Knut Haugland, the last surviving crew member of the 1947 Kon-Tiki
expedition, passed away recently at the age of 92. There's a pretty
good story on the ARRL website:

http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2009/12/28/11269/?nc=1

He was one of the radio operators (the other was Torstein Raaby) and
they maintained contact with the world under some rather difficult
conditions. Their exploits as behind-the-lines radio operators in WW2
are amazing as well, and some of them are told in the book and the
ARRL article.

I first read the book "Kon-Tiki" way back in the 1960s, even before I
was a ham. (The book's author, and leader of the expedition, was Thor
Heyerdahl, whose grandson repeated the voyage in 2006).

I think it's a fascinating mixture of science, culture, speculation and
adventure. I still have the book, none the worse for wear after all
these years. Re-reading it now for the umpteenth time; still a good
story. For about 10-15 years back at the end of the 20th century I had
two NC-173 receivers (one was a parts unit) - it was the receiver they
used on the expedition.

Maybe it's a result of being a bit older but different things from the
book impress me now. There's the fact that none of the crew were
sailors, for one thing. Another was how fast the whole thing came
together; WW2 officially ended in September 1945, yet in a little over
18 months they were setting out. Mighty fast when you consider how
different transportation and communication were back then.

Of course as a radio amateur that angle is the primary draw. I think
those parts alone make it a worthwhile read for hams.

73 de Jim, N2EY