Shipwrecks fascinate us. They
stir our curiosity, raising questions, some of which can
never be answered. The first is unknown, although the
oldest one found dates to 400 BC. They are evidence that
no matter how hard we try to tame the ocean, powerful
forces disabuse us of this. We still continue to try.
Shipbuilding, trade, and
travel have long been tied to Maine’s history, yet the
state’s coastal waters are also the final resting place
for many vessels. One thousand six hundred are documented,
but we may never know the full count because prior to
1874, it wasn’t necessary to report such sea disasters and
witness accounts didn’t always agree. The 3,500 miles of
shoreline is treacherous, with many hidden dangers, and
the names of offshore islands – Deadman Ledge, Devil’s
Island, Hell Gate, Burial Island – portend this peril.
Then there are the structural failures, human error,
manmade dangers, and the whims of Mother Nature that are
also responsible for endangering lives and ships that
venture near these shores.
An integral part of the
history of shipwrecks is man’s attempts to prevent them.
The first lighthouse in Maine began operating in 1791. The
US Life-Saving Service, a forerunner of the US Coast
Guard, helped rescue crew, passengers, and property
beginning in 1848. The seventeen chapters of this book
recount “stories of tragedy and triumph, loss and
salvation, [and] can serve as cautionary tales and
reminders of the sea’s mighty dominance and will.” (xv)
Following her introduction,
Plumb shares the earliest account of a Maine shipwreck,
which Governor William Bradford of Plymouth Colony
recorded in 1624. She also chronicles losses during the
Great Colonial Hurricane in 1635 and the story of the James,
which found herself in the midst of a hurricane. Among her
passengers was the Reverend Richard Mather, whose
offspring would become famous Boston theologians.
Plumb writes a history of
shipwrecks and other maritime disasters that is at times
gripping, at times hopeful, and often poignant. Those
familiar with Maine’s history may be familiar with many of
these tales, such as that of Katherine Bright who kept the
light on Boon Island burning for five days after a storm
killed her husband, or the Penobscot Expedition during the
Revolutionary War, which ranked as the US Navy’s worst
defeat until Pearl Harbor, or the 1813 battle between HMS
Boxer and the USS Enterprise, in which
both captains died. Many readers, however, are introduced
to new accounts of cannibalism, heroism, deplorable
exploitation, puzzling disappearances, ghosts, nightmares
foretelling doom, frozen lovers, a concrete ship, and a
German U-boat on the hunt. There’s even the story of the Royal
Tar, an early steamship that caught fire while
transporting a circus.
This is a worthy addition to
any maritime collection. A list of sources is provided
and, although there is no index, the recounting of
shipwrecks and disasters unfold mostly in chronological
order. A great, yet haunting, read on a dark and stormy
night.
Review Copyrighted ©2021 Cindy
Vallar
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