"Shipwreck: A History of Disasters at Sea" (used book)

Shipwreck: A History of Disasters at Sea

by Sam Willis

About the book

Used book. Hardcover. Dust jacket included. Good condition.

They have intrigues us for centuries, capturing the imagination of artists and writers, and illuminating bygone eras for historians and archaeologists. Today, our exploration of shipwrecks uncovers the drama of seafaring, as well as the intimate details of life at sea.

In Shipwreck, maritime expert Sam Willis traces the astonishing tales of ships that have met with disastrous ends. Bringing the events of the time to life, he describes the acts of courage, moments of sacrifice and episodes of villainy that occurred as the sea threatened. Complimented by 100 colour paintings, photographs and maps, his enthralling narrative also sheds light on the causes and consequences of each sinking and how, often the discovery of the wreck has added a twist to the story.

 Fascinating anecdotes embellish each tale, including a sperm whale’s attack on the Essex, so extraordinary that Herman Melville immortalized the event in Moby Dick. Here too are poignant accounts, from the engineers of the Titanic who continue to run the generators in the bowels of the sinking ship, lighting the way for passengers, to the terrible plight of the USS Indianapolis’s crew who fell pretty to sharks in the Pacific, an experience which still haunts the survivors today.

Open with the Kyrenia ship of 300 BC, and closing with the Kursk submarine tragedy, the compelling tales cover the fates of such famous ships as the Mary Rose, Shackleton’s Endurance, the Lusitania, and the USS Arizona, as well as many lesser-known wrecks whose stories are of equal significance for both maritime and global history.

Enlightening, evocative and utterly gripping, Shipwreck is a beautifully illustrated history of more than 2000 years of nautical disasters, heroic seafaring and human resilience.