Shipwreck: A History of Disasters at Sea

by Sam Willis

Overview

Shipwrecks have captured our imagination for centuries. Here acclaimed historian Sam Willis traces the astonishing tales of ships that have met with disastrous ends, along with the ensuing acts of courage, moments of sacrifice and episodes of villainy that inevitably occurred in the extreme conditions. Many were freak accidents, and their circumstances so extraordinary that they inspired literature: the ramming of the Essex by a sperm whale was immortalized in Herman Melville's Moby Dick. Some symbolize colossal human tragedy: including the legendary Titanic whose maiden voyage famously went from pleasure cruise to epic catastrophe. From the Kyrenia ship of 300 BC to the Mary Rose, through to the Kursk submarine tragedy of 2000, this is a thrilling work of narrative history from one of our most talented young historians.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781782065227
Publisher:	Quercus Publishing
Publication date:	12/05/2013
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Sales rank:	969,469
File size:	5 MB

About the Author

Dr Sam Willis is one of the world's leading authorities on the sailing navy. He is an Honorary Fellow at the University of Exeter's Centre for Maritime Historical Studies and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. He has consulted widely on maritime affairs for clients including the BBC, Channel 4 and Christie's. He is the author of several books on naval and maritime history, including the 'Hearts of Oak' trilogy.

Dr Sam Willis is one of the world's leading authorities on the sailing navy and was awarded a PhD in Naval History for his thesis on Command and Tactics in the 18th-century Navy. He is an Honorary Fellow at the University of Exeter's Centre for Maritime Historical Studies and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. Sam was presenter of the BBC series Shipwrecks and has consulted on maritime painting for Christie's and the BBC, spending 18 months as a Square Rig Able Seaman, sailing the tall ships used in the Hornblower television series and Channel 4's award-winning film Shackleton. He is the author of several critically acclaimed books including the bestselling 'Hearts of Oak' Trilogy. www.sam-willis.com.

N. A. M. Rodger is Professor of Naval History at the University of Exeter. He is the author of numerous books including The Wooden World, The Admiralty, The Safeguard of the Sea and Command of the Ocean.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Ancient and Dark Age Wrecks 27

The Kyrenia Ship c.300 BC 37

The Intan Ship c.920 47

The Skuldelev Ships c.1000 58

Galleons and Gold 69

The Mary Rose 19 July 1545 80

La Trinidad Valencera 26 September 1588 90

The Vasa 10 August 1628 100

Broadsides, Prirates and Whales 111

The Queen Anne's Revenge May 1718 123

The Battle of Quiberon Bay 20 November 1759 133

La Méduse 17 July 1816 143

The Essex 20 November 1820 154

Iron, Steam and Steel 165

The H.L. Hunley 17 February 1864 176

The Titanic 14 April 1912 191

The Endurance 21 November 1915 202

World Wars 213

The Lusitania 7 May 1915 225

Scapa Flow 21 June 1919 239

USS Arizona 7 December 1941 252

The Wilhelm Gustloff 30 January 1945 262

USS Indianapolis 30 July 1945 273

Nuclear Power, Oil and the Atomic Bomb 289

The Nagato 29 July 1946 298

The Torrey Canyon 18 March 1967 308

The Kursk 12 August 2000 323

Index 338