Searching the sea for famous wrecks
The Sea Hunters II

By Clive Cussler and Craig Dirgo. Random House. 446pp. $34.95

Reviewer :: LS Rachel Irving

Clive Cussler is most famous as the author of the Dirk Pitt adventure series.

But Cussler is also one of the world’s most knowledgeable maritime diving experts and founder of NUMA, the National Underwater and Marine Agency which searches for lost ships and submarines of historic significance. (Cussler fans will recall that NUMA is also the name of the government agency in the fictional Dirk Pitt series).

The Sea Hunters II – a sequel to The Sea Hunters, mixes history with the present day. Each section begins with a fascinating account of the historical loss of the ship followed by the NUMA searches to find the wrecks.

Some of the ships we follow Cussler and Dirgo around the world to find include the famous ghost ship Mary Celeste, RMS Carpathia, the ship that rescued the Titanic survivors only to be torpedoed by a German U-boat six years later, and JFK’s PT 109.

The Sea Hunters II will appeal to history and naval buffs alike. It is a fascinating look into some of the most famous maritime events of history and how they have become significant in our modern world. It made me wonder how present-day maritime events and any future losses might be viewed by generations to come. Will they bother to search for the truth?

A good read and exactly the sort of book you can pick up, read a section and leave (if you can!) until next time.