On the night of 14/15 April 1912, a brandnew, supposedly unsinkable ship, the largest and most luxurious vessel in the world at the time, collided with an iceberg and sank on her maiden voyage. Of the 2,208 people on board, only 712 were saved. The rest either drowned or froze to death in the icy-cold waters of the North Atlantic. How could this 'unsinkable' vessel sink and why did so few of those aboard survive? The authors bring the tragedy to life, telling the story of the ship's design, construction and maiden voyage. The stories of individuals who sailed on her, many previously known only as names on yellowing passenger and crew lists, are brought to light using rarely-seen accounts of the sinking. The stories of passengers of all classes and crewmembers alike, are explored. They tell the dramatic stories of lives lost and people saved, of the rescue ship Carpathia, and of the aftermath of the sinking. Never again would a large passenger liner sail without lifeboats for all. Despite the tragedy, the sinking of the Titanic indirectly led to untold numbers of lives being saved due to new regulations that came into force after the tragedy. Profusely illustrated, including many rare and unique views of the ship and those who sailed on her, this is as accurate and engrossing a telling of the life of the White Star Line's Titanic and her sinking as you will read anywhere. Made special by the use of so many rare survivor accounts from the eye witnesses to that night to remember, the narrative places the reader in the middle of the maiden voyage, and brings the tragic sinking to life as never before.

For more than 400 years, the big-gun warship stood as the supreme naval war machine. It was not only a major instrument of warfare, but a visible emblem of a nation's power, wealth and pride. Battleships features 52 of the greatest warships to have sailed in the last 500 years. Beginning with English king Henry VIII's flagship, Henry Grace a Dieu, the book covers all the main periods of battleship development, including the great sail ships, such as Sovereign of the Seas, Santissima Trinidad and Victory. The advent of steam-driven warships provides the core of the book, beginning with the introduction of Gloire in 1859, and continuing through all the major pre-Dreadnoughts, such as Inflexible, Maine and Tsessarevitch. There is detailed coverage of the great battleships of the two world wars, including Derfflinger, Yamato and Iowa, while the book closes with the last new battleship to be commissioned, Vanguard, in 1946. Each entry includes a brief description of the battleship's development and history, a colour profile artwork, key features and specifications. Packed with more than 200 artworks and photographs, Battleships is a colourful guide for the military historian and naval warfare enthusiast.

The surprising history of the Gowanus Canal and its role in the building of Brooklyn For more than 150 years, Brooklyn's Gowanus Canal has been called a cesspool, an industrial dumping ground, and a blemish on the face of the populous borough-as well as one of the most important waterways in the history of New York harbor. Yet its true origins, man-made character, and importance to the city have been largely forgotten. Now, New York writer and guide Joseph Alexiou explores how the Gowanus creek-a naturally-occurring tidal estuary that served as a conduit for transport and industry during the colonial era-came to play an outsized role in the story of America's greatest city. From the earliest Dutch settlers of New Amsterdam, to nearby Revolutionary War skirmishes, or the opulence of the Gilded Age mansions that sprung up in its wake, historical changes to the Canal and the neighborhood that surround it have functioned as a microcosm of the story of Brooklyn's rapid nineteenth-century growth. Highlighting the biographies of nineteenth-century real estate moguls like Daniel Richards and Edwin C. Litchfield, Alexiou recalls the forgotten movers and shakers that laid the foundation of modern-day Brooklyn. As he details, the pollution, crime, and industry associated with the Gowanus stretch back far earlier than the twentieth century, and helped define the culture and unique character of this celebrated borough. The story of the Gowanus, like Brooklyn itself, is a tale of ambition and neglect, bursts of creative energy, and an inimitable character that has captured the imaginations of city-lovers around the world.

The Irrawaddy Flotilla Company, known in colonial Burma as the 'Fabulous Flotilla', was the largest privately-owned fleet of ships in the world. It was an entirely Scottish enterprise with nearly all its investors, management and ship's officers drawn from Scotland. Over 1,200 ships were ordered mainly from Clyde yards and each year carried the majority of the population of Burma on its river network without loss of life. The paddle steamers were amongst the largest in the world, innovative in design and technology, and very beautiful. The flotilla began as a naval task force in the 1820s, was commandeered in five wars, and was to end its life with the British evacuation of Burma in 1942, the greatest evacuation in British military history. Fascinating personalities emerge from Strachan's descriptions of Irrawaddy commanders and the flotilla's key players. The ships evolved over a hundred years into riverine versions of ocean liners with plush cabins, restaurants, shops and even post offices on board. The largest class of ships carried 5,000 passengers including royalty, celebrities of the day and famous writers like Somerset Maugham along with early tourists and big game hunters. In the second part of the book, the author who himself has spent much of his life running ships on the rivers of Burma, takes us on a journey 1,000 miles upriver to explore the different regions of the country often highlighting Scottish connections. The river is the thread through which Burma's often tragic history, yet rich and glorious Buddhist culture, flows and only on a river journey can the country be understood. Renamed Myanmar in 1997, Burma is Scotland's 'lost colony' and the Scottish connection is little remembered today due to Burma's half a century of post-war isolation. In its 1920s heyday Burma had the highest concentration of Scots anywhere in the world, outside of Scotland, with the exception of Canada. Scots were everywhere in Burma, running everything, and even their Burmese servants spoke in 'broad' Scots. With the 'opening up' of Burma in the early 21st century the Irrawaddy watershed, where about 50 million people live in a primitive rural economy, is under threat. Deforestation on a vast scale has resulted in the silting up of once navigable channels. China, with its 'belt and road' system that is a euphemism to a recolonisation of the country, plans to build one of the world's largest dams in the river's headwaters that would devastate the country's agriculture and fisheries. The Fabulous Flotilla provides a revealing record of this remarkable era in Burma's history and past Scottish endeavour - a jewel of a story that may soon be lost.

The hey-day of the British gypsy caravan was short, only about 70 years, during which period it grew from a simple utility vehicle, blossomed and flourished as a mobile work of art, then disappeared from common sight. These caravans were masterpieces of woodcraft and design, and the best of them cost as much as a small house. Unlike any small house, almost half the cost was in the decoration. This beautifully illustrated book presents the different types of caravan and the great variety of art which was carved and painted upon them and their brothers-in-transport, the old narrowboats. While there were certain rules and conventions of style, the decoration on and in all the types was ultimately governed only by how much money could be spent. The caravan in particular was the supreme status symbol among travelling people and its art the prime means for expressing where one stood in the world.

The little band of Puritan emigres that left Southampton in 1620 to found a godly colony in Virginia (as the eastern seaboard of the North American continent was known at the time) carried with them the ideological seed-corn of a new nation. They were leaving England so that they could worship God in the way their conscience told them was right, but they were the forerunners of the greatest feat of nation building in the early modern world. The vibrant self-determination of these Protestant exiles would play an important part in precipitating the imperial conflict with Britain after 1763 and would later stand at the core of the American ideal during the centuries after Independence, providing a powerful pull factor for aspirant migrants around the world. Mayflower is the story of their voyage, their settlement in New England and the influence they had on the forging of a nation.

Chichester Harbour Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is a special place of tranquillity in the crowded south of England. It is recognized nationally and internationally and is appreciated by many hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. This book, which includes previously unpublished memoirs and features famous figures from King Canute to P.G. Wodehouse, draws together the myriad threads that have given the harbour and its surroundings their unique character, telling an engrossing story that stretches far into the past, present and future. It encompasses topics as varied as geological and historical tumult, the harbour's vital importance as a refuge for threatened wildlife, the change from commercial port to centre for leisure pursuits, the impact of war and the threat from climate change. Liz Sagues brings to life the people who have contributed so much to Chichester Harbour, from the saintly Saxon cleric whose practical fishing skills ended a village famine to environmentally committed twenty-first-century farmers, and from a king's favourite mistress to Olympic medal-winning sailors. The book is for those who already love the harbour - and for the many more who, as they read on, will join them. Provides a unique broad-ranging study of Chichester Harbour AONB and its close surroundings Richly illustrated with approximately 200 colour photographs Includes previously unpublished memoirs and features famous figures from Kings Canute and Harold to P.G. Wodehouse, Sir Henry Royce and Clark Gable Tours through the harbour villages and suggests walks which cover millennia in minutes and give a real taste of the harbour Written with magical, compelling style by an award-winning journalist.

ACTION-PACKED STORIES OF SHIPS SUCH AS: SS Benajmin Noble - SS Carl D. Bradley - SS Eastland - SS Edmund Fitzgerald - SS G. P. Griffith - SS Henry Steinbrenner - SS Island Queen - SS Kaliyuga - SS Kamloops - SS Lady Elgin - SS Mataafa - SS Noronic AHOY, MATE!Step into the past and aboard the decks of these twenty-one proud vessels, each one launched with high hopes but doomed finally to disaster. From the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, the last major freighter lost on the lakes, to the Le Griffin, the ill-fated liner that mysteriously disappeared during a ruthless storm, author Michael J. Varhola spins these tales with heart-pounding drama. Whether battered by hurricane-force gales, gouged by hidden rocks, or simply sabotaged by poor judgment, these ships live on in the most compelling oceangoing stories you've ever read.

Nathaniel G. Herreshoff was the greatest yacht and marine designer and builder this country has ever produced. Captain Nat Herreshoff is credited with the introduction of more new devices in the design of boats than any other ma, and the great yachts that he designed for the successful defense of the America's Cup caught the imagination of the world. The period of his greatest activity from 1890 to 1920 was known as "the Herreshoff Era," so greatly did his personality and the yachts he designed dominate the sport. He was a man of manifold talents and unusual genius and his career makes one of the most fascinating biographies. Many of closely guarded secrets of Captain Nat, the great master, are reveled in these pages which teem with human interest, philosophy and the accumulated wisdom of a long lived genius.

Rock Lighthouses of Britain & Ireland is a new edition of the classic work on the subject - but with some of the most famous Irish rock lighthouses included. The text has been updated to include the modern technology being used by the lighthouse authorities, as well as all the historical advances made over the centuries at British and Irish rock lights, complemented by scores of new and many stunning photographs. Also included are historic plans and drawings, many of them highly colourful and artistic, as used by the original lighthouse builders. At the end are comprehensive and detailed tables about the rock lighthouses maintained by all three lighthouse authorities. Building on the acclaim received for the earlier editions, it brings the history of these iconic structures completely up-to-date, from the day the first granite block was laid, through their construction, automation, the disappearance of the lighthouse keeper, right up to today's automated operation. Here are some of the world's most famous rock lighthouses. There are stories of men battling against Nature's most powerful forces to build a structure designed to save lives on a seemingly impossible site. Rock Lighthouses of Britain & Ireland spans the centuries between the world's first rock lighthouse on the Eddystone reef, to the very last rock lighthouse, constructed in the traditional style, on Ireland's Fastnet Rock and accordingly will remain the premier book about rock lighthouses.

The first comprehensive account of fire and rescue boats in America, this profusely illustrated book sheds light on a heroic tradition dating to the nineteenth century. From coast to coast and in cities large and small, it documents everything from battleship-size fireboats so powerful their monitors could reduce concrete structures to rubble, to small waterjet-powered fireboats, and everything in between. Included are operational details that showcase the proud traditions of marine firefighting. The author traces the evolution of mammoth wood and iron fireboats to modern, high-tech aluminum vessels whose role is dictated by ever-changing dangers and technology. This book pays tribute to marine firefighters who served with purpose and pride, and who continue to answer the call of danger.

A charming and characterful guidebook to the best of Britain's diverse and fascinating canal network for all waterway enthusiasts. Beautifully illustrated, this compendium uncovers the many extraordinary, notable and surprising places to be found on Britain's waterways. Our canals and rivers link into a diverse 3,000-mile-long network, and 101 Wonders of the Waterways shows you that wherever you find yourself in the country, there will be something nearby to give you a taste of this beautiful and nostalgia-infused world. Canal cruising experts Steve Haywood and Moira Haynes bring our waterways to life with their witty and lyrical prose, including many lesser-known and often ignored places - the best-kept secrets of Britain's canals and rivers. Some examples of wonders include: * Historic Hungerford in Berkshire, where William of Orange was staying when he was offered the crown after the Glorious Revolution * The world famous Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, soaring spectacularly on slender tapered columns 126 feet over the River Dee below * Hest Bank, with its stunning views and the only place where a canal runs so close to the seashore that you can smell the seaweed from the back of your boat As well as lively personal anecdotes, and insightful commentary on Britain's heritage and history, this guide includes handy recommendations to help you make the most of your visit to each wonder. This is the book you will want to have in the back of your car, or stuffed into your backpack, so you can find an idyllic place for a picnic, or the perfect day trip for a long weekend.

Numerous successful reprints of contemporary works on rigging and seamanship indicate the breadth of interest in the lost art of handling square-rigged ships. Modelmakers, marine painters and enthusiasts need to know not only how the ships were rigged but how much sail was set in each condition of wind and sea, how the various manoeuvres were carried out, and the intricacies of operations like reefing sails or 'catting' an anchor. Contemporary treatises such as Brady's Kedge Anchor in the USA or Darcy Lever's Sheet Anchor in Britain tell only half the story, for they were training manuals intended to be used at sea in conjunction with practical experiences and often only cover officially-condoned practices. This book, on the other hand, is a modern, objective appraisal of the evidence, concerned with the actualities as much as the theory. The author has studied virtually every manual published about seamanship over a period of nearly four centuries. This gives the book a completely international balance and allows him to describe for the first time the proper historical development of seamanship among the major navies of the world.

At a time when everything is constantly changing, it is timely to look back to the comfort of a familiar and golden era aboard British passenger liners, when the British-flag passenger fleet spanned the world - from Southampton, London & Liverpool to South America, Africa, India, the Far East, Australia &, beyond. In this latest full-colour collection of imagery, much of it unseen, William H. Miller looks back at the post-war period through the 1950s and 60s, when the world was entering another period of great change, and revels in the beloved stars of the ocean, including such ships as Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth, Mauretania and Caronia, QE2, Canberra, Oriana, Windsor Castle, Queen Victoria, QE (current) and QM2. This beautiful book is structured by company, from the Anchor Line to the Union-Castle Line - and featuring many others besides, such as Blue Star Line, British India, Cunard, Ellerman, New Zealand Shipping Co, Orient Line, P&O and Shaw Savill Line.

Canadian Pacific Steamships was a worldwide travel network that included great passenger ships. Their highpoint for that arm might have been in the Twenties & Thirties. First, they had a superb transpacific service, Vancouver to and from the Orient, with four splendid ships providing twice-monthly service. It all hinted of far-off, exotic travel--grand salons, midnight sailings from Shanghai and an Asiatic steerage below decks. On the Atlantic, Canadian Pacific provided a fine service, largely between Liverpool and the St Lawrence, to Quebec City and Montreal. This culminated with the debut, in 1931, of one of the finest liners of the twentieth century, the giant 'Empress of Britain'. An exquisite ship both inside and out, she made luxurious world cruises in winter--like a big yacht! The stories of these ships on both oceans is told in this new book. Some were scrapped prematurely, others casualties of war and still others restored and reactivated for Canadian Pacific liner services in the late Forties and into the Fifties. Altogether, it is a fascinating group of ships, well deserving of another review.

Few if any 20th century warships were more justly acclaimed than the destroyers of the US Navy's Fletcher class. Admired as they were for their advanced and rakish design, it was their record as workhorses of the Pacific War that placed them among the most battle-tested and successful fighting ships of all time. This title describes the Fletchers and their Allen M. Sumner- and Gearing-class derivatives, their machinery, armament, and construction, with a listing of all 343 ships by hull number and builder. It features an operational history of the 287 ships commissioned during World War II, which traces the evolution of night surface action tactics in the Solomon Islands and the parallel development of the Combat Information Center; the drive across the Pacific and liberation of the Philippines with tables showing the rapid introduction of new squadrons; and the radar pickets' climactic stand against kamikaze aircraft at Okinawa. With summaries of losses and decorations and specially commissioned artwork, this is a definitive book on the wartime US destroyer classes.

Artist Roger Bansemer gets an unexpected invitation to dive two and a half miles down into the Atlantic to the site of one of the most famous shipwrecks in history. Armed with his artist's eye and insight, he embarks on an expedition on a Russian research ship to the "Titanic. In this compelling journal, Bansemer's writing and stunning visual work bring us into the adventure, relaying the colorful characters on the expedition, the history and past grandeur of the "Titanic, and the aching beauty of the ship's underwater remains. "Titanic, as everyone knows, sank when it hit an iceberg on its maiden voyage in 1912. It was not seen again until the mid-80s when technological advances led to the development of sub-mersibles capable of diving to that depth. Bansemer became the 112th person to dive to the "Titanic, the sixth person under the stern, and the first artist to have painted Titanic on site. This book chronicles his journey in a mixture of paintings, photos, and digitally-painted images. Bansemer's fascination with painting people, especially the salty, nautical types, finds full expression. Meet buddy Lowell and diving partner Ralph; various Russian crewmen including Bird Man Pierre, Pirate Skippy, the cooks, the "cowboy" who "rides" the submersible; "Keldysh Captain Gorbach; and many others. Bansemer captures them all in their most characteristic poses. The star is always the "Titanic, majestic even at the bottom of the sea. Bansemer pays tribute to the many people who went down with her, acknowledging her role as their memorial resting place. This book, Roger Bansemer's written and painted journal of his journey to "Titanic, is also offered in their memory.

This attractive and cleverly structured guide gives walkers ten of the finest walks to the ten most spectacular lighthouses in Wales in a popular pocketable format. With clear information, an overview and introduction for each walk, expertly written numbered directions, large scale Ordnance Survey maps, superb eye-grabbing panoramic photographs, and interpretation of points of interest along the way, these guides set a new standard in clarity and ease-of-use.

Diesel engines are installed in just about every yacht and in most large motorboats and, while professional help is often at hand, sometimes it is not. Indeed, engine failure is one of the most frequent causes of RNLI launches. This book explains how to prevent problems, troubleshoot and make repairs using safe techniques. It could also help you save money on expensive bills for yard work you could do yourself. Diesels Afloat covers everything from how the diesel engine works to engine electrics, from fault finding to out of season layup. With this guide and your engine's manual you can get the best performance from your boat's engine and be confident in dealing with any problem. The book covers the syllabus of the RYA Diesel Engine and MCA Approved Engine (AEC-1) courses. This edition has been thoroughly modernised and updated by former course lecturer and currently chief engineer on merchant ships, Callum Smedley.

With a focus on the navigational tools invented by each age and civilization, Launer traces the evolution of humankind's navigational skills from the Kamal of the Arabs and the Lead-line first used by the Romans to the radio and satellite communication devices available to modern sailors. He pays homage to the Polynesians who, in the absence of a written language were able to pass down their navigational skills through generations, and to the adventurous Vikings, who managed to find their way from Scandinavia to England, Iceland, Greenland and beyond; but he also covers the practical applications of the complex technologies found on most boats today, such as GPS. Generous illustrations help readers envision the tools in use.

Navigation Through the Ages will appeal to sailors and lay readers alikeanyone with an interest in the history of science and the exploration of our world.

David Mearns has discovered some of the world's most fascinating and elusive shipwrecks. From the mighty battlecruiser HMS Hood to the crumbling wooden skeletons of Vasco da Gama's 16th century fleet, David has searched for and found dozens of sunken vessels in every ocean of the world. The Shipwreck Hunter is an account of David's most intriguing and fascinating finds. It details both the meticulous research and the mid-ocean stamina and courage required to find a wreck miles beneath the sea, as well as the moving human stories that lie behind each of these oceanic tragedies. Combining the derring-do of Indiana Jones with the precision of a surgeon, in The Shipwreck Hunter David Mearns opens a porthole into the shadowy depths of the ocean.

The cruiser evolved from a whole range of powered sailing warships, emerging in response to the sheer size and cost of larger vessels. The impact of rapid technological advance during the Victorian era saw the cruiser quickly assume the familiar forms in which it fought with distinction through two World Wars. This encyclopedia is unique in charting the forces that brought about the cruiser's evolution, as well as providing a country-by-country visual directory of more than 260 of the most significant examples, spanning a period of nearly 150 years. From the Alabama of the American Civil War to the Royal Navy's last conventional cruisers, the Tigers, all the major ships are included. The book opens with a history section illustrating the technological development of the cruiser from 1865 to the present day, together with accounts of some of the many uses to which the ships were dedicated. The main part of the book consists of three country-by-country directories, focusing on pre-World War I, World War I, then World War II and beyond. Within these directories the author defines each ship's significance and its relative success or failure under service conditions. It traces the development from ships with muzzle-loading broadside armament, through casemates and turrets, to the age of guided missiles. There are fascinating quotes from military leaders, plus a detailed glossary explaining key military terms and abbreviations. Specification boxes provide at-a-glance information about each cruiser's most important features: the builders, date of commissioning, displacement, length, beam, draught, armament, machinery, power, endurance, protection and crew numbers. With its huge volume of information and its unique collection of more than 500 archive photographs, this book provides both enthusiasts and historians with everything they need to know about the cruiser through its history. As well as being an essential reference work, it is also an exciting read for anyone interested in these great vessels. An illustrated history of cruisers, including Naniwa, Pennsylvania, Blu cher, Vindictive, Belfast, California and many more.

The Triumphs, Struggles, and Secrets of a Captain's Life Richard Metz was a Great Lakes captain for 20 years. He experienced wild weather, close calls, near misses, and events that can only be described as "unimaginable." He has incredible sea stories to tell, and now they are yours to enjoy. Take an entertaining look at life aboard a variety of Great Lakes ships. Read 26 compelling tales of a Great Lakes crewmate and captain, including stories about the Gales of November, the night of the Edmund Fitzgerald's sinking, and more. Plus, you'll be fascinated by the details and full-color photographs of the ships themselves. If you're a history buff, a Great Lakes enthusiast, a ship watcher, or a fan of a good yarn, Sea Stories is for you!