"The Sea Hunters - True Adventures with Famous Shipwrecks" - читать интересную книгу автора (Cussler Clive)

910.4'5-dc2O 96-28656 CIP

ISBN 0-684-83027-2

Acknowledgments

The authors are indebted to Joaquin Saunders, author of The Night Before Christmas; Ray Rodgers, author of Survivors of the Leopoldville Disaster, and those men of the 66dl Panther Division who survived the terrible tragedy off Cherbourg, France, on the evening of December 24, 1944, for their stories of horror and heroism. It is truly an event that should not be swept away into the mist of time.

PHOTO CREDITS

All photos not otherwise credited are the author's.

Nicholas Dean, Edgecomb, MA: 8

Denver Public Library, Western History Department: 23

Imperial War Museum, London, England: 24, 25, 26

Mariners' Museum, Newport News, VA: 1, 2, 28

Bill Shea, Lincoln, MA: 31

U.S. Naval Historical Center: 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14

Ralph Wilbanks, Isle of Palms, SC: 20, 22

To the men and women who have supported the National Underwater & Marine Agency from its inception. Through the tough times and the fun times, their loyalty has remained solid and enduring. This is merely a partial record of their remarkable achievements. Without their efforts, over sixty shipwrecks of historic significance might still lie on the bottoms of the seas and rivers, ignored and forgotten for all time. Some ships are gone, dredged out of existence or buried under modern construction. Some are still intact. Now that the way has been shown, we leave it to future generations to recover the knowledge and artifacts that remain of our maritime heritage.

And to my wife, Barbara, for her enduring patience, and my children, Teri, Dirk, and Dana, who grew up with a father who never grew up.

Contents

NUMA Advisory Board of Trustees 14

Introduction 15

PART 1 The Steamboat Lexington Through by Daylight- 1840 35

II Enter NUMA- 1983 54

PART 2

The Republic of Texas Navy Ship Zavala I A Sweet-Handling Ship1836-1842 63

II Ship in a Parking Lot- 1986 70

PART 3

U.S.S. Cumberland and C.S.S. Florida