"Missing" in World War II meant death for thousands of U. S. Merchant Mariners who fell victim to U-boat wolf packs. Missing: A Story of American Merchant Mariners in World War II describes one merchant ship, the Esso Williamsburg, that disappeared in 1942 in the North Atlantic. From newly commissioned oil tanker to possible derelict, the ship and its crew emerge from the pages of this book as haunting representatives of the plight of American merchant mariners, flung into battles for which they were ill-prepared, and left all too frequently to sail off into oblivion in lifeboats never found. Photos and letters contributed by family members and "most secret" documents from American, Canadian, German and U.K. archives combine to recreate the story of this ship and its courageous crew as they fight their part in The Battle of the North Atlantic.