Ship of Lost Souls
The Tragic Wreck of the Steamship Valencia
by Rod Scher - Foreword by CDR. John E. Harrington - Illustrated by Molly Dumas
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Pub Date 5 Nov 2024 | Archive Date 12 Nov 2024
Globe Pequot | Lyons Press
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Description
Of all the stories of ships lost in what has come to be called the “Graveyard of the Pacific,” that of the steamship Valencia is among the saddest. In January 1906, the Valencia set out from San Francisco, bound for Seattle with 108 passengers and some sixty-five crew members aboard. Owing to bad weather and the captain’s mistakes, the ship struck a reef eleven miles off Cape Beale on the southwest coast of Vancouver Island. Rocks gashed open the ship’s hull, and a series of further missteps soon compounded the tragedy a hundredfold. Only thirty-seven people survived, largely because of a lack of lifesaving infrastructure in the rugged area where the Valencia ran aground.
The wreck of the Valencia was an especially tragic one. To begin with, most on board perished, including every woman and child, many of whom had been lashed to the rigging high above the deck in an attempt to save them from the crashing waves. Additionally, the wreck itself was almost certainly avoidable, due almost entirely to navigational errors the captain made. Finally, rescue efforts—such as they were—were hampered by not just the sea and weather but by the mistakes (and some say the cowardice) of the would-be rescuers.
This book pieces together the story of the Valencia and her tragic end, weaving together not just the threads of the ill-fated voyage itself but also relevant contextual history, including the development of radio technologies and lifesaving equipment and services that simply came too late to help the doomed voyagers.
Advance Praise
"Riveting! A stranger-than-fiction tale that memorializes the Valencia among the great lost steamships of history—and one lost in the most jaw-dropping of ways."
—Daniel Stone, national bestselling author of Sinkable: Obsession, the Deep Sea, and the Shipwreck of the Titanic
"In the story of the steamship Valencia, lost off Vancouver Island in 1906, we find some of the same hubris and human error that would lead to the sinking of the Titanic six years later. With scrupulous research and a fine eye for detail, Rod Scher recreates this maritime tragedy in a compelling and highly readable way."
—Hugh Brewster, author of Gilded Lives, Fatal Voyages: The Titanic's First-Class Passengers and Their World
"A fascinating story of tragedy, terror and drama that has been well researched and passionately told. Hard to put down once you start reading."
—Richard M. Jones, author and historian
Available Editions
EDITION | Hardcover |
ISBN | 9781493081356 |
PRICE | US$32.95 (USD) |
PAGES | 256 |
Available on NetGalley
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