What would it take to survive a shipwreck in the middle of the Arctic Ocean?
Early 20th century is the time for exploration as many pioneers rushed towards the Antractic and Arctic for fame and glory. Such treks brought with it immense danger and death. As the title of the book suggests, the Karluk is one such expeditions that did not go according to plan. The book went through historical records and personal journals of the crews to construct a historical retelling of the journey from the conception, the voyage and the aftermaths. It centered on two fascinating characters: Expedition leader Vilhjalmur Stefansson, hungry for rich and fame of the expedition to the detriment of all else and Ship captain Bob Bartlett, the world’s greatest ice navigator and the person responsible for keeping the crew alive during the arduous misadventure.
The ordeal itself is worthy of the read but I am also fascinated is the sort of leadership lessons you can glean from the tragedy. After all, things don’t get bleaker than having your lifeline trapped in ice, sinking with the realisation that you and your crew are 100s of miles away from the nearest island.
- Extreme ownership: The leader needs to take full responsibility of the action and understand the life-and-death consequence of their decision, in this case literally
- High morale: It is important to keep the morale of your team members high through care, encouragement, support, selected diversion and hard, meaningful work
- Trust and transparency: An environment where people feel they can rely on each other and no information is hidden allows people to work together and collaborate
- Experience: Having the right know-how can be crucial
- Perseverance: The leader may be called to make hard decision and take the difficult task themselves. They need a lot of stamina and gut to pull through
The book gives a pretty even account of the event, sticking to a lot of vetted facts and painting the strengths and flaws of each of the characters. We pray we will not get into any situation quite as drastic but it is still a really good read. The tragic disaster looms large during most of the read but it’s interspersed with a lot of levity and hope from the crew and ultimately shows the triumph of good leadership, perseverance and some luck.
https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/59808184