Twelve Desperate Miles—The Epic WWII Voyage of the SS Contessa

Twelve Desperate Miles is the story of the November 1942 invasion of Axis forces in North Africa consisting of more than 100 ships carrying over 30,000 soldiers, with a spotlight on a little?known aspect of Operation Torch, as it was dubbed: the role of the SS Contessa, the naval oddity that trailed the largest cross?ocean invasion force in the history of the world. Author Tim Brady depicts how General George Patton's legendary mission required an armed naval ship packed full of combustible airplane fuel drums and 900 tons of bombs as well as an assault team to sail twelve miles up a shallow, well?defended Moroccan river, a short flight from the city of Casablanca, which the Allies were prepared to bomb if necessary. In spite of the vast resources of the U.S. forces, it was determined that the Contessa, a banana boat of Honduran registry, was the only vessel with a draft shallow enough to make it up the river. While portraying the ship's journey day?by?day and describing its colorful crew, Twelve Desperate Miles chronicles the overall invasion and its aftermath, as well as the critical but unsung role played by the Contessa.

Tim Brady is the award?winning author of The Great Dan Patch and the Remarkable Mr. Savage and a regular contributor to PBS history documentaries. Based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, he is a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and currently writes for History Channel Magazine, Minnesota, and Minnesota Monthly.