Tall Ships Down: The Last Voyages of the Pamir, Albatross, Marques, Pride of Baltimore, and Maria Asumpta.
By Daniel S. Parrott, Daniel Parrott
For all its romance, the tall-ship renaissance has a tragic side. Working from official documents, survivor and expert interviews, and his own tall-ship experience, Parrott re-creates the losses of five sail-training vessels: the 316-foot Pamir (1957), 117-foot Albatross (1961), 117-foot Marques (1984), 137-foot Pride of Baltimore (1986), and 125-foot Maria Asumpta (1995). He vividly re-creates each final voyage and then explortes the roles played by ship stability, structural integrity, weather, human error, and standards of risk in tragedies at sea.
Editorial Reviews
From the Back Cover
Five Stories of Tragic Loss at Sea
Once nearly swept from the seas, tall ships have experienced a fifty-year renaissance as sail training and passenger vessels. But that resurgence has had a tragic side, and professional mariner and maritime scholar Dan Parrott explores it in this groundbreaking reconstruction of five infamous losses that claimed 112 lives. Parrott's vivid re-creations of each final voyage dissect the circumstances of loss from forensic evidence, expert testimony, survivors' memories, and his own considerable experience. Rich with history and lore, Tall Ships Down shows unforgettably how small and seemingly insignificant lapses can produce fatal consequences at sea.
"In addition to being a fabulous read, Tall Ships Down is a sailing seminar for both active and armchair sailors."--Sailing
"The careful detail makes gripping reading. Not much detective fiction holds a reader's attention so well."--WoodenBoat
"A closely reasoned seaman's appraisal."--SAIL
"This extraordinary book is a must-read for anyone interested in the world of Tall Ships."--Tall Ships and Sail Training International
"An important contribution to maritime studies. . . . Parrott writes with ease and authority, carefully blending both historical and technical data."--Baltimore Sun
"If you're a fan of sea stories, you should have a great time reading Tall Ships Down."--Connecticut Post
About the Author
Daniel S. Parrott is a professional mariner with twenty years' experience in tall ships all over the world. He holds a master's degree in maritime affairs from the University of Rhode Island, an Australian Masters Certificate, and a U.S. Coast Guard license for Master of Oceans, Motor, Steam, and Auxiliary Sail, 1,600 Tons. After five years in command of the 158-foot topsail schooner Pride of Baltimore II, he now teaches navigation, seamanship, and sail training at the Maine Maritime Academy.
1 comment:
Anonymous said...
"Tall Ships Down" is no doubt an entertaining read. But what is the quality of its analyses? Unfortunately, I am only sufficiently familiar with the case of PAMIR to judge Parrott's work. At least for this case, however, I was astounded to see how he relies on secondary sources and speculations rather than primary sources and established facts. Maybe it is because the primary sources are, of course, in German. Parrott does not cite a single one of them--not even the 300+ report of the German authorities who looked into the case. True, Parrott cites and speculates many other interesting aspects. But the overall picture remains fragmented and unconvincing. If it was just about the language, why did he include the loss of PAMIR into his book? If it was not about language... what am I expect of the analyses of the other ships in the book? Are they just as uncomplete? Are they biased? I will never know unless I somehow research those cases. If I do that, however, ... what then would Parrott's book be other than a collection of references?
