The Hunt for HMS De Braak

The Hunt for HMS De Braak

Author: Donald G. Shomette

Publisher:

Published: 1993

Total Pages: 474

ISBN-13:

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"The true story of the HMS De Braak might have been borrowed from the pages of a Robert Louis Stevenson novel, for it is a classic account of shipwrecks, treasure maps, Weather Witches and mystics, hunters and mountebanks. Author Donald Shomette recounts an amazing tale of intrepid deep-sea adventure and the all-consuming lust for gold. The Hunt for HMS De Braak: Legend and Legacy uncovers the facts surrounding the famous vessel and the many legends she spawned." "The history of De Braak, told so ably by Donald Shomette, is really two stories - first, the story of the ship's brief and rather undistinguished military career in the Dutch and British Navies; and second, the tale of her shipwreck and alleged treasure." "The author weaves the two facets of De Braak's history into a readable and scholarly whole. The second part of the book is a startling record of legend, misinformation, outright lies, bungling, and greed." "Sailors, watermen, adventurers, criminals, salvors, bureaucrats, and even politicians walk in and out of the pages of De Braak's history with astonishing frequency." "Few shipwrecks in American waters have generated the interest that followed in De Braak's wake. "Interest" is probably the wrong term; "seduction" perhaps better describes the effect that De Braak's legend exerted on individuals who continually searched Delaware Bay for her resting place." "In the end, De Braak was found. Her mythical treasure was not. Shomette has sought to present, for the first time, a detailed account of the De Braak legend. He does not, however, merely retell the tale of a small man-of-war's life and death. He goes beyond that to give us an account of her legacy. This legacy is a modern one, born out of her dramatic and ill-conceived salvage."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved


Shipwrecks, Sea Raiders, and Maritime Disasters Along the Delmarva Coast, 1632–2004

Shipwrecks, Sea Raiders, and Maritime Disasters Along the Delmarva Coast, 1632–2004

Author: Donald G. Shomette

Publisher: JHU Press

Published: 2007-12-17

Total Pages: 460

ISBN-13: 9780801886706

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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.


Pirates & Patriots, Tales of the Delaware Coast

Pirates & Patriots, Tales of the Delaware Coast

Author: Michael Morgan

Publisher: Algora Publishing

Published: 2005

Total Pages: 242

ISBN-13: 0875863388

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Libraries, archives, and museums reveal clues to the colorful characters lining the history of Delaware, from its earliest colonial days to the invention of the "beach resort" and the founding of the nation's "Summer Capital" to World War II and the present. Author Michael Morgan brings together this kaleidoscopic view of the men of the sea and the beachfront tycoons who shaped Delaware and its role in the development of America, in war, politics, and business, from the Europeans' arrival at Cape Henlopen until modern times. While the intrepid patriot Henry Fisher and the infamous serial killer Patty Cannon are not known beyond the boundaries of southern Delaware, others such as William Penn, Captain Kidd and the DuPonts enjoy more widespread reputations. Here, tales of shipwrecks and rumrunners combine with the politics of slavery and suffrage to illuminate the history of one corner of the United States, a microcosm that synthesizes light on various facets of the development of the United States in a broader context. * Michael Morgan pens a weekly column, "Delaware Diary," in the Delaware Coast Press and has authored many stories for The Baltimore Sun, Maryland Magazine, Civil War Times Illustrated, America's Civil War and other periodicals for the past 15 years. He is a frequent guest speaker at historical societies in Lewes, Georgetown, and other towns along the Delaware coast.


Shipwrecks of the Delaware Coast

Shipwrecks of the Delaware Coast

Author: Pam George

Publisher: Arcadia Publishing

Published: 2010-04-02

Total Pages: 117

ISBN-13: 1614231621

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Discover the thrilling, mysterious history of the shipwrecks found beneath the waves of Rehoboth Beach. Under the hot summer sun, vacationers stroll the Rehoboth Beach boardwalk, chewing saltwater taffy and listening to the gulls' raucous cackle. Few realize that under the sparkling water rests a graveyard. Horrific nor'easters, treacherous shoals and simple human error caused the demise of countless ships, giving birth to legends of treasure and terror. There is De Braak, rumored to hold millions of dollars in gold; the Mohawk, which burned like a torch in the Delaware Bay; and the vessels that fell victim to the Great White Hurricane, which froze dead men to the mast. Journey with local author Pam George as she deftly picks her way through the history of Delaware's most intriguing and mysterious shipwrecks.


Out of the Depths

Out of the Depths

Author: Alan G. Jamieson

Publisher: Reaktion Books

Published: 2022-10-24

Total Pages: 343

ISBN-13: 1789146208

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A highly illustrated voyage through shipwrecks ancient and contemporary. Out of the Depths explores all aspects of shipwrecks across four thousand years, examining their historical context and significance, showing how shipwrecks can be time capsules, and shedding new light on long-departed societies and civilizations. Alan G. Jamieson not only informs readers of the technological developments over the last sixty years that have made the true appreciation of shipwrecks possible, but he also covers shipwrecks in culture and maritime archaeology, their appeal to treasure hunters, and their environmental impacts. Although shipwrecks have become less common in recent decades, their implications have become more wide-ranging: since the 1960s, foundering supertankers have caused massive environmental disasters, and in 2021, the blocking of the Suez Canal by the giant container ship Ever Given had a serious effect on global trade.


Warships of the World to 1900

Warships of the World to 1900

Author: Lincoln P. Paine

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Published: 2000

Total Pages: 292

ISBN-13: 9780395984147

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Lincoln P. Paine's SHIPS OF THE WORLD: AN HISTORICAL HISTORICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA was honored as one of the best reference books of the year by the New York Public Library, and Library Journal described it as "clearly the most fascinating book of the year." Now, in two equally fascinating new books, Paine focuses on two of the most interesting areas of maritime history: WARSHIPS OF THE WORLD TO 1900 and SHIPS OF DISCOVERY AND EXPLORATION. WARSHIPS OF THE WORLD TO 1900 traces the history of naval warfare through the stories of more than two hundred of the most famous and important fighting ships, from the earliest triremes and Viking longships to the Mary Rose, Wasa, Bonhomme Richard, HMS Victory, USS Constitution, USS Monitor, and Mikasa. Each ship is described in a vivid short essay that captures its personality as well as its physical characteristics, construction, and history, from the drawing board to the scrap yard or museum. Paintings and photographs show the grandeur and grace of these vessels that helped shape world events. An introductory essay, maps, and a chronology offer the reader a global perspective on the course of naval history from antiquity to the present.


Delaware Before the Railroads

Delaware Before the Railroads

Author: Dave Tabler

Publisher: Dave Tabler

Published: 2022-11-05

Total Pages: 103

ISBN-13:

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If you think you know Delaware, think again. Pirates? Quakers fighting with Pennsylvania? Towns so ugly no one would settle there? With stunning pictures and straightforward storytelling, Dave Tabler opens hidden passages and describes defining moments in this founding American colony. Telling this small state’s story gives you a sense of the big picture in American history.


Delaware Prohibition

Delaware Prohibition

Author: Michael Morgan

Publisher: Arcadia Publishing

Published: 2021-06-14

Total Pages: 176

ISBN-13: 1439672776

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Prohibition attempted to kill John Barleycorn, the personification of intoxicating drinks, but in Delaware the notice of his death was premature. Government agents tried in vain to stop bootleggers and rumrunners, who fed the speakeasies that quenched the thirst of the people of the First State. Against the backdrop of the Roaring Twenties, bootleggers sped up and down the new Du Pont Boulevard, while enforcement agents, such as the Bible-thumping "Three Gun" Wilson, tried in vain to stop them. The stock market crash and the Great Depression ended dry laws and brought about the resurrection of Barleycorn. Local author Michael Morgan recounts the dramatic tales of this unique period of Delaware history.