The Sea Hunters: True Adventures With Famous Shipwrecks
Encyclopedia
The Sea Hunters: True Adventures with Famous Shipwrecks is a nonfiction work by adventure novelist Clive Cussler
published in the United States in 1996. This work details the authors search for famous shipwrecks with his nonprofit organization NUMA. There is also a television series titled The Sea Hunters which is based on the book. It airs on the National Geographic Channel
and History Television
in Canada.
funded and participated in an attempt to find John Paul Jones's
famous Revolutionary warship, the USS Bonhomme Richard
. The expedition was not successful, however, it eventually led to the formation of a nonprofit organization named after the fictional agency in his novels, the National Underwater and Marine Agency
and dedicated to the discovery of famous shipwrecks around the world. In The Sea Hunters, Cussler documents the search for nine famous shipwrecks while also offering dramatized imaginings on the events that led up to the loss of the ship. To date, the group's most successful find is the discovery of the final resting place of the Confederate submarine Hunley
, detailed in Part 6. The Hunley was later raised and is currently undergoing restoration in the hopes that it will later be available for public view.
Clive Cussler
Clive Eric Cussler is an American adventure novelist and marine archaeologist. His thriller novels, many featuring the character Dirk Pitt, have reached The New York Times fiction best-seller list more than seventeen times...
published in the United States in 1996. This work details the authors search for famous shipwrecks with his nonprofit organization NUMA. There is also a television series titled The Sea Hunters which is based on the book. It airs on the National Geographic Channel
National Geographic Channel
National Geographic Channel, also commercially abbreviated and trademarked as Nat Geo, is a subscription television channel that airs non-fiction television programs produced by the National Geographic Society. Like History and the Discovery Channel, the channel features documentaries with factual...
and History Television
History Television
History Television is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel that presents programming about history and some non-historical programming of military, science and technology interest. It is owned by Shaw Media. Its French language counterpart is Historia.The channel operates two...
in Canada.
Synopsis
In 1978 adventure novelist Clive CusslerClive Cussler
Clive Eric Cussler is an American adventure novelist and marine archaeologist. His thriller novels, many featuring the character Dirk Pitt, have reached The New York Times fiction best-seller list more than seventeen times...
funded and participated in an attempt to find John Paul Jones's
John Paul Jones
John Paul Jones was a Scottish sailor and the United States' first well-known naval fighter in the American Revolutionary War. Although he made enemies among America's political elites, his actions in British waters during the Revolution earned him an international reputation which persists to...
famous Revolutionary warship, the USS Bonhomme Richard
USS Bonhomme Richard (1765)
|-External links:** Clive Cussler recounts his elusive search for the Bonhomme Richard....
. The expedition was not successful, however, it eventually led to the formation of a nonprofit organization named after the fictional agency in his novels, the National Underwater and Marine Agency
National Underwater and Marine Agency
The National Underwater and Marine Agency , originally an organization within the fiction of author Clive Cussler, is a private non-profit organization in the United States...
and dedicated to the discovery of famous shipwrecks around the world. In The Sea Hunters, Cussler documents the search for nine famous shipwrecks while also offering dramatized imaginings on the events that led up to the loss of the ship. To date, the group's most successful find is the discovery of the final resting place of the Confederate submarine Hunley
H. L. Hunley (submarine)
H. L. Hunley was a submarine of the Confederate States of America that played a small part in the American Civil War, but a large role in the history of naval warfare. The Hunley demonstrated both the advantages and the dangers of undersea warfare...
, detailed in Part 6. The Hunley was later raised and is currently undergoing restoration in the hopes that it will later be available for public view.
Contents
- Part 1: The Steamboat LexingtonSteamship LexingtonThe paddlewheel steamship Lexington was the fastest vessel which traveled from New York City to Boston during 1835-1840. It sank on January 14, 1840 after catching fire the previous evening.-The Ship:...
- Part 2: The Republic of Texas NavyTexas NavyThe Texas Navy was the official navy of the Republic of Texas. Two Texas Navies were naval fighting forces. There is a “Third and Honorary” Texas Navy, in which officers are commissioned by the Governor of Texas as Admirals, Commanders and Lieutenants....
ship ZavalaTexan schooner ZavalaThe Texan steamship Zavala was a Texas Navy ship in Texas' second Navy after the Texas Revolution. She was the first steamship-of-war in the Texas Navy.-Background of the Texas Navy:... - Part 3: and CSS FloridaCSS SelmaCSS Selma was a steamship in the Confederate States Navy during the American Civil War.Selma was a coastwise packet built at Mobile, Alabama for the Mobile Mail Line in 1856. Little doubt now remains that she was originally named Florida...
- Part 4: CSS ArkansasCSS ArkansasThe CSS Arkansas was a Confederate Ironclad warship during the American Civil War. Serving in the Western Theater, the vessel ran through a U.S. Navy fleet at Vicksburg, Mississippi, on 15 July 1862, in a celebrated action in which she inflicted more damage than she received...
- Part 5:
- Part 6: The Confederate Submarine H. L. HunleyH. L. Hunley (submarine)H. L. Hunley was a submarine of the Confederate States of America that played a small part in the American Civil War, but a large role in the history of naval warfare. The Hunley demonstrated both the advantages and the dangers of undersea warfare...
- Part 7: The Lost LocomotiveLocomotiveA locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
of Kiowa CreekKiowa Creek-References:**USGS Hydrologic Unit Map - State of Texas... - Part 8: , , and .
- Part 9: The Troop Transport
- Part 10: A listing of the sixty-four shipwreck sites documented by the National Underwater and Marine Agency
Release Details
- 1996, USA, Simon & Schuster 0-684-83027-2, October 7, 1996, Hardcover.
- 1997, USA, Pocket 0-671-00180-9, August 1, 1997, Paperback.