Adventures of a Sea Hunter: In Search of Famous Shipwrecks [Hardcover]

James Delgado (Author), Clive Cussler (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 10, 2004

Leading archaeologist and consummate storyteller James Delgado takes readers on a rollicking deep-sea dive into his highly unusual life's work: locating and exploring the world's most famous shipwrecks. Colorful characters, near misses, and the thrill of standing — or floating — in history's footprints make for a highly entertaining look at the fascinating history and glittering bounty beneath the waves. Included are accounts of Pearl Harbor, the Titanic, and Bikini Atoll, site of the world's first nuclear tests.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

More than a million ships have gone lost or missing in the seas, and going down in "the museum of the deep" to find famous shipwrecks is a risky yet profitable business, sometimes challenging the limits of human endurance. Delgado, a marine archeologist and a member of the Sea Hunter TV retrieval team, presents a chronicle of distinguished wreckage, addressing the wrecks’ histories, the scope of the undersea explorations to locate them, the joy of discovery and the thrill of bringing artifacts to the surface. There are some very significant finds here: the supply ship Isabella, lost in 1830; the Pearl Harbor wreckage of USS Arizona and USS Utah; the flotilla of ships destroyed by an atomic bomb at the Bikini atoll; the massive ruin of the "unsinkable" Titanic; the Russian ship carrying Catherine the Great’s jewels, which sank off Finland in 1771; and others. Fans of the National Geographic International TV series will attest to Delgado’s expert care of the ship artifacts as they’re studied, mapped, tagged, photographed and raised to the surface, where they are treated to stop the ravages of time. This sea adventurer’s inside look will excite thrill seekers, inform novices and educate all readers about the importance of preserving the sea’s historic past against poachers and souvenir hunters. Photos.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Douglas & McIntyre; 1st Edition ISBN#1553650719 edition (September 10, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1553650719
• ISBN-13: 978-1553650713
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #933,524 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Unvailing History, November 15, 2010

By 

John - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Adventures of a Sea Hunter: In Search of Famous Shipwrecks (Hardcover)

First of all, I love adventure stories. This is more of historical adventure looking for lost ships and their past history. Some questions may never be answered but, their story of how they became wrecks that are still around today. Facts or still unknown nautical history? Get into it, go underwater and visit without leaving your chair. Good reading.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Adventures of a Ses Hunter: In Search of Famous Shipwrecks, August 30, 2009

By 

John F. Ziemba "Z" (Michigan) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Adventures of a Sea Hunter: In Search of Famous Shipwrecks (Hardcover)

I like the topic and written information, but it would have been more interesting if the book had more pictures of the original object and then follow up pictures of the search for the object and in various stages. The author could have followed more of the process Clive Cussler used in his Sea Hunter series. Over-all, I still like the subject and the written historical information.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Read Hampered By Poor Editing And Few Photos, June 17, 2008

By 

Fred Rayworth (Las Vegas, NV United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Adventures of a Sea Hunter: In Search of Famous Shipwrecks (Hardcover)

I've had a fascination with shipwrecks since my grandpa showed me an encyclopedia painting of the Lusitania sinking when I was about 3 years old. I'm also a #1 fan of Clive Cussler and his NUMA adventures.

This book gives a little story about each ship, then goes into the results of what is there now, or was when the author visited each site. There are some fascinating bits and pieces here. His attitude about access to the ships didn't bother me as much as the poor editing and lack of substantial photos. I'd get this buildup to each vessel, but the carrot at the end of the stick was nothing but text. Maybe his publishing budget didn't allow for more photos, but I really think it would've sold better if he added a little more pizzazz to it.

Still, for anyone interested in shipwrecks, I highly recommend this one, despite the flaws.