In 1854, one of the worst maritime disaster in the early days of steam occurred when the liner Arctic collided with a small steamship and sank, causing the loss of nearly 400 lives off of Cape Race, Newfoundland. The horror of the shipwreck was compounded by the mutinous actions of the crew; most of them failed to carry out their duty to assist their commander. Only two officers, Captain James C. Luce and the third mate, remained aboard to try to save the ship and her passengers. The majority of the crew, and a few male passengers, fled with all but one of the lifeboats. Not one woman or child survived. Using first-hand testimony from survivors, including Captain Luce, THE SEA SHALL EMBRACE THEM is a stirring narrative of the events surrounding the loss of Arctic and the struggle of the castaways as they clung to life after the ship sunk.