Perils of the Atlantic: Steamship Disasters, 1850 to the Present [Hardcover]

William H. Flayhart (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 9, 2003

"Flayhart delivers a gripping chronicle of mishap and mayhem . . . filled with danger and heroism and rich with detail."—Sea Power

A colorful and deadly history of ocean liner disasters from the mid-nineteenth century to the present, Perils of the Atlantic is a chronicle of the most frightening episodes in the maritime history of the North Atlantic. From 1850 to the present day, the Atlantic has been home to hundreds of ocean liners and cruise ships, each more lavish than the last...all of them symbols of wealth and luxury. Perhaps this is why readers have always been fascinated by the lives of these ships—and their deaths. Many of us know the stories of the Titanic and the Lusitania. Both tragedies caused tremendous loss of life, even as they made the ships immortal. But there are many little-known accounts of extraordinary survivals at sea, such as the Inman and International liner City of Chicago that jammed her bow into an Irish peninsula in 1892 but stayed afloat long enough for all to be rescued, or the City of Richmond that survived a dangerous fire in 1891, and a year earlier the City of Paris, whose starboard engine exploded at full speed in the mid-Atlantic and yet miraculously still made port. Often such tales are forgotten even if the ship sank: In 1898 the Holland-America liner Veendam hit a submerged wreck and sank at sea, but all lives were saved—so this vessel's dramatic story seemed less important in maritime history than incidents involving human loss. As recently as 2000, the Sea Breeze I sank off the East Coast of the United States while on a positioning voyage, but all her crew members were rescued in a heroic effort by U.S. Coast Guard helicopters. These stories and many others are dramatic, and acclaimed maritime scholar William Flayhart has spent much of the last forty years in search of material from which to create colorful narratives. 26 illustrations

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A distinguished maritime historian offers readers a carefully researched sampling of notable steamship "challenges and disasters" in the North Atlantic. Flayhart (The American Line) begins with the loss of the Collins Line's Arctic in 1854 and ends in 2000 with the loss of the Seabreeze, an obsolete cruise liner on her way to be scrapped. In between, he offers clearly written accounts of some of most famous disasters-Titanic, Lusitania and Andrea Doria-and some of the lesser known ones, such as the Atlantic (grounded off Nova Scotia, with a loss of 585 lives) and the Empress of Ireland (sunk in a collision in the mouth of the St. Lawrence). Flayhart also describes less grisly episodes, such as the rescue of the liner City of Paris after an engine-room explosion; his consideration thereof provides a capsule history of 19th-century steam-engine technology. The grounding of the St. Paul was almost ludicrous (she was racing a rival in fog), while the tale of the sinking liner Veendam marks one of the book's most moving episodes-thanks to superb seamanship, not a soul perished. Flayhart also offers background on the business and financial dealings that created certain ships (such as the burned Morro Castle), as well as salvaged cargo lists ("1,720 boxes of bacon, 595 pails of lard") that show the less glamorous side of the liner business. Written in a matter of fact, respectful tone with balanced judgments on controversial questions, this volume is an absolute feast for lovers of maritime history. 48 illustrations.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Every possible way a ship can sink is represented in this catalog of marine casualty. Collision, fire, engine explosion, grounding, storm, and a torpedo caused the 20 or so disasters the author explores. A ship must be (with a couple of exceptions) a North Atlantic ocean liner to qualify for Flayhart's attention. He covers the vessel's construction and ownership; its size, speed, and cargo manifest at the time of sinking; the death toll; and any legal fallout. Facts consequently dominate the drama that inheres in shipwreck stories, and Flayhart's tales unfold like encyclopedia articles. However, this compendium may find use as a gateway to such library staples as disaster classics (A Night to Remember by Walter Lord, 1955) or photograph albums (e.g., submariner Robert Ballard's collected works). The author mixes catastrophes both famous (Morro Castle; Andrea Doria) and obscure, giving maritime mavens something new to discover. Gilbert Taylor
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; 1 edition (June 9, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393041557
• ISBN-13: 978-0393041552
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #780,516 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #24 in Books > Professional & Technical > Transportation > Ships > Passenger

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book, March 31, 2010

By 

William S. Dunklin "Uncle Will" (Knoxville Tennessee USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Perils of the Atlantic: Steamship Disasters, 1850 to the Present (Hardcover)

William Flayhart's "Perils of the Atlantic: Steamship Disasters, 1850 to the Present" is a well researched and well written book. The reasonable cost is absolutely worth the price to have this little jewel on the bookshelf.

Each chapter describes one ship's life and loss. Some sort of illustration of each ship is provided, though with the early ships, a photo of a model might be the only representation, as is the case with the Collins Line's "Arctic" lost in 1852. Of the 22 chapters, 2 are dedicated to well known stories: the White Star Line's "Titanic" and the Italian Line's "Andrea Doria." Other chapters relate the stories of ships which the names may be familiar, but the stories less so: "Empress of Ireland," "Lusitania," "Morro Castle" and "Seabreeze I" - the raw video footage of the latter in her last hours a favorite on [...]. The gripping stories of the long forgotten 19th century ships, make for excellent reading, no less dramatic, or tragic, than the more recent examples.

It would seem that telling the story of a ship far from land, slowly sinking, the desperate struggle to save the women and children, the valiant self sacrifice of the crew, the priceless cargo disappearing into the depths, would make for easy story telling. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Too many authors are able to drown the reader in tedious technical minutiae and endless back-story. Mr. Flayhart skillfully avoids those traps, balancing ample detail with genuine humanity to make the stories interesting, exciting and poignant. Mr. Flayhart's writing is smooth and seamless.

Since each chapter is a complete and independent story (ranging from 8 to 32 pages), this is a good book for short reads. Highly recommended.