‘Man Overboard’ The HMAS Nizam Tragedy

Description

The chilling cry, "Man overboard!", heralded the loss of ten men from the RAN destroyer HMAS Nizam in the southern Indian Ocean. A moonless night, 2215 hours on 11 February 1945, lights out, compasses suspect, loss of engines for a time, confusion and panic as the destroyer heeled more than 65°, hesitated, and then slowly returned to vertical. Nizam was in safe waters, 11 nautical miles from the Cape Leeuwin light. "Man Overboard!" lays bare the tragic story of the World War II loss of men on that summer's night. The true story is told using previously unpublished secret and confidential records from Australian archives. This little known tragedy is closely examined against a captivating background of Australian nautical history and geography. The conclusion may shock readers.