The unforgiving coast : maritime disasters of the Pacific Northwest / David H. Grover.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Grover, David H. (David Hubert), 1925-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Shipwrecks--Northwest Coast of North America--History--20th century.

Shipwrecks.

History.

Physical Description:

ix, 214 pages : illustrations, maps ; 23 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Corvallis : Oregon State University Press, 2002.

Summary:

The Pacific Northwest Coast can be as deadly as it is beautiful, as demonstrated by the hundreds of shipwrecks and maritime disasters that have occurred in these waters. In The Unforgiving Coast, David Grover vividly tells the true stories of some of the deadliest maritime disasters of the twentieth century. As a former chief mate in the merchant marine and commander in the Naval Reserve who has served in Northwest waters, Grover knows their grandeur and dangers firsthand. And he has drawn on his expertise as a widely published marine historian to select nine of the most dramatic major accidents that happened between the California border and Vancouver Island, including two fatal shipwrecks on the treacherous Columbia River bar, known as the "Graveyard of the Pacific." The Unforgiving Coast offers a penetrating look into each of these nine catastrophes, focusing on the unique, the inexplicable, the poignant, the heroic, and the tragic elements that make them remarkable. Drawing on a wide variety of sources, Grover tries to explain not just what happened in each disaster, but how and why it happened. The stories vary considerably -- some are mysteries, some are adventure thrillers, and some defy categorization.

Contents:

Maritime disasters: events and milieus

Fire at sea: the Queen

The Valencia: disaster on many fronts

Rosecrans: born to lose

The Mimi: salvage can be dangerous

The mystery of the Francis H. Leggett

Santa Clara: a beach too crowded

J.A. Chanslor: tanker in trouble

The South Coast: vanished ship, vanished era

The Iowa: crossing the bar.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 201-204) and index.

ISBN:

0870715410

OCLC:

48642567