A WW II cargo ship with accommodations only for her crew of forty six…

100,000 desperate North Korean civilians, searching for escape…

No food, water or toilet facilities for three days…

One ship, carrying 14,000 lives…

Hope in Hungnam is a novel of the Korean war and is inspired by these true events. Hope in Hungnam tells the story of a Marine desperately searching for meaning, the woman who saved him, the Captain who saved them all, and the ship that did the impossible. From the frozen killing fields of Chosin Reservoir to the beaches of Hungnam, David Watts weaves an epic tale of the men who fought, the men who died, and the men who risked all in the most stunning, and yet almost unknown naval evacuation in all of human history.

In the darkest days of the Korean War, just before Christmas of 1950, the most remarkable naval evacuation in all of human history took place in the harbor of the North Korean city, Hungnam. Under intense pressure from the Chinese Communist forces at Chosin Reservoir, UN forces withdrew to Hungnam and quickly evacuated to South Korea to fight another day. At least 100,000 North Korean Civilians also evacuated to Hungnam. On one side: the icy waters of the Sea of Japan. On the other side: tens of thousands of rapidly approaching

Chinese troops, who had promised to kill the North Korean civilians for suspicion of cooperating with the UN forces. Trapped with no escape, the US military agreed to help evacuate the helpless civilians. In the course of a few short days 100,000 civilians were loaded onto anything that could float and were taken to South Korea. 

One particular ship stood above the others: The SS Meredith Victory.

She was a simple cargo ship with accommodations only for her crew of 46 men, yet she took an unbelievable 14,000 civilians into her cargo holds and transported them safely to South Korea. For three days they travelled without food, water or toilet facilities. Her commanding officer was Captain Leonard P. LaRue. He and his crew demonstrated courage, conviction and clarity of duty in risking everything so that thousands could flee the scourge of communism and flee to the south.