North America's largest estuary, the Chesapeake Bay, is fed by more than 150 major rivers and streams from parts of six states and the District of Columbia. Two hundred miles long, with a shoreline that includes more than 11,500 miles of tributaries, the bay has been a major economic lifeline since pre-Columbian times. As such, it is not surprising that the bay has seen its share of shipwrecks over the centuries--from small and large vessels foundering in storms, like the Levin J. Marvel, to naval and merchant ships of all sizes lost to collisions, fires, and wars, such as the US Coast Guard cutter Cuyahoga. The actual number of shipwrecks will never be known, but at least 3,000 in the bay and its tributaries have been documented--either in archives or newspapers or through underwater archaeology. While some wrecks saw great loss of life, others fortunately did not.
For ages men have explored its shores and harvested the incredible bounty of its aquatic life, but also they have had to suffer the consequences of the destructive forces which it unleashes all too frequently. Marine archaeologist Donald G. Shomette shares in this book, his fascination with those tragedies and disasters which occurred in the bay and its tidewater region over a 370-year period. He lists more than 1,800 of these events between 1608 and 1978, but elaborates on a few of the more significant catastrophes and military losses. Included are tales if incredible bravery, courage, and fortitude, and stories of cowardice, stupidity, and ineptitude.
GARY GENTILE'S POPULAR DIVE GUIDE SERIES Over 100 GPS and loran numbers included As suggested by the title and series name, this volume covers the most well-known wrecks sunk in the Maryland portion of the Chesapeake Bay. For each of the wrecks covered, a statistical sidebar provides basic information such as the dates of construction and loss, previous names (if any), tonnage and dimensions, builder and owner (at time of loss), port of registry, type of vessel and how propelled, cause of sinking, location (GPS and/or loran coordinates if known), and depth. In most cases, an historical photograph or illustration of the ship leads the text. Throughout the book is scattered a selection of additional photographs. Each volume is full of fascinating narratives of triumph and tragedy, of heroism and disgrace, of human nature at its best and its basest. These books are not about wood and steel, but about flesh and blood, for every shipwreck saga is a human story. Ships may founder, run aground, burn, collide with other vessels, or be torpedoed by a German U-boat. In every case, however, what is emphatically important is what happened to the people who became victims of casualty: how they survived, how they died. Also included are descriptions of the wrecks as they appear on the bottom. At the end of each volume is a bibliography of suggested reading, and a list of GPS and loran numbers of wrecks in and adjacent to the area covered. Wrecks covered in Shipwrecks of the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland Waters are: Alum Chine, American Mariner (target ship), Benjamin O. Colonna, Columbia, Columbus, Dragonet (American submarine), Express, Favorite, General J.A. Dumont, Hannibal, Herbert D. Maxwell, Levin J. Marvel, Mary A. DeKnight, Medora, Nelly White, New Jersey, S-49 (American submarine), Three Rivers, Tulip (Civil War gunboat), U-1105 (German U-boat), Wawaset, and Wilson Small. Also included is a special section about shipwrecks in Curtis Bay and Mallows Bay.
“An epic history of piracy . . . Goodall explores the role of these legendary rebels and describes the fine line between piracy and privateering.” —WYPR The story of Chesapeake pirates and patriots begins with a land dispute and ends with the untimely death of an oyster dredger at the hands of the Maryland Oyster Navy. From the golden age of piracy to Confederate privateers and oyster pirates, the maritime communities of the Chesapeake Bay are intimately tied to a fascinating history of intrigue, plunder and illicit commerce raiding. Author Jamie L.H. Goodall introduces infamous men like Edward “Blackbeard” Teach and “Black Sam” Bellamy, as well as lesser-known local figures like Gus Price and Berkeley Muse, whose tales of piracy are legendary from the harbor of Baltimore to the shores of Cape Charles. “Rather than an unchanging monolith, Goodall creates a narrative filled with dynamic movement and exchange between the characters, setting, conflict, and resolution of her story. Goodall positioned this narrative to be successful on different levels.” —International Social Science Review
The waters of coastal Virginia swirl with tales both tragic and heroic. Join Virginia Beach native Alpheus Chewning as he recounts harrowing stories of storms at sea, loss of life and fortune and the heroism of the United States Life-Saving Service. Marvel at the blunders and bungles that have plagued the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel and learn about the U-boats that lurked off the coast during World War II. Extensively researched and filled with fascinating details, Virginia Beach Shipwrecks is a treasure for sea lovers of all ages.
GARY GENTILE'S POPULAR DIVE GUIDE SERIES Over 100 GPS and loran numbers included As suggested by the title and series name, this volume covers the most well-known wrecks sunk in the Virginia portion of the Chesapeake Bay. For each of the wrecks covered, a statistical sidebar provides basic information such as the dates of construction and loss, previous names (if any), tonnage and dimensions, builder and owner (at time of loss), port of registry, type of vessel and how propelled, cause of sinking, location (GPS and/or loran coordinates if known), and depth. In most cases, an historical photograph or illustration of the ship leads the text. Throughout the book is scattered a selection of additional photographs. Each volume is full of fascinating narratives of triumph and tragedy, of heroism and disgrace, of human nature at its best and its basest. These books are not about wood and steel, but about flesh and blood, for every shipwreck saga is a human story. Ships may founder, run aground, burn, collide with other vessels, or be torpedoed by a German U-boat. In every case, however, what is emphatically important is what happened to the people who became victims of casualty: how they survived, how they died. Also included are descriptions of the wrecks as they appear on the bottom. At the end of this volume is a bibliography of suggested reading, and a list of GPS and loran numbers of wrecks in and adjacent to the area covered. Wrecks covered in Shipwrecks of the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia Waters are: Annie, Brazil, Charon (Revolutionary War gunboat), Chilore, City of Annapolis, Cumberland and Congress (from the Civil War Battle of Hampton Roads), Diamond Shoals, Dorothy, Edward R. Baird, Jr., Florida (Confederate raider), Julia Luckenbach, Katahdin, Lorraine, Louisiana, Monmouth, Nellie Pentz, North Carolina, Pilot, Texas/San Marcos (battleship), Virginia (ex-Merrimack), West Point, William Donnelly, and Wm. D. Sannere. Also included is a special section about shipwrecks in Dutch Gap and Kiptopeke State Park.
Featuring the accounts of twenty-five ill-starred vessels -- some notorious and some forgotten until now -- this anthology provides a fascinating history of a local maritime culture and charts how the catastrophic events along the Delmarva coast significantly affected U.S. merchant shipping as a whole.
In Cove Point on the Chesapeake: The Beacon, the Bay, and the Dream, Carol Booker tells the story of how nature and human desire define a singular place along storied waters. Booker writes of heroes, scoundrels and the families who populated a tiny waterfront community, once known mainly for shipwrecks and treacherous riptides, that became a World War II training ground, the locale for hunting buried treasure, and later a cog in the global energy trade with a natural gas plant. In its pages are tales of exploration and heroism, sports and tragedies including a riptide referred to as the devil's grasp by a man who survived. Cove Point on the Chesapeake tells of the resolve of a displaced Russian princess to rebuild her culture along the the nation's largest estuary. With solid reporting and interviews, Booker writes of the cunning of the developer who mapped the marshy shores and lured Washingtonians to a little-known stretch of shoreline for extraordinary fishing and easy living. A resilient lighthouse illuminates this rare spot on earth and a century of its inhabitants, much as does the fetching prose of veteran journalist Booker.
