The long-awaited, authoritative, and shocking history of the SS Atlantic, Nova Scotia’s worst shipwreck, written by the vessel’s acknowledged authority.
Something was occurring to the SS Atlantic in the early hours of April 1, 1873, as the lookouts watched, the steersman navigated, and the captain slept. The White Star Line ocean liner had drifted twelve miles off course due to the tide, and land was closer than anyone realised? or was ready to believe.
The SS Atlantic’s sinking would become the deadliest transatlantic passenger ship disaster before the Titanic, and despite the fact that it occurred over 150 years ago, many questions remain unresolved.
Author Bob Chaulk has uncovered never-before-reported information that answers the question historians have been grappling with for over a century: why a state-of-the-art steamship, with all equipment in perfect working order, in good weather, and commanded by officers of the world’s leading seafaring nation, ended up striking rock outside Halifax and sinking, resulting in some 550 deaths.
Chaulk tracked down numerous descendants of individuals on the site and aboard the ship over a five-year period, meticulously piecing together their stories to uncover a stunning conclusion.
Many eyewitness testimonies from passengers, crew, officers, and local rescuers are included in this highly illustrated work, which includes maps and colour images.
About the Author Robert B Chaulk
Robert G. Chaulk is the SS Atlantic Heritage Park’s historian and a recognized expert on the SS Atlantic accident. He is the author of five volumes about the maritime history of Atlantic Canada. He co-authored SS Atlantic: The White Star Line’s First Disaster at Sea, which received three literary honours, with Greg Cochkanoff. Bob is an ardent scuba diver who has done over fifty dives on the Atlantic wreck, giving him a unique viewpoint on this significant piece of Canadian history.
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