Maritime English

In The Gales of November, award-winning journalist John U. Bacon presents the definitive account of the disaster, drawing on more than 100 interviews with the families, friends, and former crewmates of those lost. Bacon explores the vital role Great Lakes shipping played in America’s economic boom, the uncommon lives the sailors led, the sinking’s most likely causes, and the heartbreaking aftermath for those left behind—“the wives, the sons, and the daughters,” as Gordon Lightfoot sang in his unforgettable ballad.

What happens when Blackbeard meets Jesse James? The most infamous pirates of the Caribbean gather aboard the Queen Anne’s Revenge. But when a violent storm tears across Nassau Harbor, Blackbeard, Anne Bonny, and Calico Jack are hurled through a mysterious vortex — into San Francisco Bay, 1873. Stranded in the Wild West, the crew must trade cutlasses for six-shooters, outwit bounty hunters, and chase treasure across a lawless new frontier. From dusty saloons to raging train heists, survival means forging uneasy alliances in a world of gunfighters and steam engines. Pirates of the Wild ...

The ocean is indifferent to human survival. When a ship disappears beneath the surface, the real struggle is only beginning. Because what follows is not just a test of the body… It is a test of the mind. What happens after the sinking determines who lives — and who is lost to the horizon. In The Ocean Doesn’t Forgive, Commander Puzzles delivers a gripping exploration of shipwreck survival that goes far beyond disaster narratives. Blending maritime psychology, documented survival patterns, and the extreme realities of open-water exposure, this powerful work reveals what the sea teaches...

In the great wars of modern history, maritime powers have always prevailed over land-based empires, whether Habsburg, Napoleonic, Nazi, or Soviet. In contrast to the rigid hierarchies and centralization of land-based empires, those nations attaining mastery at sea have been distinguished by liberty, flexibility, and enterprise. The 17th-century Dutch were the first to achieve naval and trading dominance.

Set sail on an enthralling voyage with "Moby Dick: Adapted for Modern Readers," where Herman Melville's timeless tale is refreshed for today's audience. This edition features clarified language and contemporary typography, ensuring a seamless reading experience while retaining the original's intensity and depth. Dive into the adventurous hunt for the elusive white whale with ease, as this adaptation enhances readability without compromising the epic's richness. Experience the 19th-century whaling era, a period of peril and discovery, through the lens of friendship, obsession, and revenge. ...

The Gulf of Mexico presents a compelling, salt-streaked narrative of the Earth's 10th-largest body of water. In this beautifully written volume, John S. Sledge explores the people, ships, and cities that have made the Gulf's human history and culture so rich. Many famous figures who sailed the Gulf's viridian waters are highlighted, including Ponce de Leon, Robert Cavelier de La Salle, Francis Drake, Elizabeth Agassiz, Ernest Hemingway, and Charles Dwight Sigsbee. Sledge also introduces a fascinating array of people connected to maritime life in the Gulf.

Over the years, thousands of tales both true and fantastic have been told about the dastardly thievery of pirates. Their rum-drunk exploits and high-seas violence never fail to delight. Now in a brand new series collection, The Best Pirate Stories Ever Told includes many of the very best pirate yarns ever created on history’s most debaucherous scalawags. Anyone who loves a good story full of excitement, adventure, thrills, and laughs will find this collection irresistible.

A fresh account of some of history's greatest warriors. The Vikings had an extraordinary and far-reaching historical impact. From the eighth to the 11th centuries, they ranged across Europe - raiding, exploring, and colonizing - and their presence was felt as far away as Russia and Byzantium. They are most famous as warriors, yet perhaps their talent for warfare is too little understood.

2015 saw the worst American maritime disaster in decades. The captain of the SS El Faro commanded his crew to sail straight into a hurricane. The ship sank and all 33 crew members died. The sinking raised troubling questions: Why did the captain choose to sail into the hurricane? Why did no one on board or on shore stop him? And why was such an old and heavily loaded ship even allowed on the water? The crew of the SS El Faro is gone, but their haunting final hours were preserved by the ship’s black box.

Do you think the ocean is a dangerous place? Yes, it can be. Titanic…Amoco Cadiz…Herald of Free Enterprise…Exxon Valdez…every shipwreck tells a story. Veteran sea captain Beetashok Chatterjee reveals the stories behind 13 of the greatest civilian maritime disasters, outside the realms of war, that shook the world. Not just for the number of lives lost, but in some cases the damage caused to the environment and livelihoods, or the media attention those incidents garnered. Allow him to take you back in time and on the high seas, where you can watch and learn from these disasters—...

The acclaimed seven-book series chronicling the adventures of the generations of the Treegate family from the birth of the Revolutionary War through the War of 1812, ending at the Battle of New Orleans. Recommended by the Seton Home Study Guide for Grade 8 for American History. John Treegate's Musket (Book 1) An epic historical adventure that takes young readers from The Boston Massacre to the Battle of Bunker Hill. When young Peter Treegate is framed for murder while his father is away on business, Peter is forced to flee Boston on a smuggler's brig, sending him on a series of adventures ...

They are all gone now―the Titanic survivors. No human being who stood on her decks that fateful night was alive to commemorate the event on its 100th anniversary. Their stories are with us, however, and the lessons remain. From the moment the world learned the Titanic had sunk, we wanted to know, who had survived? Those answers didn’t come until the evening of Thursday, April 18, 1912―when the Cunard liner Carpathia finally reached New York with the 706 survivors who had been recovered from Titanic’s lifeboats. Harold Bride, “Titanic’s surviving wireless operator,” relayed the...

A compelling account of history's most famous pirate. The Pirate King is the compelling true story of a Welshman who became one of the most ruthless and brutal buccaneers of the golden age of piracy. The inspiration for dozens of fictionalized pirates in film, television, and literature - as well the namesake of one of the world's most popular rum brands - Captain Sir Henry Morgan was matchless among pirates and privateers.

Set sail on a thrilling voyage into the mysterious and treacherous world of the notorious pirate, Blackbeard, in this riveting biography that unveils the man behind the legend. In Blackbeard, the high seas come alive as we chart the tumultuous life of Edward Teach, the infamous pirate who struck fear into the hearts of sailors and coastal communities alike.

A monumental retelling of world history through the lens of maritime enterprise, revealing in breathtaking depth how people first came into contact with one another by ocean and river, lake and stream, and how goods, languages, religions, and entire cultures spread across and along the world's waterways, bringing together civilizations and defining what makes us most human.

In Ghost Ships: Volume II – Echoes on the Open Sea, readers are taken deeper into the world’s most chilling maritime mysteries. From abandoned vessels found with no crew aboard to ships that vanished without a single distress call, this second volume uncovers new cases, forgotten legends, and modern enigmas that continue to puzzle historians and investigators alike. Drawing on historical records, official inquiries, and eyewitness accounts, this book carefully separates fact from folklore. It explores the real dangers faced by sailors—violent storms, navigational errors, war, piracy, ...

A gripping biography of one of the seventeenth century’s greatest sea captains. Courage, ambition and treachery on the high seas… Perfect for fans of Andrew Lambert, Kevin Jackson, N. A. M. Rodger, and Eric Jay Dolin. In June 1611, Henry Hudson, captain of the Discovery, his young son, and seven other crew members were forced into a small gig and set adrift amongst the ice floes of Hudson Bay. They were never seen again. Shy and aloof, yet courageous and sometimes recklessly daring, English explorer and navigator Hudson made four momentous voyages in 1607, 1608, 1609, and 1610, journeys...

Set against the backdrop of an expanding nation, Brilliant Beacons traces the evolution of America's lighthouse system, highlighting the political, military, and technological battles fought to illuminate the nation's hardscrabble coastlines.

In June 2023, the world watched as the Titan submersible vanished during a dive to the wreck of the Titanic. Days later, search teams discovered the unthinkable—Titan had suffered a catastrophic implosion, ending the lives of all five aboard. The tragedy gripped global headlines, sparked intense debate, and left many questionings how such a disaster could have happened in an era of advanced engineering and safety standards. This eBook tells the full story of Titan: its bold but unconventional design, the risks that were overlooked, and the leadership decisions that shaped its fate. It ...

In the vast expanse of the world's oceans, tales of spectral vessels adrift upon the darkened waves have captured the imagination of sailors and storytellers for centuries. These eerie apparitions, known as ghost ships, are imbued with an aura of mystery and intrigue, haunting maritime folklore and igniting curiosity about the unknown depths of the seas. From ancient legends whispered among seafaring civilizations to modern accounts that defy explanation, ghost ships have woven themselves into the fabric of maritime history, leaving an indelible mark on the collective consciousness of ...