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January 2011 www.sname.org/sname/mt accidents at sea. Flashes in the Night is the result of an inspired eort by author Jack Nelson to capture the incredible stories of the 137 survivors of the 1994 sink- ing of the RoRo ferry Estonia . By interviewing most all of the survivors reasonably promptly after the sink- ing, he was able to collect the horrifying details of their night of terror and suering in escaping this personal life-threatening experience. By implication, one can equally well imagine and grasp the even greater ordeal that the 852 members of the crew and passengers endured in their failure to survive the tragedy. Initially there is the drama of the physical diculties in just getting out of and o the rapidly sinking ship. e extreme angles of pas- sageways and stair ights for those able to even get out of their rooms (luckily some had never gone to their rooms), the lack of lighting and power in the middle of the night, the acts of desperation of all these people, all combined to make it a miracle that even the 137 made it o the ship. en began the simple struggle to stay a oat, to stay alive, to nd any sort of equipment that would support existence in the cold, angry wind and waves. e indi- vidual personal battles for survival, and in some cases to help others, are well recounted and inspirational. It is not easy reading as the author does not gloss over the misery and eorts of the survivors. e writing is completely graphic in every respect. No reader can escape the enormity of the challenge to design and engineer primary and secondary systems of prevention, warning, and safety for those who must or choose to use waterborne craft. is book does not dwell on the causes of the sinking, and in this review- ers opinion may not even correctly collect relevant or proper testimony regarding those causes. But while it is well known that survivor testimony is often somewhat o the mark on the big picture,? their personal stories of survival, how they did it, and the struggles overcome, are usually close to reality. With only 137 properly documented survivors out of the 989 passengers and crew that left Tallinn that September evening, comes a gripping account that every responsible member of this profession needs to feel personally. No one can read this book without being convinced that, even without conrmation of the cause of its sinking, there is a lot to be learned and, in turn, applied to the execution of our societys professional responsibilities. It is a must read. MTF. Gregg Bemis Jr. is a member of the Forensic Committee of SNAME, and a long-time site owner and researcher into the sinking of the Lusitania , as well as the leader of the exploratory dive expedition to the Estonia in 2000. REVIEWED BY VINCENT TREGLIA The 9th edition of this classic book is huge, almost too thick to read; it is a tome; and it is badly edited. The theory and engineering principles that are in this book are too general and covered in such a supercial manner as to render the book useless as a text or reference book for either technicians or engineers. The details of the various engines are glossed over, so this cannot be an adjunct to a makers technical manual or even a guide to good practice. ere are some vague comparisons of what the various engine manufac- turers are claiming as advances in technology, solutions to problems, or results achieved, but these comparisons are too scattered to be a guide for engine selection. e book is not focused. Nor is it timely. Emissions and the control thereof are major problems and concerns for world ship- ping. ere are SECA areas, International Maritime Organization NO X regulations, EU regulations, U.S. and California regulations, and CO 2 reduction targets. Engine designers are all scrambling with new technol- ogies and tweaking of systems to achieve these green goals. As engine operators, we have to be aware of how engines are certied and the emissions measured to achieve the levels required by the various regulations and how we are to maintain compliance. ere is no coverage of emission measurement systems in this book, nor is the methodology of maintaining original equipment manufacturer certication of the engine type covered. is edition has devoted only 26 pages to emissions, an extensive and relevant topic. Chapter 4, Fuels and Lube Oils, has been expanded to cover some aspects of emission control with the interactions of cylinder lubrication, TBN and low-sulfur fuel, but this is still very limited coverage. Approximately one page has been devoted to low-sulfur fuel oil. Emissions are touched upon in chapter 8, Fuel Injection, and a lit- tle in chapter 7, Pressure Charging, but in insucient detail to be of use. Pounders Marine Diesel Engines and Gas Turbines: 9th Edition Edited by Douglas Woodyard PUBLISHED BY BUTTERWORTHHEINEMANN