Sometimes it is interesting how things happen in life and who you meet casually. I was in Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, PA with my wife over Christmas. Unrelated … she is compiling a book about her fight with cancer and other less serious things in life. We sometimes discuss publishing alternatives. Well … we started talking to a man helping with one of the Christmas display areas at Longwood Gardens.. I like to meet people. A complete stranger turned to be a very interesting person, and author/historian. Allan Andrade is an author of a self-published book on the history of the SS Leopoldville and the people that were on this ship. SS Leopoldville was sunk on Christmas Eve 1944. The tragedy of this ship was also recently turned into a documentary for the National Geographic Channel.
The drawing of the sinking ship was done for Allan Andrade by Richard Rockwell, nephew of Norman Rockwell.
I asked Allan Andrade to provide some details for my blog …
“On Christmas Eve 1944, the Belgium troopship SS Leopoldville transported over 2,000 American soldiers from the 66th Infantry Division across the English Channel to France. Just 5 1/2 miles from Cherbourg they were torpedoed and sunk by a German U-boat. There were 763 soldiers killed and the bodies of 493 were never found. 3 sets of brothers were killed including 2 sets of twins. In April 2008, it was my privilege to be the American historical consultant for a TV documentary being produced about the disaster. I revisited the locations in England & France connected to the tragedy. I was also aboard a research vessel over the wreck as professional divers dove down to film it. With me were a survivor of the sinking and two different relatives of soldiers killed.
The program will now air on the National Geographic Channel on the following dates.
Mon Feb 09 10pm
Tue Feb 10 1am
Mon Feb 16 6pm
For more information about the TV program go to the National Geographic Channel – Sunk on Christmas Eve.
For more information about the Leopoldville disaster visit my web site SS Leopoldville Troopship Disaster.
To purchase my book, Leopoldville: A Tragedy Too Long Secret, go to the publisher’s web site Xlibris – Self-publishing your book.
Allan Andrade
Leopoldville disaster author/historian”
Allan … it has been a privilege to meet you, to learn about your book and coinicdently … to learn first hand about self-publishing!
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