Graveyard of the Lakes (el. knyga) (skaityta knyga) | knygos.lt

Aprašymas

For the first time, a historian and seasoned mariner looks beyond the specific circumstances of individual shipwrecks in an effort to reach a clearer understanding of the economic, political, and psychological factors that have influenced the 25,000 wrecks on the Great Lakes over the past 300 years. Looking at the entire tragic history of shipwrecks on North America's expansive inland seas, from the 1679 loss of the Griffon to the mysterious sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald in 1975, Mark L. Thompson concludes that a wreck is not an isolated event.In Graveyard of the Lakes, Thompson suggests that most of the accidents and deaths on the lakes have been the result of human error, ranging born simple mistakes to gross incompetence. While some writers and historians have attributed the reduction in casualties in recent years to safety programs, Thompson's analysis indicates that it is largely the result of a continuing decline in the size of the U.S. and Canadian fleets. While there were 2,500 to 3,000 ships a century ago, there are only about 200 today.

In addition to his compelling analysis of the causes of shipwrecks, Thompson includes factual accounts of more than one hunched wrecks. An eye-opening chapter is devoted to Thompson's "common sense" post mortem on the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald that challenges the conclusions arrived at by the U.S. Coast Guard investigators and other maritime writers and historians. Graveyard of the Lakes will forever change the reader's perspective on shipwrecks. Great Lakes historians and mariners alike will find this study compelling.