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Lost Voyages: Two Centuries of Shipwrecks in the Approaches to New York
This highly illustrated volume traces the evolution of shipping through the drama of shipwrecks.
256 pages, Paperback
First published October 25, 1997
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 12, 2009
A 200-page review of shipwrecks in the approaches to New York. A lot more history than I was expecting but I understand why it was there - to set the stage in terms of why they were using certain types of ships, how submarines were a large factor in WWI and WWII, etc. But I was really hoping for 200 pages of shipwreck stories. Overall not as intense as I was hoping for, but enjoyable.
April 14, 2017
This was an enjoyable, informative, and well-written, and also lavishly illustrated, volume about the history of shipwrecks around NYC, told from the perspective of a sports diver - so that there are also numerous underwater photographs of the sunken vessels today.
The book actually is another way of learning about NYC history, from the vantage point of commercial maritime endeavors such as fishing and shipping, passenger sea transport, and warfare, since wrecks occurred in the course of all these pursuits in NY waters. The book covers an area stretching from Massachusetts to NJ - and it is truly incredible how many wrecks have occurred along NJ and Long Island beaches and in outlying waters over the years, as well as tragic wrecks within the NYC estuary as well.
The book is interesting in that it also traces the development of ship design, as it transitioned from sail to steam, and then from coal fired engines to the more modern engines that burn diesel. Also, the author explains the development of navigational technology (radar, loran, and the later GPS) since the second world war, but that, despite these advances, wrecks do continue to occur (although not with the frightening frequency of pre-radar days). Serious problems in the pre-WWII era could occur with captains having no idea of upcoming violent weather, which might drive their boats aground or into collisions with other shipping, or fog, which would confuse the seaman and also make it more likely they might run aground or run into another ship. Before the era of ship-to-shore or ship-to-ship, there was no way ships could communicate with other ships and so forth - another huge drawback. There was also no way ships could see in the dark in the days before the development of radar, and so sailing in darkness was potentially hazardous, despite watches being posted. When I was a child, I was caught in a serious mid-Atlantic storm aboard an ocean liner, wherein the NYC-bound ship was blown off course to Canada (Nova Scotia) - although most things seemed like fun in those carefree/nonchalant days, the experience of being continuously sea-sick on the heaving ship was not fun.
The Section on naval action in the NYC area in the two world wars was interesting; I had no idea there was so much shipping sunk by German subs in the NY area soon after the US declared war on Gremany, and before the US could organize a naval coastal defense. I can only imagine the paranoia that must have set in with the sunken shipping, which could only have reached a crescendo when the Germans actually landed from U-boats two teams of saboteurs - one in NY and one in FL; luckily two of the Germans from those landed in NY (on LI) decided to contact the authorities and reveal the plot. These two were imprisoned (later pardoned & returned to Germany in 1948) but all of their co-conspirators were electrocuted.
There is also a section on the prohibition era and the growth of rum runners despite the efforts of the government to intercept the boats transporting contraband from a line of vessels delivering booze to the NY area that would stay outside the US territorial waters waiting for rum runners to purchase alcohol from them. No doubt the same persistent problems occur today with the export of various drugs to the US by sea, which are probably also smuggled into the NY area by boat.
There was also a section on modern navigation and some notable wrecks that have occurred despite the use of radar, loran and so forth, such as that of the Andrea Doria, which still apparently rewards sports divers with an endless supply of artifacts such as dishes (different ones for each of the three classes of service) and silverware. Finally, the book wraps up with the deliberate scuttling of outdated ships to create artificial reefs; however, sometimes undersea wrecks are not positively identified - and so there are interesting puzzles/detective work by sports divers researching exactly what is the wreck they are exploring and so forth.
This is an exciting and educational book, looking at NYC area history from an unusual perspective. The reader will also find out about nautical terms used in the age of sail, as well as the basics of the steam engine that was first used aboard ships, etc. I found the book very informative, although reading about some of the wrecks and the torture seamen in some notable wrecks went through - frozen into blocks of ice off Long Island when they could not be rescued for hours due to dangerous surf and freezing conditions, or others, stranded at sea for hours before they could be rescued, or going down with the ship - reading about the many souls the seas in NYC area have claims over the centuries, was riveting, although sad. However, many times, at least a portion of the crew survived and there were some wrecks where the entire crew survived. Unfortunately, there were many wrecks that claimed many lives and it is somewhat depressing to read about these tragic losses although reading about them also makes the reader glad they are still alive and not in the horrible position of being aboard a sinking ship or submarine.
The book is clearly written and as noted above, exciting; the chapters deal with different eras starting with the Revolutionary War, continuing through the age of sail, the age of steam, how frequently ships would go aground on Long Island beaches, WWI - including the U-boats, the interwar years - notably, the rum runner era, WWII and the return of the U-boats, and finally the era of modern navigation. It clearly explains many things that might have seemed anomalous or strange, such as, why Germany utilized U-boats in both World Wars, why hundreds of ships have run aground on the Long Island shore, what is radar and loran, what are the different sailing ships - why some steam ships also carried sails, how steam engines work, and so forth. There is even information on the typical marine life that now encrusts or inhabits or frequents wrecks and information on the environmental catastrophe caused by municipal dumping sludge for decades not too far from NYC. This book was a page-turner and exciting to read, although the topic was the loss of ships and subs.
The book actually is another way of learning about NYC history, from the vantage point of commercial maritime endeavors such as fishing and shipping, passenger sea transport, and warfare, since wrecks occurred in the course of all these pursuits in NY waters. The book covers an area stretching from Massachusetts to NJ - and it is truly incredible how many wrecks have occurred along NJ and Long Island beaches and in outlying waters over the years, as well as tragic wrecks within the NYC estuary as well.
The book is interesting in that it also traces the development of ship design, as it transitioned from sail to steam, and then from coal fired engines to the more modern engines that burn diesel. Also, the author explains the development of navigational technology (radar, loran, and the later GPS) since the second world war, but that, despite these advances, wrecks do continue to occur (although not with the frightening frequency of pre-radar days). Serious problems in the pre-WWII era could occur with captains having no idea of upcoming violent weather, which might drive their boats aground or into collisions with other shipping, or fog, which would confuse the seaman and also make it more likely they might run aground or run into another ship. Before the era of ship-to-shore or ship-to-ship, there was no way ships could communicate with other ships and so forth - another huge drawback. There was also no way ships could see in the dark in the days before the development of radar, and so sailing in darkness was potentially hazardous, despite watches being posted. When I was a child, I was caught in a serious mid-Atlantic storm aboard an ocean liner, wherein the NYC-bound ship was blown off course to Canada (Nova Scotia) - although most things seemed like fun in those carefree/nonchalant days, the experience of being continuously sea-sick on the heaving ship was not fun.
The Section on naval action in the NYC area in the two world wars was interesting; I had no idea there was so much shipping sunk by German subs in the NY area soon after the US declared war on Gremany, and before the US could organize a naval coastal defense. I can only imagine the paranoia that must have set in with the sunken shipping, which could only have reached a crescendo when the Germans actually landed from U-boats two teams of saboteurs - one in NY and one in FL; luckily two of the Germans from those landed in NY (on LI) decided to contact the authorities and reveal the plot. These two were imprisoned (later pardoned & returned to Germany in 1948) but all of their co-conspirators were electrocuted.
There is also a section on the prohibition era and the growth of rum runners despite the efforts of the government to intercept the boats transporting contraband from a line of vessels delivering booze to the NY area that would stay outside the US territorial waters waiting for rum runners to purchase alcohol from them. No doubt the same persistent problems occur today with the export of various drugs to the US by sea, which are probably also smuggled into the NY area by boat.
There was also a section on modern navigation and some notable wrecks that have occurred despite the use of radar, loran and so forth, such as that of the Andrea Doria, which still apparently rewards sports divers with an endless supply of artifacts such as dishes (different ones for each of the three classes of service) and silverware. Finally, the book wraps up with the deliberate scuttling of outdated ships to create artificial reefs; however, sometimes undersea wrecks are not positively identified - and so there are interesting puzzles/detective work by sports divers researching exactly what is the wreck they are exploring and so forth.
This is an exciting and educational book, looking at NYC area history from an unusual perspective. The reader will also find out about nautical terms used in the age of sail, as well as the basics of the steam engine that was first used aboard ships, etc. I found the book very informative, although reading about some of the wrecks and the torture seamen in some notable wrecks went through - frozen into blocks of ice off Long Island when they could not be rescued for hours due to dangerous surf and freezing conditions, or others, stranded at sea for hours before they could be rescued, or going down with the ship - reading about the many souls the seas in NYC area have claims over the centuries, was riveting, although sad. However, many times, at least a portion of the crew survived and there were some wrecks where the entire crew survived. Unfortunately, there were many wrecks that claimed many lives and it is somewhat depressing to read about these tragic losses although reading about them also makes the reader glad they are still alive and not in the horrible position of being aboard a sinking ship or submarine.
The book is clearly written and as noted above, exciting; the chapters deal with different eras starting with the Revolutionary War, continuing through the age of sail, the age of steam, how frequently ships would go aground on Long Island beaches, WWI - including the U-boats, the interwar years - notably, the rum runner era, WWII and the return of the U-boats, and finally the era of modern navigation. It clearly explains many things that might have seemed anomalous or strange, such as, why Germany utilized U-boats in both World Wars, why hundreds of ships have run aground on the Long Island shore, what is radar and loran, what are the different sailing ships - why some steam ships also carried sails, how steam engines work, and so forth. There is even information on the typical marine life that now encrusts or inhabits or frequents wrecks and information on the environmental catastrophe caused by municipal dumping sludge for decades not too far from NYC. This book was a page-turner and exciting to read, although the topic was the loss of ships and subs.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews