Ships and Shipwrecks

Stories from the Great Lakes (Greenstone Books)

By: Richard Gebhart

Narrated by: Jack de Golia

Length: 6 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's summary

From the day that French explorer Robert Cavelier de La Salle launched the Griffin in 1679 to the 1975 sinking of the celebrated Edmund Fitzgerald, thousands of commercial ships have sailed on the vast and perilous waters of the Great Lakes. In a harbinger of things to come, on the return leg of its first trip in late summer 1679, the Griffin disappeared and has never been seen again. In the centuries since then, the records show that an alarming number of shipwrecks have occurred on the Great Lakes. If vessels that wrecked but were later repaired and returned to service are included, the number certainly swells into the thousands.

Most did not mysteriously vanish like the Griffin. Instead, they suffered the occupational hazards of every lake boat: collisions, groundings, strands, fires, boiler explosions, and capsizes. Many of these disasters took the lives of crews and passengers. The fearsome wrath of the storms that brew over the Great Lakes has challenged and defeated some of the staunchest vessels constructed in the shipyards of port cities along the US and Canadian lakeshores. Here Richard Gebhart tells the tales of some of these ships and their captains and crews, from their launches to their sad demises—or sometimes, their celebrated retirements. This volume is a must-hear for anyone intrigued by the maritime history of the Great Lakes.

The book is published by Michigan State University Press. The audiobook is published by University Press Audiobooks.

"The author’s detailed presentation of this history makes for interesting reading." (Carl Eisenberg, president of the Wisconsin Marine Historical Society)

"Richard Gebhart’s detailed descriptions and amusing artistic narration brings to life these forgotten tales." (George P. Haynes, former grand president, International Ship Masters’ Association)

"Informative and fun to read." (Stephen Haynes, Wisconsin Marine Historical Society)

©2022 Richard Gebhart (P)2022 Redwood Audiobooks

Wealth of knowledge

This book seems well researched, is well written and is very interesting. It’s always nice to be reminded that glaciers carved out a large portion of America, including the Great Lakes. Bringing tales of the staff and sailors into the narrative was great! I grew up in Duluth, Minnesota, which is still an active port city along with its sister city, Superior, Wisconsin. We enjoyed going to the canal and watching the ships come and go. My dad once told me if, during a voyage a sailor should fall overboard, the ship would not be turned around to go back to get him! He said the lake is so cold and deep that by the time it takes to turn the big ship around and go back the sailor would be gone. That was 50 years ago- hopefully his chances would be better now!!