The Lost Fleet
A Yankee Whaler's Struggle Against the Confederate Navy and the Arctic Disaster
Songini, Marc
Hardcover
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BOOK SUMMARY
Its the mid-19th century and the American whaling fleet, the wonder and envy of the maritime nations of the world, is struck by one hammer blow after another. Yankee whalers are contending with icebergs, storms, rogue whales, sharks, hostile natives, an
BOOK SYNOPSIS
Its the mid-19th century and the American whaling fleet, the wonder and envy of the maritime nations of the world, is struck by one hammer blow after another. Yankee whalers are contending with icebergs, storms, rogue whales, sharks, hostile natives, and disease. Now conditions are getting even worse, and the chances become ever slimmer a whaling master and his crew will return from a voyage safe and profitable. The scarcity of whales, the increasing dangers of going further into the Arctic, and the roving Confederate privateers are making this already difficult profession ever riskier. Many whalers give up the lifebut some carry on the vocation.
One such man is a tall captain from Wethersfield, Connecticut, Thomas William Williams. Not only does he go out on voyage after voyage, but he even takes on board with him his tiny wife, Eliza, and his infant son and daughter.
The Lost Fleet's thrilling narrative recounts Williams' remarkable career, including a daring escape from the Confederate cruiser Alabama and a daring rescue and salvage of lost ships off Alaska's coast. A family saga, a true narrative of adventure and death on the high seas and a detailed and well-researched look at the demise of Yankee whaling--Songini has crafted an historical masterpiece.
BOOK REVIEWS
"The Lost Fleet tells a fascinating, in-depth story of how over-confidence and over-harvesting of a species set an entire fleet of whaling vessels on a voyage of destruction. Through meticulous research, author Mark Songini not only chronicles this 1871 disaster, but also illustrates how this event crushed both the whaling city of New Bedford and its prize industry. Readers will come away with an appreciation of the dangers that await those who challenge and ignore nature's warnings." --Michael Tougias, bestselling author of TEN HOURS UNTIL DAWN: The True Story of Heroism and Tragedy Aboard the Can Do and FATAL FORECAST: The True Story of Survival and Tragedy at Georges Bank.
Submit a book reviewFOR RELATED BOOKS
History Books :: United States Books :: 19Th Century Books
MORE BOOK INFO
ISBN: 0312286481
ISBN(13-digit): 9780312286484
Dewey Decimal: 639.2/8092273
Library of Congress: 2007012056
Book Publisher: St Martins Pr
Language: ENG
No. of Pages: 432
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