Ship of Ghosts

James Hornfischer talked about his book Ship of Ghosts: The Story of the USS Houston, FDR’s Legendary Lost Cruiser, and the Epic Saga of Her Survivors, published by Bantam. Mr. Hornfischer described the Pacific battle that destroyed the USS Houston during World War II. The author explained that President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s favorite ship, which he used for fishing expeditions, was sunk by the Japanese and the surviving crew members became prisoners of war and were forced to work as slave laborers on the Burma-Thai Railway. After his presentation, including slides of photographs from the book, Mr. Hornfischer responded to audience members' questions.

The event was held in the Elizabeth D. Rockwell Pavilion at the M.D. Anderson Library of the University of Houston. The Cruiser Houston Collection is held in the special collections of the University of Houston Libraries. close