Shipwrecks in the Americas

by Robert F. Marx

Book Overview

In 1623, a fleet from Havana was struck by a storm at the mouth of the Bahama Channel somewhere near the coast of Florida. "The treasure-laden galleon Espiritu Santo el Mayor, 480 tons, Captain Antonio de Soto, opened up and sank so quickly that only 50 of the 300 persons aboard her could be saved by other ships, and all her treasure -- amounting to 1 million pesos, was totally lost."
Such catastrophes at sea -- among many described in...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 048625514X
• ISBN13: 9780486255149
• Release Date: November 2011
• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Length: 560 Pages
• Weight: 1.32 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Selected information on Shipwrecks from the days of Columbus to 1825

From Introduction by author: "This book is written in order to assist the treasure-hunter who has already located a wreck to identify it, and to convince a wreck-hunter that a certain area would be the best to search or that a certain wreck might be the most lucrative to go after. For my research I have amassed a file comprising data on more than 28,500 shipwrecks around the world, dating from the time of the Greeks to modern days. To write about these wrecks would amount to a work of many volumes, so I had to be very selective an concentrate on the most significant shipwrecks lost in the Western Hemisphere dating from the time of Columbus until about 1825." *** Contents: * Preface to the 1975 Edition * Introduction PART ONE 1 - The Ships 2 - Early Salvors, Treasure-Hunters, and Marine Archaeology 3 - Locating Shipwrecks 4 - Surveying, Mapping, and Excavating a Site 5 - Identification and Dating of Shipwrecks and Their Cargoes 6 - Preservation of Artifacts PART TWO 1 - Canada 2 - The United States 3 - Florida 4 - Mexico 5 - The Lesser Antilles 6 - Bermuda 7 - The Bahamas 8 - Cuba 9 - Hispanolia 10 - Jamaica and the Cayman Islands 11 - Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands 12 - Central America and Off-Lying Areas 13 - South America * Selected Bibliography *******

Wonderful Reading

Mr. Marx has written a wonderful book, which should be of value to anyone interested in sunken treasure. It is a labor of love, by a man who has lived an exciting life searching successfully for both treasure and historic material.The book begins with a wonderful and very detailed history of the Spanish treasure fleets - and their impact on Europe, based on extensive research by the author. This is a most impressive and detailed scholarly effort, and alone justifies a read by anyone interested in the conquest of the New World and the effects of this newfound wealth on Old Europe. The book then discusses modern salvage techniques and provides the would-be treasure hunter with helpful advice on how to conduct a search. I believe that anyone considering actually conducting an operation would be well advised to read this material and follow Mr. Marx's excellent advice.The rest of the book consists of an index of known shipwrecks off the coasts and islands of the Americas, by location, and a brief history of each. Many brave souls are asleep in the deep, and Marx has created a wonderful testament to them.

Encyclopedic Review

This is not a book for the casual reader -- the text on underwater archaeology can be somewhat dense and technical, and the listings of shipwrecks are encyclopedic, not narrative. However, if you are a wreck diver, shipwreck enthusiast or archaeologist, this is a useful reference volume. Marx's knowledge of the subject matter is obvious, though put to more enjoyable use in his books on the underwater excavation of Port Royal.