against the Sea

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The Raft

By: Robert Trumbull
Narrated by: Tom Parker
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About this listen

On the afternoon of January 16, 1942, three men boarded a TBD Devastator aircraft - a low-wing, single-engine torpedo-bomber - for an antisubmarine patrol flight. Although it was to be a relatively short flight, they became lost. When the fuel ran low, they decided to ditch into the Pacific. Before they could get their life raft to inflate, however, the plane sank beneath them, carrying most of the survival gear down with it. Thirty-four days later the raft landed on Puka Puka, a New Zealand-governed atoll in the Danger Islands, having meandered 1,200 miles!

The story of the voyage, with few resources except courage and indomitable human spirit, is not only an inspiring listen, but a tribute to the human species and its will to survive. The miraculous escapes, especially the passage over a killer reef and the reaching of safety only a day ahead of a typhoon, also suggest that someone was looking over them.

©1942 by Henry Holt and Company (P)1996 by Blackstone Audiobooks
20th Century World War II Military Transportation War
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What listeners say about The Raft

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Great!!

This a wonderful story of never giving up. I’ve seen the raft & it’s still hard to believe they survived.

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wonderful

loved this detailed piece of history. we listened as we traveled for 2 days, and passed time.

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man is amazing!

pulling through sure death, this hard fought crew showed what we are capable of. good story!

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A good read

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The story of their survival as told through the chief’s eyes allowed me to feel, in part, their strength and resilience. The raft is on display at the Naval Air museum in Pensacola Florida. I recommend reading this book to everyone who has an interest in history and the human spirit.

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Amazing Story

Listened to on a family road trip with my kids. It was a great way to pass the time on a long trip.

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    4 out of 5 stars

Great for all ages!

Our family took this audiobook with us on vacation last year and listened as we drove. The whole family enjoyed the book. Hard to believe men could live on the sea that long without supplies. Well worth listening to!

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8 people found this helpful

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An inspiring story of human endurance

The author tells this inspiring story in an uncluttered, matter of fact way yet still fully conveys the physical, mental and emotional hardships endured by the survivors.

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this survival story is incredible and compelling

Three Navy men go down in a plane in the Pacific. It is near the beginning of WWII. They survive 34 days in a raft and lived to tell their remarkable tale. This book (except forward and afterward) was written while the war still raged on so the men weren't allowed to talk about exactly where they went.

This is an Audible Kid's production, which I didn't realize when I bought this. It's an excellent book, except it seems like glossed over war propaganda and therefore I gave it 4 stars. It would be great for kids learning about WWII, maybe fourth grade and above because it doesn't contain the strong language that these men may have spoken.

I listened to this as part of my Summer Reading Around the World and I've got just one more book to go. It's been fun.

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😋😋😋😋😋

I read this book many years ago and throughly enjoyed it! Great listening and highly recommended. Thank you Audible for the freebie 😋

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Inspired by the actual raft

While visiting the NAS museum in my hometown of Pensacola, I was inspired to read this book having seen the display of the raft and pocket contents of the airmen.
A poignant story of bravery and determination.

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