Mammoth Book of Storms, Shipwrecks and Sea Disasters : Over 40 First-Hand Accounts of Peril on the High Seas, from the Wreck of the Medusa to the Perfect Storm

by Lawrence, Richard Russell

• ISBN13: 9780786714681
• ISBN10: 0786714689
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-10-03
• Publisher: Perseus Books Group

Summary

No other natural environment can match the danger of a hostile sea. This remarkable new collection brings together over 60 eyewitness accounts of tragedy, error and survival on the high seas. It includes such modern-day incidents as the high-ocean dismasting of Kingfisher 2, Richard van Pham's 100 days adrift in 2002, the Kursk submarine disaster and the Exxon Valdez, as well as both legendary and lesser-known historical events like the HMS Proserpine catastrophe, the wreck of the Medusa, and the spectacular hurricanes that have buffeted the Caribbean island of Montserrat. The Mammoth Book of Storms, Shipwrecks and Sea Disasters offers white-knuckle accounts of disaster and endurance, evoking the addictive drama of The Perfect Storm.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. 1
Natural	p. 5
Acts, 27 St Paul's Shipwreck (1st century AD)	p. 7
Shipwrecks of the Spanish Armada (1588)	p. 11
Armada map	p. 20
Portuguese Maritime Disasters 1550-1650	p. 22
Map of Portuguese Maritime Disasters 1550-1650	p. 23
Wrecked off New England (1635)	p. 37
The Wreck of HMS Proserpine (1799)	p. 44
HMS Banterer (1808)	p. 55
The Loss of HMS St George and HMS Defence (1811)	p. 61
The Wreck of HMS Penelope (1815)	p. 68
The Wreck of HMS Medusa (1816)	p. 73
The Wreck of HMS Alceste (1817)	p. 77
Stove in by a whale (1820)	p. 93
The Royal Charter Storm (1859)	p. 147
Royal Charter map	p. 148
The Wreck of the Serica (1868)	p. 160
The Sinking of the Titanic (1912)	p. 183
Cross-section of SS Titanic	p. 186
The Last of the Windjammers (1920)	p. 215
Schooner Rosamund (illustration)	p. 216
Storm at Sea (1941)	p. 246
Plymouth to Sydney in One Stage (1966)	p. 250
Gipsy Moth IV (illustration)	p. 251
Nightmare in the Southern Ocean (1967)	p. 269
Adrift for 117 Days (1973)	p. 291
(Map of) Outward track of Maurice & Maralyn Bailey's yacht Auralyn	p. 292
Adrift for 117 days map	p. 293
Capsized off Kodiak (1989)	p. 342
Capsized off Kodiak map	p. 343
Hurricane Roxanne (1995)	p. 356
Hurricane Roxanne map	p. 357
Vessels hit by Hurricane Roxanne	p. 358
The Dismasting of Kingfisher 2 (2003)	p. 384
Kingfisher 2 map	p. 385
Manmade	p. 389
Victims of War
Wreck of HMS Amazon and Les Droits de l'Homme (1797)	p. 391
Victims of War map	p. 392
The Sinking of HMS Audacious (1914)	p. 400
The Sinking of HMS Hampshire (1916)	p. 402
The Sinking of the Hospital Ship, Britannic (1916)	p. 405
The Sinking of the SS Athenia (1939)	p. 414
Fire
The Burning of the Elizabeth (c.1762)	p. 426
HMS Boyne (1795)	p. 427
The Blowing Up of HMS Amphion (1796)	p. 428
HMS Resistance is Struck by Lightning (1798)	p. 431
Error
The Sinking of HMS Victoria (1893)	p. 433
The Torrey Canyon (1967)	p. 435
Torrey Canyon map	p. 436
Exxon Valdez (1989)	p. 454
Exxon Valdez map	p. 455
The Kursk Disaster (2000)	p. 467
SSGN Kursk diagram	p. 468
Kursk map	p. 469
The Prestige Disaster (2002)	p. 475
Prestige and Erika map	p. 476
The Tricolor (2002)	p. 478
Unexplained	p. 483
Jonah	p. 485
Unexplained Events map	p. 487
The Flying Dutchman (1821)	p. 489
The Mystery of the Mary Celeste (1872)	p. 492
Mary Celeste map	p. 493
The Bermuda Triangle (1945)	p. 495
Bibliography and Sources	p. 499
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