Lost Warships: An Archaeological Tour of War at Sea [Hardcover]

James P. Delgado (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2001

"Give me a fast ship and a good crew, for I intend to sail into harm's way," American naval war hero John Paul Jones once bravely proclaimed. Since ancient times, people have built ships to cross and control the oceans during wartime. Many of the vessels used in battle now lie shrouded in the ocean depths, blasted to their watery graves along with their faithful crews.

From the defeat of Antony and Cleopatra at Actium to the 1946 nuclear detonations at Bikini Atoll, Lost Warships places shipwrecks in a broad historical, often-tragic narrative of warfare at sea. Drawing on the author's knowledge as an underwater archaeologist, naval historian, and maritime museum director as well as historical accounts, paintings, contemporary documents, photographs, and maps, the book presents a comprehensive, graphically appealing overview of milestones in marine warfare that changed the course of world history. Sidebars featuring histories of specific battles, ships, relics, and shipwrecks further illustrate and enhance this riveting tale.

Coverage includes:
* War on Ancient Waters
* Romans and "Barbarians" Afloat
* Empires of the Far East
* The Rise of the Gun
* Wooden Walls
* Wars for America
* Steel, Iron, and Steam
* Global Wars
* The Nuclear Age.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 190 pages
• Publisher: Checkmark Books; First Edition edition (October 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0816045305
• ISBN-13: 978-0816045303
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 9.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,697,625 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating journey through time on a particular theme., February 6, 2002

By 

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

This review is from: Lost Warships: An Archaeological Tour of War at Sea (Hardcover)

James P. Delgado's list of credits is impressive by any standards. With such a high reputation in the field of marine archaeology, you just know the information contained within this book is something on which you can rely - but there is much more to this book than just a collection of facts. "Lost Warships" is accurately described by the Publisher as an "Archaeological Tour of War at Sea" but Mr Delgado has turned that tour into the most fascinating journey through time on that theme. Better still, this is also a very readable book with something for everyone.

Measuring 11¼ n x 9¼ n, Lost Warships is hardback containing 190 pages of solid information. There are illustrations on almost every page in the form of historic photographs, paintings, line drawings and even brass rubbings. With each of these being carefully selected, they combine to depict the wide variety of subject matter necessary to support the various elements of the overall "story" which this book tells so well.

Neatly laid out, this book is an anthology of War at Sea as, chapter by chapter, we move steadily forward from ancient times to the nuclear age.

Part of the caption to the last photograph in the book reads; "Today, the silent guns resting beneath the waves, are a reminder that the sea is our greatest museum of human sacrifice, bravery and folly."

Says it all really.

NM

0 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Why some not others?, May 17, 2009

By 

Marcia Lynn Neil "beadtot" (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Lost Warships: An Archaeological Tour of War at Sea (Hardcover)

After reading a local Florida newspaper article describing ceremonies scheduled to honor survivors of Pearl Harbor World War II conflict in Hawaii, I decided to request this title and one other to send to a library in McKean County, Pennsylvania. The journalism stated that the USS Arizona warship yet remains submerged in an Hawaiian harbor, mid-Pacific Ocean.

I have not read the book(s) and so have not rated them using scale provided above other than one star to denote appropriate title.

7-4-2011 OMG -- the stars are value-loaded, make that three for title, theme AND bookmaker quality.