AWAITING THE DREADED WESTERN UNION TELEGRAM. After twenty years at sea dreaming of commanding his own ship, Malcolm Peters finally gets his wish. In early December 1941, Peters sails from San Francisco bound for Hawaii on his first voyage as captain of the 324-foot S.S. Malama, a Matson Lines freighter. But the new commander's triumph is short-lived. Captain Peters and his young family are torn apart in the aftermath...