Dangerous Shallows: In Search of the Ghost Ships of Cape Cod

by Eric Takakjian, Randall Peffer

Overview

Dangerous Shallows tells the story of a quest to solve maritime cold-cases. The odyssey takes the reader along for a moment-by-moment look at the events surrounding the loss of a dozen different ships, and includes the stories of discovering their wrecks and learning about the final hours of each of these ships.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781493042302
Publisher:	Globe Pequot Publishing
Publication date:	01/24/2020
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Eric Takakjian is the master of an oceangoing tugboat (Vane Brothers) engaged in the coastwise petroleum transportation trade. He has been sailing ships and oceangoing tugboats to various corners of the world since 1978. A diver since 1972 and an avid shipwreck diver since 1975, Takakjian has been a National Fellow of the Explorers Club since 1997. He lives in Fairhaven, MA.

Randall Peffer is the author of nine nonfiction books as well as nine crime/suspense novels.
The son of a career naval officer, Peffer holds a 100-ton masters license and has logged over 100,000 miles at sea, mostly in traditional working vessels. After more than three decades teaching writing and literature at Phillips Academy, Andover, he has retired from teaching to work fulltime on his writing. He sails out of his home ports of Marion, MA, Great Guana Cay, Abaco, and Long Beach, CA. He lives in Marion, MA.

Table of Contents

Authors Note vii

Prologue: Treasure of Le Magnifique, 1989 ix

Chapter 1 Descent to a Legend: The SS Andrea Doria, 1992 1

Chapter 2 Big Ship, Big Sharks: The MV Regal Sword, 1993 17

Chapter 3 Fire & Treachery: The Baleen, 1994 33

Chapter 4 A Killer Sub: U-853, 1995 49

Chapter 5 Ship Slayer, U-53 Wrecks, 1996 67

Chapter 6 Ghosts on Devils Bridge, The SS City of Columbus, 2000 89

Chapter 7 Survivors' High, The SS Stephano, 2000 105

Chapter 8 Way Out There, Ghost Ship on Georges Bank, 2005 125

Chapter 9 Fate Is the Hunter: The SS North American/MV Oregon, 2006 143

Chapter 10 We're Rich???: The SS Newcastle City, 2008 159

Chapter 11 Death by Liner: The SS Sagaland, 2012 177

Chapter 12 Almost Made It: The SS Allentown, 2014 to 2018 195

Epilogue: The SS Lyonnaise, 2019 221

A Postscript: The Lost and the Survivors 225

Sources & Acknowledgments 233

Index 241

Editorial Reviews

Eric Takakjian and Randy Peffer take us into the sea and back in time in this fascinating exploration of the lost ships in Cape Cod waters. With Dangerous Shallows the authors bring to bear a unique set of skills - Peffer a seasoned historian and accomplished author and Takakjian a pioneering wreck diver and experienced sea captain - weaving together history and drama in stories that are saturated with adventure. Dive into Dangerous Shallows and begin the voyage!”—Brian Skerry, National Geographic Underwater Photographer




“Passion for maritime work, perseverance in discovery and an unquenchable thirst for knowledge best describe the Captain Eric Takakjian I have gotten to know over the past decade. This modest yet talented and successful explorer is not afraid to go the distance whether it be in research on land, search at sea, or by utilizing all his skills to corroborate fragments of evidence to rediscover and share lost history.”——Matthew Schulte, Executive Director, Steamship Historical Society of America




“Whether he's 200 feet down in the North Atlantic or combing through dusty archives, Captain Eric Takakjian is a consummate researcher who doggedly seeks to reveal the past. New England shipwrecks challenge those who seek to tell their stories; bone-chilling water, low visibility, and entangling fishing nets are only a few of the perils these authors have faced in their quest to tell "Ghost Ship" stories.”——Matthew Lawrence, NOAA Maritime Archeologist, NOAA Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary

From the Publisher