The overarching, dominant theme of the book is man versus nature. The swordfish ships, at 70-80 feet, may seem large, but are tiny when compared to the size and strength of the ocean. Junger describes waves over 100 feet high and winds over 100 miles an hour. He says hurricanes are the most powerful event on earth. He describes container ships tossed about and large sailboats beaten and battered. Even the most experienced captains have little idea what to do in such a storm and, in several cases, only sheer luck keeps them afloat.

Set against nature are these ships and men. When the storms come, all they can do is run with the wind, try to stay above the waterline, and keep from sinking. It isn’t easy. Junger searches through history for examples of ships overwhelmed at sea, for rogue waves so high they block out the sun. He does not have to search far. There are numerous examples, from the 584-foot freighter Gold Bond Conveyor, that goes down barely two years after the Andrea Gail in a similar storm, to the wave that flooded the wheelhouse of the Queen Mary, which was ninety feet above sea level.

Several men who were supposed to be on the Gail had a premonition.