In the Wake of Madness The Murderous Voyage of the Whaleship Sharon

by Druett, Joan

• ISBN13: 9781565124356
• ISBN10: 1565124359
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-01-04
• Publisher: Algonquin Books

Summary

In 1841, in the South Pacific, madness took the helm of the Massachusetts whaleship Sharon. Those who survived the ill fated voyage never divulged what really happened. Now more than 150 years later, award-winning maritime historian Joan Druett solves the mystery of the brutal murder of Captain Howes Norris -- one of most ruthless and maniacal characters in nautical history. This never-before-told true story about a deranged captain; his desperate, mutinous crew; and the man who -- in the wake of madness -- became a hero, is nautical writing at its best. Book jacket.

Author Biography

Joan Druett's previous books have won many awards, including a New York Public Library Book to Remember citation, a John Lyman Award for Best Book of American Maritime History, and the Kendall Whaling Museum's L. Byrne Waterman Award

Table of Contents

ONE Martha's Vineyard	7	(14)
TW0 Fairhaven	21	(18)
THREE Into the Atlantic Ocean	39	(17)
FOUR Toward the Pacific	56	(13)
FIVE Rebellion	69	(16)
SIX The Groups	85	(12)
SEVEN Desertion	97	(14)
EIGHT Reign of Terror	111	(15)
NINE That Direful Madness	126	(21)
TEN Retribution	147	(16)
ELEVEN George Black	163	(21)
TWELVE Captain Thomas Harlock Smith	184	(25)
THIRTEEN Homecoming	209	(22)
The Crew List of the Whaleship Sharon	231	(2)
Chronology of Melville's South Seas Adventures and Relevant Publications	233	(2)
Chapter Notes	235	(36)
Resources	271	(4)
Acknowledgments	275	(4)
Index	279