In 1819, the 238-ton Essex set sail from Nantucket on a routine voyage to hunt whales. Fifteen months later the Essex was rammed and sunk by an enraged sperm whale. Fearing cannibals on the islands to the west, the 20-man crew set out in three small boats for South America, almost 3,000 miles away. Three months later, only eight were left alive. This book shares a fantastic saga of survival and adventure, steeped in the lore of the whaling tradition,...

In 1927, Zora Neale Hurston went to Plateau, Alabama, just outside Mobile, to interview eighty-six-year-old Cudjo Lewis. Of the millions of men, women, and children transported from Africa to America as slaves, Cudjo was then the only person alive to tell the story of this integral part of the nations history. Hurston was there to record Cudjos firsthand account of the raid that led to his capture and bondage fifty years after the Atlantic slave trade...

Author Clive Cussler discusses his real-life adventures as founder of the National Underwater and Marine Agency, focusing on twelve incidents in which the agency sought and found sunken ships, each prefaced by a creative dramatization of the ship and the way it met its end.

Superb, authoritative history of sailing vessels, with 80 magnificent line illustrations by noted maritime illustrator Gordon Grant. Ships include a Roman trireme, Viking longship, 16th-century caravel, New Bedford whaling bark, 19th-century brigantine, many more. Detailed text on each vessel by noted naval historian. Introduction. Appendix, including Notes.

The Cruise of the Snark (1911) is a work of travel literature by American writer Jack London. In 1906, after achieving early success as an author of novels and short stories, London began dreaming of the adventures of his youth. Inspired, he spent a fortune to build a 45-foot yacht complete with two sails and a 70-horsepower engine, powerful enough to carry him across the Pacific. Envisioning a seven-year journey, London and his wife Charmian set...

The true story of two similar shipwreck tragedies off Auckland Island in 1864 that have drastically different outcomes. Award-winning maritime historian Druett tells a gripping cautionary tale about leadership, endurance, human ingenuity, and the tenuous line between order and chaos.

On May 31, 1911, thousands of excited people crammed into a shipyard in Belfast, Northern Ireland. They were there to watch the empty hull of RMS Titanic enter the water for the very first time. Proud workers hugged their children as they pointed at the massive ship they had helped build. In just 62 seconds, the giant ocean liner was floating for the very first time. It was the largest human-made object the world had ever seen! Creating the Ship of...

"People have been using ships to sail the world's oceans for thousands of years, but after the Industrial Revolution, they were able to make ships much bigger and faster. Today, cargo ships carry goods all around the world, cruise ships sail international waters at a leisurely pace, and military ships patrol their country's borders. This volume explores the science that goes into designing various kinds of ships as well as their environmental impact....

"The builders of the Titanic envisioned a ship more powerful and luxurious than anything the world had ever seen. Meet the wealthy investors, the talented engineers, and the hard working laborers who all played a role in building a floating palace that would soon end up on the ocean floor"--Provided by the publisher.