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U-Boats in the Bahamas Hardcover – June 30, 2016

4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 29 ratings

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[Eric Wiberg] "...builds a character both attractive and intriguing to the reader. I ended genuinely curious about what might come next, and confident that I was in the hands of an expert story-teller."

-William F. Buckley Jr.

"Eric Wiberg's ability, to unearth obscure historical facts, keeps me in a constant state of surprise. I commend his relentless determination to verify every detail, with local sources in Nassau's historical community, for corroboration of his findings."-Capt. Paul C. Aranha, Author, The Island Airman . . . and his Bahama Islands Home.


"Eric Wiberg has made a significant contribution to the bibliography of World War II history."

-J. Revell Carr, Santa Fe, N.M.


This book tells one more key part of the big story and is one more piece in the giant puzzle of the history of World War II. Its value for historians cannot be underestimated.

Throughout the stories of the attacks by German and Italian submarines on Allied shipping in the water around the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos, several consistent themes emerge in Wiberg's thorough accounts. Prime among them is the heroism of the merchant mariners who time and again put themselves in danger as they performed the critical task of moving supplies, military and civilian, which were vital to ultimate victory.

We read of numerous instances of sailors having their ships shot out from under them and then continuously going back to sea and having additional ships torpedoed and sunk. We can also recognize what we know today as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which was seldom recognized 75 years ago. Wiberg pays proper credit to the controversial Duchess of Windsor, whose husband was the wartime governor of the Bahamas. Just as she carried out this official duty, this book relates the heartening tales of everyday Bahamians, often poor and on outlying islands, who generously provided for these desperate castaways.

Wiberg also acknowledges the heroism of the Axis submariners as he recounts not only their victories but also their deaths as many of the subs were eventually tracked down and sunk.

History isn't great events, it is the continuum of many small events carried out by real people. U-Boats in the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos gives us an intimate glimpse of those events and, importantly, those people.

J. Revell Carr

Santa Fe, N.M.


Eric Wiberg grew up in the Bahamas, the son of the Swedish Consul-General there. A licensed maritime lawyer, his thesis for a Master's Degree in Marine Affairs was published as Tanker Disasters. For three years he commercially operated tankers in Singapore. Over 25 years he has sailed on 100 vessels, most of them sailboats, for 75,000 miles, including voyages across the Atlantic and Pacific and over 30 ocean passages to or from Bermuda. He has published four books, the latest being Round the World in the Wrong Season. A graduate of Boston College, he studied at Harris Manchester College, Oxford, and in Lisbon. Employed in the shipping industry in New York City, he lives with his wife and son in Westport, Connecticut.

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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ UNKNO; First Edition (June 30, 2016)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 380 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1899694625
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1899694624
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.46 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.88 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 29 ratings

About the author

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Eric Wiberg
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Eric Wiberg is an author and historian based in New York City where he was born. He grew up in Nassau, Bahamas to parents from Sweden and the US then attended New England boarding schools and Boston College. Age 23 found him as captain of a 68-foot sailing yacht from the Galapagos to New Zealand. By 25 he was a licensed 100-ton captain and relocated to Singapore where he operated tankers for three years. On return to Newport RI he founded a yacht delivery agency, Echo, which is still going, and in 2009 a publisher, Island Books. He has sailed over 75,000 miles on over 100 vessels in some 60 countries since 1987. After obtaining degrees in maritime law and marine affairs he relocated from New England to the New York area in 2006. He has been an executive recruiter, media salesman, tug marketer, offshore wind blogger, and public speaker. Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, Discovery Channel, French, Spanish, and Norwegian TV have all interviewed him. His agent represented Sinatra, Marilyn, and a pope, and genres he's published in included script-writing, biography, history, academia, memoir, children's writing, and humor. A trilogy on U-Boats in New England, Bermuda and Bahamas in WWII resulted in Amazon listed the final book as a #1 New Release, submarines, in 2019. He lives near his son, Felix.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
29 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on July 3, 2016
The level of detail outlined in the narration of events that took place during the 1940s is admirable.
Writing so well put together , it felt as though the events unravelled yesterday.
As i continue to read about the u-boats in the Bahamas i am realizing Mr. wiberg is obviously very thorough in his research, is adept in descriptive narration and documenting events past and present.

In addition,Mr. wiberg is definitely gifted and has undoubtedly perfected this skill over time,one can only wonder what other materials (ledgible or film) we may be given the opportunity to enjoy.

Thank you Eric and i look forward to reading more or viewing your work in the future.
3 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on July 26, 2017
A well written history of the conflict from an author that tackled the research well and from multiple perspectives. The stories bring the conflict, and the WW II era itself, in the Bahamian waters back to life from a fresh perspective. You hear some stories about U-Boats from the old timers in the Bahamas, but most of the memories are faded or gone. A timely book as the first hand memories are being lost….Well done.
Reviewed in the United States on September 7, 2016
I love adventure stories and am not limited to or particularly interested in naval history. What I really enjoy about the stories in this book is that they are simple, detailed accounts of everyday survival. I like the human interest side of things which the author shares, allowing us to form our own impressions and imagine what things were like for these thousands of men from all over the world three quarters of a century ago. Bravo! Write more!
One person found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on December 7, 2023
U-Boats in the Bahamas: the title indicates it will discuss the actions of U-boats (during a 2nd "good time" when they were taking down many unescorted vessels, and discuss the reasons for such, the damages done (and where they were located), and the results, including those who survived the sinkings.

A positive side is that the author covers both the German U-Boats and the Italian submarines that hunted in this area and how the Italian units accounted for a decent % of the sinkings. Something that is left out of almost every other historical description of the war at sea along the US east coast, and the Caribbean.

There is some background provided for U-boat commanders and for the Captains of the vessels they sank, as well as the specifications for both. It does provide a good bit of information concerning U-boats that checked the lifeboats and men, noting that the loss rate amongst ships that did not blow up or immediately sink was fairly low. In addition, the author provides a goodly bit of information concerning the travels and travails of those in lifeboats and on rafts before they reached land and how they were treated upon arrival (usually in places with very low populations).

However, the book has major problems:
Habitations used for the survivors-the author seems enchanted with what they were then, what they are now (with pictures of them-most not very sharp focus, and those that burned down or were destroyed since the end of WWII.
Communications for the survivors to their own embassies or the functionaries in charge of their repatriation, spending time on how “person X’ paid for the telegram to be sent telling those embassies and functionaries that their men had arrived and requesting that they begin processing for their return as well as providing support for them while they were in the community and noting that the US State Department replied.
Spelling-or should I say properly spelled words, just not the right ones (a spelling checker would not have caught) e.g. "recoded" when "preceded" is the word meant, this happens multiple times and causes one to pause in reading, go back over the paragraph or sentence to discover what was meant and substitute the proper word.
Maps-lots of information included, cramming so much in that they are hard to use, and since in B&W, it is hard to keep track of the courses of the U-boats and vessels, even when referring to them in the text.
Pictures-yes, as noted in the text, many of the pictures are not the best and are many years old. However, given technology for sharpening pictures, there is really no reason for some of the blurs presented.
Diversions- into the Duke and Duchess and how they acted, greeting and caring for the survivors, taking part (of the Duchess' part) in red cross operations (although the pictures shown look very much like propaganda and staged to show how "involved" they were).
Although the title relates to "the Bahamas", it really should be titled "The Caribbean will vagaries into the Atlantic US Coast and the supplying of U-boats via "milch cows" in Mid Atlantic, along with their home ports in Germany and France".
Finally, I ran across only a few references to the lack of convoy systems and the effect this had on the number of sinkings. There is one mention of Atlantic Coast convoys, that went into harbor each night to avoid U-boat night actions. There are very few allusions to the lack of convoying, how the leadership of the US Navy failed to undertake such, even when the British were telling how effective they were, and the US Navy was taking part in convoys in the North Atlantic.
Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2016
An extensive and deeply researched survey of all WWII waterborne warfare in the Northern Caribbean. A very interesting basis of knowledge for Caribbean travel especially the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos. This comprehensive work includes Allied and general shipping and maritime traffic as well as u-boat traffic and positioning.

This is a fascinating read for divers, sailors and history buffs - or all three.
2 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on August 7, 2016
This is a beautifully researched and exciting story about the Bahamas during World War II. Wiberg carefully outlines the little known events of that area. It is a marvelous read for those of us who love history, but entertaining for the general reader. Can't wait to read, Wiberg''s next book.

Claire
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Reviewed in the United States on July 29, 2019
I really appreciated this writer's attention to detail, and loved learning the complex role that the islands played during the chess match that was World War II ... thanks!
Reviewed in the United States on November 23, 2018
This information was news to me ....then i started asking the locals and they pointed out where it was happening

Top reviews from other countries

MS VALERIE FORREST
4.0 out of 5 stars Seems to be a well researched book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 21, 2021
Bought this book for a specific reason - to find out more about the torpedoing of a specific Athel line ship. Very interesting for that and appears very well researched for anyone who wants to know about WW2 torpedoing in the Bahamas.
horryd
4.0 out of 5 stars Wenner-Gren?
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 29, 2017
Eric most interesting book with some splendid work on those 88 U-boats. Also much enjoyed the reprise on the Queen of Whale Bay.

One omission perhaps and that is Axel Wenner-Gren and what was going on on Hog and Rose Islands (later noted by Ian Fleming in Thunderball after Hog Island had become Paradise Island. John Williamson's Photosphere on Rose Island showed that Wenner-Gren (Emilio Largo) was a double agent!