A devastating disaster at sea . . . an officer who refuses to hide the truth. . . a courtroom confrontation with far-reaching implications . . . The Perfect Storm meets A Civil Action in a gripping account of one of the most significant shipwrecks of the twentieth century.In 1983 the Marine Electric, a “reconditioned” World War II vessel, was on a routine voyage thirty miles off the East Coast of the United States when disaster struck. As the old coal car...

A NATIONAL BESTSELLERA NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOKAN NPR BEST BOOK OF THE YEARONE OF JANET MASLIN’S MUST-READ BOOKS OF THE SUMMERA NEW YORK TIMES EDITOR'S CHOICEONE OF OUTSIDE MAGAZINE’S BEST BOOKS OF THE SUMMERONE OF AMAZON'S BEST NONFICTION BOOKS OF THE YEAR SO FAR“A powerful and a...

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A riveting, adrenaline-fueled tour of a vast, lawless, and rampantly criminal world that few have ever seen: the high seas.There are few remaining frontiers on our planet. But perhaps the wildest, and least understood, are the world's oceans: too big to police, and under no clear international authority, these immense regions of treacherous water play host to rampant criminality and exploitation.Traffickers and smugglers, pirates and m...

In the bestselling tradition of The Perfect Storm and The Finest Hours, “an exquisitely written and dramatic book…a literary page-turner” (Doug Stanton, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Horse Soldiers)—the 2015 mysterious disappearance of the SS El Faro, a gigantic American cargo ship that sank in the Bermuda Triangle, taking with it thirty-three lives.On October 1, 2015, the SS El Faro, a massive America...

NEW YORK TIMES **BESTSELLER * “GRIPPING…THIS YARN HAS IT ALL.” —**USA TODAY *** “A WONDERFUL BOOK.” —**The Christian Science Monitor *** “ENTHRALLING.” —**Kirkus Reviews **(starred review) * “A MUST-READ.” —**Booklist (starred review)A human drama unlike any other: the riveting and definitive full story of the USS

#1 New York Times Bestseller: The definitive book on the sinking of the Titanic , based on interviews with survivors, by the author of The Miracle of Dunkirk ."Absolutely gripping and un-put-downable." —David McCullough, author of John AdamsAt first, no one but the lookout recognized...

A monumental retelling of world history through the lens of maritime enterprise, revealing in breathtaking depth how people first came into contact with one another by ocean and river, lake and stream, and how goods, languages, religions, and entire cultures spread across and along the world’s waterways, bringing together civilizations and defining what makes us most human.Lincoln Paine takes us back to the origins of long-distance migration by sea with our ancestors’ first forays ...

The story of HMCS Oakville, a corvette that fought U-boats in WWII and remains a hero to its hometown in Oakville, Ontario.This is an in-depth look at the history and legacy of HMCS Oakville, a Canadian World War II corvette that fought in the Battle of the Atlantic, and was one of the few corvettes to sink a U-boat. From its creation through its christening off the shores of its namesake town, its exploits at sea, the famous encounter with U9...

Admiral Nelson's most frequent cry was for more frigates. Though not ships of the line these fast and powerful warships were the 'eyes of the fleet'. They enabled admirals to find where the enemy lay and his likely intentions, as well as patrolling vital trade routes and providing information from far-flung colonies. Together with their smaller cousins, the sloops and brigs of the Royal Navy, they performed a vital function.Generally commanded by ambitious young men, these were the ships t...

Charles I's authoritative and intolerant rule as monarch, and the unpopular Ship Money tax which he initiated, were instrumental in creating the most splendid and controversial warship in English history. She was the grandest venture hitherto created, remarkable for her size, beauty and heavy armament. Even her name, the Sovereign of the Seas, suggested pride and pomp. Designed and built by Phineas Pett, and ably assisted by his son Peter as Master Builder, her keel was laid in December 16...

One hundred and fifty years ago the Royal Navy fought a daring campaign against ruthless pirates and won, killing The King of the Pirates, Bartholomew Roberts off the coast of Africa and capturing his fleet. Scores of his men were executed by the Admiralty Court. On the Barbary Coast of North Africa pirates preyed on shipping in the Mediterranean and the Atlantic as they had done for centuries and they terrorized the populations of the coastal towns. To them, piracy was a way of life, and ...

From the 1890s, the German shipping lines had begun to build the fastest and most luxurious liners. It had started when Kaiser Wilhelm had visited Spithead and been transported on White Star Line's Teutonic and had mentioned that Germany must have ships like this. The first four stacker, the Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse, had been named in his honour and the ships that followed were faster and more magnificent than the last. Introducing the Ritz Carlton restaurants aboard ship as well as other...