Rating: 
Summary: "Full many a midnight ship with all its shrieking crew"
Review: "Great Lakes Shipwrecks & Survivals" is probably classified as a book with limited 'regional' interest, which is a shame because it deserves a much wider audience. I think it merits a place on the bestseller list next to "In the Heart of the Sea : The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex" by Nathaniel Philbrick, or "The Perfect Storm: A True Story of Men Against the Sea" by Sebastian Junger.William Ratigan, a journalist whose father was a steamboat engineer, has written a romantic, blood-curdling maritime history of the Great Lakes, starting with Champlain's canoe as it ventured out onto Lake Huron, and ending with the thousand-foot bulk freighters that now churn our waters. In his introduction, Ratigan warns the reader that even the biggest freighter is not guaranteed a safe return to port: "These great ships sail Great Lakes that can swallow them in one black moment without a trace. Storms exploding across hundreds of miles of open water pile up mountainous seas that strike swifter, and more often, than the deadliest waves on any ocean. Before the ship has a chance to recover from the last blow, the next is upon her. The Lakes captain has no sea room in which to maneuver; unlike his salt-water counterpart he must stay on course throughout the storm; he must weather the teeth of the gale." Each Lake's storms, shipwrecks, fires, and rescues gets its own section within "Great Lakes Shipwrecks & Survivals." The last section of the book's third edition (which I own) is devoted to the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, the introduction of bulk freighters into the Lakes, and the extension of the shipping season. I'm glad this book was reissued in 2000, as I will soon need a replacement copy. I reread it almost every November, when gray skies close down over the freighters that still steam up and down the Detroit River near our house. Are there captains out there, like the captains of the ill-fated Howard M. Hanna, Jr., the Daniel J. Morrell, the Carl D. Bradley, and the Edmund Fitzgerald, who are trying to squeeze in 'one last run' of the season? As Ratigan says of these captains, "...they often stay out on the Lake beyond the time of regular insurance, beyond the time of navigational prudence. Once in a while, striving to make one last trip before winter locks up the Lakes, they make one last trip indeed---the last trip forever."
Rating: 
Summary: An Ok Book
Review: "Great Lakes Shipwrecks & Survivals" is probably classified as a book with limited 'regional' interest, which is a shame because it deserves a much wider audience. I think it merits a place on the bestseller list next to "In the Heart of the Sea : The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex" by Nathaniel Philbrick, or "The Perfect Storm: A True Story of Men Against the Sea" by Sebastian Junger. William Ratigan, a journalist whose father was a steamboat engineer, has written a romantic, blood-curdling maritime history of the Great Lakes, starting with Champlain's canoe as it ventured out onto Lake Huron, and ending with the thousand-foot bulk freighters that now churn our waters. In his introduction, Ratigan warns the reader that even the biggest freighter is not guaranteed a safe return to port: "These great ships sail Great Lakes that can swallow them in one black moment without a trace. Storms exploding across hundreds of miles of open water pile up mountainous seas that strike swifter, and more often, than the deadliest waves on any ocean. Before the ship has a chance to recover from the last blow, the next is upon her. The Lakes captain has no sea room in which to maneuver; unlike his salt-water counterpart he must stay on course throughout the storm; he must weather the teeth of the gale." Each Lake's storms, shipwrecks, fires, and rescues gets its own section within "Great Lakes Shipwrecks & Survivals." The last section of the book's third edition (which I own) is devoted to the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, the introduction of bulk freighters into the Lakes, and the extension of the shipping season. I'm glad this book was reissued in 2000, as I will soon need a replacement copy. I reread it almost every November, when gray skies close down over the freighters that still steam up and down the Detroit River near our house. Are there captains out there, like the captains of the ill-fated Howard M. Hanna, Jr., the Daniel J. Morrell, the Carl D. Bradley, and the Edmund Fitzgerald, who are trying to squeeze in 'one last run' of the season? As Ratigan says of these captains, "...they often stay out on the Lake beyond the time of regular insurance, beyond the time of navigational prudence. Once in a while, striving to make one last trip before winter locks up the Lakes, they make one last trip indeed---the last trip forever."
Rating:
Summary: "Full many a midnight ship with all its shrieking crew"
Review: "Great Lakes Shipwrecks & Survivals" is probably classified as a book with limited 'regional' interest, which is a shame because it deserves a much wider audience. I think it merits a place on the bestseller list next to "In the Heart of the Sea : The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex" by Nathaniel Philbrick, or "The Perfect Storm: A True Story of Men Against the Sea" by Sebastian Junger. William Ratigan, a journalist whose father was a steamboat engineer, has written a romantic, blood-curdling maritime history of the Great Lakes, starting with Champlain's canoe as it ventured out onto Lake Huron, and ending with the thousand-foot bulk freighters that now churn our waters. In his introduction, Ratigan warns the reader that even the biggest freighter is not guaranteed a safe return to port: "These great ships sail Great Lakes that can swallow them in one black moment without a trace. Storms exploding across hundreds of miles of open water pile up mountainous seas that strike swifter, and more often, than the deadliest waves on any ocean. Before the ship has a chance to recover from the last blow, the next is upon her. The Lakes captain has no sea room in which to maneuver; unlike his salt-water counterpart he must stay on course throughout the storm; he must weather the teeth of the gale." Each Lake's storms, shipwrecks, fires, and rescues gets its own section within "Great Lakes Shipwrecks & Survivals." The last section of the book's third edition (which I own) is devoted to the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, the introduction of bulk freighters into the Lakes, and the extension of the shipping season. I'm glad this book was reissued in 2000, as I will soon need a replacement copy. I reread it almost every November, when gray skies close down over the freighters that still steam up and down the Detroit River near our house. Are there captains out there, like the captains of the ill-fated Howard M. Hanna, Jr., the Daniel J. Morrell, the Carl D. Bradley, and the Edmund Fitzgerald, who are trying to squeeze in 'one last run' of the season? As Ratigan says of these captains, "...they often stay out on the Lake beyond the time of regular insurance, beyond the time of navigational prudence. Once in a while, striving to make one last trip before winter locks up the Lakes, they make one last trip indeed---the last trip forever."
Rating: 
Summary: Great book - author seems a bit biased at times
Review: Been looking for a book like this one. Found it at the Coast Guard/maritime museum in Grand Marais, MI. It's a great read and I highly recommend it, although the author seems to be biased at times as to which lake is the worst (not saying it's a bad thing though - he seems to think Lake Erie is the worst, but I and my late great-grandfather that sailed the lakes himself think Superior is). If I find any other book by this author, I'll definitely be picking it up to read :)
Rating:
Summary: Great book - author seems a bit biased at times
Review: Been looking for a book like this one. Found it at the Coast Guard/maritime museum in Grand Marais, MI. It's a great read and I highly recommend it, although the author seems to be biased at times as to which lake is the worst (not saying it's a bad thing though - he seems to think Lake Erie is the worst, but I and my late great-grandfather that sailed the lakes himself think Superior is). If I find any other book by this author, I'll definitely be picking it up to read :)
Rating:
Summary: From the shores of Gitche Gumee to the waters of Lake Erie..
Review: I bought this book for my 10 year old son who is very interested in shipwrecks. We visited the shipwreck museum at Whitefish Point just this past summer, along with the Soo Locks. We viewed artifacts from many sunken ships. The Edmund Fitzgerald artifacts were most interesting. He has a tee shirt with a Michigan map and numbered dots for all the shipwrecks in the different lakes (over 200!) on it. Needless to say, he has really enjoyed this book and is able to relate so much of what he saw and learned this past summer to material in the book. It put it all together. It is very colorfully written, and a bit too difficult for him to read alone. So we take time together and I read it outloud to him. We have both enjoyed learning about the different disasters in history, and have developed quite a respect for those brave sailors. A good book for anyone who is interested in the maritime history of the Great Lakes.
Rating:
Summary: Colorfully written and well organized.
Review: I bought this book for my 10 year old son who is very interested in shipwrecks. We visited the shipwreck museum at Whitefish Point just this past summer, along with the Soo Locks. We viewed artifacts from many sunken ships. The Edmund Fitzgerald artifacts were most interesting. He has a tee shirt with a Michigan map and numbered dots for all the shipwrecks in the different lakes (over 200!) on it. Needless to say, he has really enjoyed this book and is able to relate so much of what he saw and learned this past summer to material in the book. It put it all together. It is very colorfully written, and a bit too difficult for him to read alone. So we take time together and I read it outloud to him. We have both enjoyed learning about the different disasters in history, and have developed quite a respect for those brave sailors. A good book for anyone who is interested in the maritime history of the Great Lakes.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book , very understandable
Review: I was hesitant to purchase this book. I am really glad I did . I enjoyed this book alot. I am now in the process of trying to find other books written by William Ratigan. He made even the most difficult maritime words and sentences easier for me to understand . I thought his life experiences was very evident in the writing of this book . He was able to give great details about the different shipwrecks and the different causes of each of the wrecks.I can't wait to find another of his books.
Rating:
Summary: Great Reading
Review: This is a very well written collection of stories about shipping disasters on the Great Lakes. The author has a very easy-going writing style that is a joy.
Rating:
Summary: Great Reading
Review: This is a very well written collection of stories about shipping disasters on the Great Lakes. The author has a very easy-going writing style that is a joy.
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