THIS BOOK IS based on the first-person accounts of people who shared with me some of the proudest and most harrowing moments of their lives, some recounting for the very first time their experiences during those fraught hours. I am humbled by their generosity in giving their time and their stories, and I am awed by the resourcefulness, joint action, compassion, and power of New York harbor’s maritime community, which was harnessed that day to save countless souls.
Innumerable people helped me locate interview sources, including: Bonnie Aldinger, Brandon Brewer, Andy Brooks, Jim Campanelli, Rose Craig, Dan Croce, John Doswell, Jim Ellis, Leslie Gilbert Elman, Linda Galloway Farrell, Tom Ferrie, Nancy Gamerman, Della Louise Hasselle, Pete Johansen, Patrick Kinnier, Edward Knoblauch, Kaitlin Knoblick, Eric Kosper, Erika Kuciw, Madison Meadows, Harry Milkman, Ellen Neuborne, Rose Newnham, Timothy O’Brien, Kelley O’Connor-Iacobaccio, Kelly Palazzi, Jeanne Park, Jean Preece, Carolina Salguero, Jenna Schnuer, Skipper Shaffer, Sue Shapiro, Rich Siller, Christian Sorensen, Charlie Suisman, Christina Sun, Russell Tippets, Alex Weisler, Lewis Werner, Stephanie Wien, and Fred Woolverton.
I’m indebted to Paul Amico, Pete Capelotti, Huntley Gill, Pat Harris, Chris Havern, Tim Ivory, James Kendra, Bob Lenney, Greg Scharfstein, and Tricia Wachtendorf for answering research questions of all sorts. Instrumental to my reporting were photographs taken/provided by Robert Deutsch, Greg Frietas, Jerry Grandinetti, Greg Hanchrow, Pete Johansen, Angela Krevey, Mike Littlefield, Carolina Salguero, Mort Starobin, Rick Thornton, and Fred Wehner, as well as the officers of the NYPD Aviation Unit.
I’m grateful to Molly Mulhern for dreaming up this project and trusting me to write it, Janet Robbins for patience while I tied up loose ends, and Christopher Brown for shepherding the book to the finish line.
Thanks to Kent Barwick, Huntley Gill, Clay Hiles, Mark Kramer, Leslie Meredith, Ellen Neuborne, and Nancy Rawlinson for tremendous grant application help. Crucial financial support came from the Furthermore grants in publishing, a program of the J.M. Kaplan Fund, through the gracious sponsorship of the North River Historic Ship Society. Thanks also to James Gregorio for always being in my corner, and to Anika and The Compound CoWork for positivity and a productive space to write.
I cannot overstate the critical importance of the narrative counsel and cheerleading provided at pivotal moments by Trevor Corson, Anu Partanen, and Ellen Rubin. With their generous feedback and support, both Mark Kramer and Geoff Shandler granted me new ideas and narrative directions at make-or-break moments. Ben Rubin graciously read and commented on portions of this material far more times than anyone should ever have had to. And Nancy Rawlinson rescued the book when it was headed for the rocks. Without her warm-yet-tough coaching and keen editorial eye this book would not exist.
My life was forever changed the day I met my agent Joy Tutela, whose unflagging commitment, wise counsel, and friendship I treasure. There is no fiercer champion. I am so grateful to her and the David Black Agency team.
Thank you to the crew of fireboat John J. Harvey (especially my engineering team of John Browne, Jeff Griswold, Jim Travis, Paul Toledano, and Wendy Range) for keeping things running smoothly during my book-related absences. And thank you to all the amazingly loving and diligent babysitters and teachers who gave me the peace of mind that permitted uninterrupted hours of writing.
Finally, I want to thank my family. Mom, Dad, Ellen, and Harold, your support, encouragement, and faith in me have made all things possible. A special thank you to Mom and Molly for heroic hotel-room baby wrangling that granted me the space to study craft. Thank you, Zillin and Jude, for your laughter, which lights the way. And thank you, Ben, for your love, patience, and steadfast support; for covering for me in countless ways; and for your unwavering belief in this project even when I was plagued with doubt. There are no words sufficient to express my gratitude for the chance to walk shoulder to shoulder with you on this journey.