Book Description

This new title in this bestselling series relates 37 stories of shipwrecks, great discoveries, mysteries, and disappearances still thrilling adventure seekers. From the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, from the Baltic Sea to the Caribbean, the Antarctic, and the Indian Ocean; from ancient history to the present day, these short tales cover all aspects of high-seas adventure and feature prominent human incidents and tragic events. Combining tales of adventures and legends, they fuel the imagination of all those captivated by the sea and its sailors. The most-famous stories are part of our maritime heritage, like the legend of the Flying Dutchman, which inspired the ghost ship in Pirates of the Caribbean, or the fire that destroyed the MS Georges Philippar off the coast of Somalia, causing the death of senior reporter Albert Londres, who was then returning from China. Some are based on real historical events, like the sinking of La Belle, which put an end to the conquest of North America by the French, or the historic duel between the CSS Alabama, a Confederate raider, and a Union frigate USS Kearsarge, which moved the American Civil War to the English Channel. Many more have been long forgotten and are ready to come to life again.