Virginia Shipwrecks

Virginia Shipwrecks
Author: Alpheus J. Chewning
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
Total Pages: 128
Release: 2022-10-17
Genre: History
ISBN: 146710809X

Virginia has more shipwrecks than any other state in the continental United States. With 112 miles of Atlantic coast, Virginia includes almost half of the Chesapeake Bay and many major tributaries: the Lynnhaven River, the Elizabeth River, the James River, the York River, and the Rappahannock River. Since the Jamestown settlement in 1607, hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of military and merchant vessels have sailed through "the Capes," an important economic lifeline linking the United States to the rest of the world. With 3,315 miles of tidal coastline and natural enemies such as water, fire, wind, age, and human fallibility, countless ships and lives have been lost. Virginia Shipwrecks vividly illustrates their story. Alpheus J. Chewning was born and raised in Virginia and has spent many years fishing and sailing on the Chesapeake Bay. In his 27-year career with the Virginia Beach Fire Department, he served several years assigned to the city's first fireboat. He was on the board of advisors of the Virginia Beach Maritime Historical Museum and now serves on the Princess Anne County/Virginia Beach Historical Society Board of Governors.

The Shipwreck That Saved Jamestown

The Shipwreck That Saved Jamestown
Author: Lorri Glover
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company
Total Pages: 336
Release: 2008-08-05
Genre: History
ISBN: 1429930969

A freshly researched account of the dramatic rescue of the Jamestown settlers The English had long dreamed of colonizing America, especially after Sir Francis Drake brought home Spanish treasure and dramatic tales from his raids in the Caribbean. Ambitions of finding gold and planting a New World colony seemed within reach when in 1606 Thomas Smythe extended overseas trade with the launch of the Virginia Company. But from the beginning the American enterprise was a disaster. Within two years warfare with Indians and dissent among the settlers threatened to destroy Smythe's Jamestown just as it had Raleigh's Roanoke a generation earlier. To rescue the doomed colonists and restore order, the company chose a new leader, Thomas Gates. Nine ships left Plymouth in the summer of 1609—the largest fleet England had ever assembled—and sailed into the teeth of a storm so violent that "it beat all light from Heaven." The inspiration for Shakespeare's The Tempest, the hurricane separated the flagship from the fleet, driving it onto reefs off the coast of Bermuda—a lucky shipwreck (all hands survived) which proved the turning point in the colony's fortune.

Virginia Beach Shipwrecks

Virginia Beach Shipwrecks
Author: Alpheus Chewning
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
Total Pages: 126
Release: 2008-09-22
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1625843887

The waters of coastal Virginia swirl with tales both tragic and heroic. Join Virginia Beach native Alpheus Chewning as he recounts harrowing stories of storms at sea, loss of life and fortune and the heroism of the United States Life-Saving Service. Marvel at the blunders and bungles that have plagued the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel and learn about the U-boats that lurked off the coast during World War II. Extensively researched and filled with fascinating details, Virginia Beach Shipwrecks is a treasure for sea lovers of all ages.

Shipwrecks, Sea Raiders, and Maritime Disasters Along the Delmarva Coast, 1632–2004

Shipwrecks, Sea Raiders, and Maritime Disasters Along the Delmarva Coast, 1632–2004
Author: Donald G. Shomette
Publisher: JHU Press
Total Pages: 460
Release: 2007-12-17
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780801886706

Featuring the accounts of twenty-five ill-starred vessels -- some notorious and some forgotten until now -- this anthology provides a fascinating history of a local maritime culture and charts how the catastrophic events along the Delmarva coast significantly affected U.S. merchant shipping as a whole.

Chesapeake Bay Shipwrecks

Chesapeake Bay Shipwrecks
Author: William B. Cogar
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
Total Pages: 128
Release: 2020
Genre: History
ISBN: 1467128821

North America's largest estuary, the Chesapeake Bay, is fed by more than 150 major rivers and streams from parts of six states and the District of Columbia. Two hundred miles long, with a shoreline that includes more than 11,500 miles of tributaries, the bay has been a major economic lifeline since pre-Columbian times. As such, it is not surprising that the bay has seen its share of shipwrecks over the centuries-from small and large vessels foundering in storms, like the Levin J. Marvel, to naval and merchant ships of all sizes lost to collisions, fires, and wars, such as the US Coast Guard cutter Cuyahoga. The actual number of shipwrecks will never be known, but at least 3,000 in the bay and its tributaries have been documented-either in archives or newspapers or through underwater archaeology. While some wrecks saw great loss of life, others fortunately did not.

Shipwrecks of the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland Waters

Shipwrecks of the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland Waters
Author: Gary Gentile
Publisher:
Total Pages: 204
Release: 2013-06
Genre: History
ISBN: 9781883056469

GARY GENTILE'S POPULAR DIVE GUIDE SERIES Over 100 GPS and loran numbers included As suggested by the title and series name, this volume covers the most well-known wrecks sunk in the Maryland portion of the Chesapeake Bay. For each of the wrecks covered, a statistical sidebar provides basic information such as the dates of construction and loss, previous names (if any), tonnage and dimensions, builder and owner (at time of loss), port of registry, type of vessel and how propelled, cause of sinking, location (GPS and/or loran coordinates if known), and depth. In most cases, an historical photograph or illustration of the ship leads the text. Throughout the book is scattered a selection of additional photographs. Each volume is full of fascinating narratives of triumph and tragedy, of heroism and disgrace, of human nature at its best and its basest. These books are not about wood and steel, but about flesh and blood, for every shipwreck saga is a human story. Ships may founder, run aground, burn, collide with other vessels, or be torpedoed by a German U-boat. In every case, however, what is emphatically important is what happened to the people who became victims of casualty: how they survived, how they died. Also included are descriptions of the wrecks as they appear on the bottom. At the end of each volume is a bibliography of suggested reading, and a list of GPS and loran numbers of wrecks in and adjacent to the area covered. Wrecks covered in Shipwrecks of the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland Waters are: Alum Chine, American Mariner (target ship), Benjamin O. Colonna, Columbia, Columbus, Dragonet (American submarine), Express, Favorite, General J.A. Dumont, Hannibal, Herbert D. Maxwell, Levin J. Marvel, Mary A. DeKnight, Medora, Nelly White, New Jersey, S-49 (American submarine), Three Rivers, Tulip (Civil War gunboat), U-1105 (German U-boat), Wawaset, and Wilson Small. Also included is a special section about shipwrecks in Curtis Bay and Mallows Bay.

Florida's Shipwrecks

Florida's Shipwrecks
Author: Michael Barnette
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
Total Pages: 132
Release: 2008
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780738554136

The Sunshine State has a rich maritime history spanning more than five centuries. Tragically, part of that history includes thousands of ships that have met their fates in Florida waters. Potentially more than 5,000 shipwrecks reside off Florida's 1,200 miles of coastline, with hundreds more lost in the state's interior rivers. In and of itself, the Florida Keys archipelago, consisting of approximately 1,700 islands stretching 200 miles, is littered with the remains of close to 1,000 shipwrecks. In fact, many features of the Florida Keys were named after various shipwreck events, such as Fowey Rocks, which earned its name after the 1748 wrecking of the British warship HMS Fowey, and Alligator Reef, where the schooner USS Alligator met her demise in 1822. Florida's Shipwrecks utilizes captivating images to illustrate dramatic stories of danger and peril at sea, introducing readers to a fascinating cross-section of Florida's shipwreck history.

U-Boats off the Outer Banks: Shadows in the Moonlight

U-Boats off the Outer Banks: Shadows in the Moonlight
Author: Jim Bunch
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
Total Pages: 192
Release: 2017
Genre: History
ISBN: 1467137677

From January to July 1942, more than seventy-five ships sank to North Carolina's "Graveyard of the Atlantic" off the coast of the Outer Banks. German U-boats sank ships in some of the most harrowing sea fighting close to America's shore. Germany's Operation Drumbeat, led by Admiral Karl Donitz, brought fear to the local communities. A Standard oil tanker sank just sixty miles from Cape Hatteras. The U-85 was the first U-boat sunk by American surface forces, and local divers later discovered a rare Enigma machine aboard. Author Jim Bunch traces the destructive history of world war on the shores of the Outer Banks.

Shipwrecks in the Americas

Shipwrecks in the Americas
Author: Robert F. Marx
Publisher: Courier Corporation
Total Pages: 562
Release: 1987-01-01
Genre: Travel
ISBN: 048625514X

Expert guide to locating, surveying, excavating, identifying sunken vessels. Also detailed catalog of 4,000 wrecks arranged by year and locale. 73 illustrations. Bibliography.