The Lost Fleet: A Yankee Whaler's Struggle Against the Confederate Navy and Arctic Disaster (Hardcover)

by Marc Songini (Author)
Key Phrases: shipping list, braver women, blubber hunters, New Bedford, The Lost Fleet, San Francisco (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
Songini's book chronicles Thomas William Williams' four-decades-long career—from 1840 to 1880—as the captain of the whaling vessel Florida. On its first voyage, the ship was due to sail east through the sperm whale grounds that lay toward the coast of Africa. From there it was bound for the Indian Ocean via the Cape of Good Hope. On board were Williams' wife and their infant son and daughter. The story includes his escape from the Confederate ship Alabama and accounts of a number of ship disasters off the coast of Alaska. Songini spent six years doing the research, some of it at the New Bedford Whaling Museum, which contains the most comprehensive collection of whaling documents in the world. Songini has examined a vast subject, not only the history of Captain Williams but also of the whaling trade itself, in great depth. The book, with eight pages of black-and-white photographs, is a thoroughly absorbing look at life and death at sea. Cohen, George

Review

"A lively, suspenseful, mesmerizing book." --The Providence Journal

 

"A Nantucket sleigh ride of a read, guaranteed to thrill and amaze." --Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

 

"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.

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Product Details Hardcover: 448 pages Publisher: St. Martin's Press; 1st edition (July 24, 2007) Language: English ISBN-10: 0312286481 ISBN-13: 978-0312286484 Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.2 x 1.5 inches Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies) Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews) Amazon.com Sales Rank: #707,325 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books) Popular in this category: (What's this?) #89 in  Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Agricultural Sciences > Aquaculture

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Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
shipping list, braver women, blubber hunters, lost fleet, whaling men, other whalers, whaling master, bomb lance, log keeper, whaling fleet, one whaler, fourth mate, first iron, slop chest, whaling crew, young ice

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New Bedford, The Lost Fleet, San Francisco, The First Iron, Stone Fleet, New England, Point Barrow, The Lance Strikes, Icy Cape, Bering Strait, New York, Rolling Out, Wainwright Inlet, Civil War, Cape Cod, Clara Bell, Point Belcher, North Pacific, Arctic Ocean, New London, City of Light, Old Man, Sea King, Bering Sea, Sea of Okhotsk

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	69% buy the item featured on this page: The Lost Fleet: A Yankee Whaler's Struggle Against the Confederate Navy and Arctic Disaster 5.0 out of 5 stars (4) $19.72
	20% buy Leviathan: The History of Whaling in America 4.7 out of 5 stars (47) $7.43
	6% buy Wolf of the Deep: Raphael Semmes and the Notorious Confederate Raider CSS Alabama (Vintage Civil War Library) 4.5 out of 5 stars (10) $11.21
	5% buy Relentless (The Lost Fleet, Book 5) 4.5 out of 5 stars (49) $7.99

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4 Reviews 5 star:  (4) 4 star:    (0) 3 star:    (0) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review 5.0 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews 5 of 5 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars What a world!, August 13, 2007 By  Matt Hamblen (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews Songini's new book shows a gritty world almost unimaginable by today's standards. A sea captain persuades his wife to join him in the pursuit of the world's largest animals, which are hunted and rendered before her eyes, ears and nose. She is pregnant, gives birth at sea and recuperates with her new son on an island under the care of a Christian missionary who entertains her with stories about the native cannibals. And this is only the first chapter. You might think it is fiction, but there is a bibliography. Still, the book doesn't seem to be too sensational, nor too academic. I'm liking the balance between the two extremes. 3 of 3 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars A Little Known History Of Whalers Brought To Life, December 6, 2007 By  Esteban Ess (Austin, TX United States) - See all my reviews This is a book about the whaling industry, its sea captains, their families, the financial backers, the whales themselves and the eventual demise of this once important industry. There are three main sections in this book. The first treats the whaling industry, its history, and the life of one whaling family in particular then delves into the involvement of whalers in the War Between The States as they embark upon a mission to help reduce the sea power of the South. The second section takes us world-wide on the high seas and is a great adventure story as the Confederate Navy dispatches vessels to hunt and destroy Yankee whaling vessels. Finally, we are led into a struggle of the whalers to find their prey when the population of whales has been seriously reduced by over-hunting. The whalers take their fleet into the Arctic and encounter travails that are legendary though little known today. This is one exciting book. I will value what I learned from this book when I go back to New england and visit the whaling museums and the last old, sail rigged whaling vessel still floating (at dockside). The book is also educational and a nice addition to the know-how that can benefit a trip to Alaska. 1 of 1 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars An Important Lesson, August 22, 2008 By  James B. Daley "Enterprise Software Observer" (Denver, CO USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    At the dawn of the age of oil, whale blubber illuminated the homes and streets of America and lubricated the early machinery of the industrial revolution. The United States was once the most important whaling nation. By one estimate we accounted for 70% of the world's catch. Now Boston Journalist Marc Songini has written a poignant and thought provoking account of the decline of whaling and the people associated with it. His book, The Lost Fleet, is centered on the fortunes of New Bedford, Massachusetts which was once one the wealthiest cities in 19th century America. The town motto was Lucem Diffundo, "We Light the World". By 1850 of the 700 or so whalers in the American fleet 80% sailed from the port of New Bedford. As Herman Melville himself wrote: The town itself is perhaps the dearest place to live in, in all New England. Nowhere in all America will you find more patrician-like houses; parks and gardens more opulent, than in New Bedford. Within a few short years political, economic, and ecology changes had destroyed the fleet and delivered a blow to New Bedford which it has never recovered from. One punch came with the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861. After two ill advised efforts to block Charleston Harbor using New England stone laden whalers, the fleet became a special political target of the Confederate Navy. New Bedford's fleet was decimated first by the CSS Alabama and later by the CSS Shenandoah. Ecology also played a major role in ending New Bedford's prominence. As the over-hunted whales retreated further and further north to escape the fleet's harpoons, whalers where forced to sail further and further to capture them - in some cases to the waters off Alaska. Two unusually early winters in 1871 and 1876 trapped and wrecked many New Bedford ships in the ice around Point Barrow. Still, the biggest blow to whaling may have been the least dramatic, when in 1859 the first oil well was drilled in Titusville, Pennsylvania. This shifted the economics of oil, whittling whaling further and further away from profitability. Yet whaling has cast a very large shadow on the United States in form of the acquisition of Hawaii and Alaska into the Union, one of the greatest American novels Moby Dick, many of its best folk songs, and tattoos. New Bedford was also a hotbed of abolitionism and gave refuge to Frederick Douglass after he escaped from slavery. With entertaining turns of phrases and memorable characters, Songini captures not only the facts but the sense of the era. Whaling was a hard, cruel business for men and especially for whales. Today the United States has no whaling industry and it is the national champion of the effort to save them. As we approach the end of the oil age there are many parallels that are worth appreciating and The Lost Fleet is a great book to start considering them.		Ad feedback   Most Recent Customer Reviews 5.0 out of 5 stars An enthralling, captivating history of the U.S. whaling fleet Today, whaling is illegal, but back in the 1800s it was a way of life for many people in New England, and especially in New Bedford, MA, which basically served as the headquarters... Read more Published 15 months ago by D. Green Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 448 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; 1st edition (July 24, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312286481
• ISBN-13: 978-0312286484
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.2 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #707,325 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #89 in

  Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Agricultural Sciences > Aquaculture

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a world!, August 13, 2007

By	Matt Hamblen (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

Songini's new book shows a gritty world almost unimaginable by today's standards. A sea captain persuades his wife to join him in the pursuit of the world's largest animals, which are hunted and rendered before her eyes, ears and nose. She is pregnant, gives birth at sea and recuperates with her new son on an island under the care of a Christian missionary who entertains her with stories about the native cannibals. And this is only the first chapter. You might think it is fiction, but there is a bibliography. Still, the book doesn't seem to be too sensational, nor too academic. I'm liking the balance between the two extremes.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Little Known History Of Whalers Brought To Life, December 6, 2007

By	Esteban Ess (Austin, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This is a book about the whaling industry, its sea captains, their families, the financial backers, the whales themselves and the eventual demise of this once important industry. There are three main sections in this book. The first treats the whaling industry, its history, and the life of one whaling family in particular then delves into the involvement of whalers in the War Between The States as they embark upon a mission to help reduce the sea power of the South. The second section takes us world-wide on the high seas and is a great adventure story as the Confederate Navy dispatches vessels to hunt and destroy Yankee whaling vessels. Finally, we are led into a struggle of the whalers to find their prey when the population of whales has been seriously reduced by over-hunting. The whalers take their fleet into the Arctic and encounter travails that are legendary though little known today. This is one exciting book. I will value what I learned from this book when I go back to New england and visit the whaling museums and the last old, sail rigged whaling vessel still floating (at dockside). The book is also educational and a nice addition to the know-how that can benefit a trip to Alaska.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Important Lesson, August 22, 2008

By	James B. Daley "Enterprise Software Observer" (Denver, CO USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

At the dawn of the age of oil, whale blubber illuminated the homes and streets of America and lubricated the early machinery of the industrial revolution. The United States was once the most important whaling nation. By one estimate we accounted for 70% of the world's catch. Now Boston Journalist Marc Songini has written a poignant and thought provoking account of the decline of whaling and the people associated with it.

His book, The Lost Fleet, is centered on the fortunes of New Bedford, Massachusetts which was once one the wealthiest cities in 19th century America. The town motto was Lucem Diffundo, "We Light the World". By 1850 of the 700 or so whalers in the American fleet 80% sailed from the port of New Bedford. As Herman Melville himself wrote:

The town itself is perhaps the dearest place to live in, in all New England. Nowhere in all America will you find more patrician-like houses; parks and gardens more opulent, than in New Bedford.

Within a few short years political, economic, and ecology changes had destroyed the fleet and delivered a blow to New Bedford which it has never recovered from.

One punch came with the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861. After two ill advised efforts to block Charleston Harbor using New England stone laden whalers, the fleet became a special political target of the Confederate Navy. New Bedford's fleet was decimated first by the CSS Alabama and later by the CSS Shenandoah.

Ecology also played a major role in ending New Bedford's prominence. As the over-hunted whales retreated further and further north to escape the fleet's harpoons, whalers where forced to sail further and further to capture them - in some cases to the waters off Alaska. Two unusually early winters in 1871 and 1876 trapped and wrecked many New Bedford ships in the ice around Point Barrow.

Still, the biggest blow to whaling may have been the least dramatic, when in 1859 the first oil well was drilled in Titusville, Pennsylvania. This shifted the economics of oil, whittling whaling further and further away from profitability.

Yet whaling has cast a very large shadow on the United States in form of the acquisition of Hawaii and Alaska into the Union, one of the greatest American novels Moby Dick, many of its best folk songs, and tattoos. New Bedford was also a hotbed of abolitionism and gave refuge to Frederick Douglass after he escaped from slavery.

With entertaining turns of phrases and memorable characters, Songini captures not only the facts but the sense of the era.

Whaling was a hard, cruel business for men and especially for whales. Today the United States has no whaling industry and it is the national champion of the effort to save them. As we approach the end of the oil age there are many parallels that are worth appreciating and The Lost Fleet is a great book to start considering them.