These well-documented tales of the Great Lakes have the drama of men battling the elements; the suspense of daring rescue attempts; the mystery of inexplicable disappearances of ships, crews, or both; and a leavening humor in the anecdotes of stubborn sailors and wayward ships.

Here is the story of the schooner Hunter Savidge, a victim of a white squall, and the curious legends that grew up about the loss of the vessel and her passengers. Another chapter relates to the Armistice Day storm of 1940, and there is an account of the toll taken by the clay banks of Lake Erie, with a happy ending for the crew of one trapped schooner. There are the ships that have become legends: the Navy’s first iron vessel, the U.S.S. Michigan, launched in 1843, twenty years before the Monitor, and still active in service 79 years later; the famous yacht Gunilda that lies deep in Lake Superior, guarded by the victim of an ill-fated salvage operation; and the little Jupiter, the wandering “ghost” that steamed wraithlike in and out of many ports to escape her human tormentors.

Engrossing as it is authoritative, this book is a fine addition to the history of Great Lakes ships.

Publish Date : 1974-01-01