Crisis and Leadership at Sea

In Whom We Trust deals with sea disasters from the perspective of the ships’ masters and captains. Written by a master mariner and former naval captain, the book brings a rare insight into the characters of the captains and what led these men to make the decisions that destroyed their ships. In many cases those examined fell into disaster having adopted the common attitudes of their day, some were incompetent while others were the victims of poor support from their companies or respective navies. In a few cases, they were let down by the material state of their ships or the technical inadequacies of their weapons.

Some of the disasters covered, such as Titanic and Bismarck, still spring readily to mind whenever lost ships are mentioned. Others such as the Flying Enterprise are less well known but are compelling for the efforts made by individuals to save their ships. The sea disasters selected do not focus on just the worst events but rather, illustrate a broad range of causes and the impact many had on maritime history of the 20th and 21st centuries.

All enquiries please contact the author via email john@stratmars.com

About the Author

John Dikkenberg has been at sea or in the maritime industry for his entire working life. He joined the Royal Australian Navy in 1966 as a cadet and after graduating, served in destroyers and the troop transport HMAS Sydney, then ferrying soldiers to the Vietnam War. He joined the submarine service in 1972.

John undertook the Submarine Commanding Officers’ Course in the United Kingdom, known as ‘Perisher’ in 1981. Returning to Australia, he commanded the submarines Otway and Orion and the frigate Torrens. He was the Commander of the Australian Submarine Squadron from 1989 to 1993. During this period he also completed the Royal Navy Staff Course in Greenwich, England and the Australian Joint Services Staff Course in Canberra, Australia.

John now sails as the master of the bark Endeavour, the world-renowned replica of Captain Cook’s ship of exploration and is a master of the 1874 barque James Craig.