Disasters at Sea: Every Ocean-Going Passenger Ship Catastrophe Since 1900 [Hardcover]

Milton H. Watson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1995

This 2nd edition provides a record of every passenger liner that has come to grief this century, including the most tragic and well-known of all, the "Titanic", and such famous ships as the former "Queen Elizabeth, but it also chronicles the final moments of many vessels which have received scant attention in the past. This book charts the losses decade by decade, offering important insights into the losses of these ocean travellers and the circumstances leading to their destruction. The technical details of each ship is listed which provides a practical reference.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 216 pages
• Publisher: Patrick Stephens; 2 Upd Exp edition (April 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1852605057
• ISBN-13: 978-1852605056
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 8.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,155,566 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 I always wondered what happened to that ship., May 4, 2007

By 

Ned Middleton (British professional underwater photo-journalist & author) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Disasters at Sea: Every ocean-going passenger ship catastrophe since 1900: Second edition updated and expanded by William H. Miller (Hardcover)

This is a very interesting book. Commencing with the "Cuvier" which was the first transatlantic passenger ship lost in the 20th Century, this book contains the brief details of all similar vessels which suffered the same fate throughout the world.

As I thumbed through the book looking to find one or two specific ships that were known to me, time and again I found myself stopping to read the details of other vessels whenever I recognised a name. Many times I found myself saying " I always wondered what happened to that ship."

With a few exceptions (the Andrea Doria, for example, is afforded a full 4 pages), the details of each ship are very brief and comprise; Name, owners, previous names, when and where built, tonnage, dimensions, speed and passenger carrying capabilities followed by a brief account of her loss. Almost every single page shows at least one historic photograph of one or more of the vessels mentioned on that page.

In summary, this is an excellent series of brief accounts of what were (if only because they were carrying passengers!) the most important shipping disasters of the 20th Century. It is also an excellent book for those engaged in research simply because it points out the way forward.

With something like 370 vessels included, it is enough to make anyone review their plans about taking that winter cruise.

NM.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Disasters, May 27, 2007

By 

Bonni Sweet (Indiana) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Disasters at Sea: Every Ocean-Going Passenger Ship Catastrophe Since 1900 (Hardcover)

I enjoyed this book as much as you can about such terrible disasters. It has made me seek out more detailed information about certain accidents and read more up about them.