Rating: 
Summary: A Wonderful Read in Every Respect
Review: "Ship of Gold" is a wonderful read. What I most appreciated was its approach to adventure and science on the same intense level. This is a book that will inspire you- not to go searching for sunken treasure, but to set your mind on a goal and do whatever it takes to reach it. Tommy Thompson had to ask himself a huge question. How can a 150 year old ship of gold be found in 8,000 feet of water, and how can its treasure possibly be salvaged safely and effectivly from that depth? The answer lies in robotics and engineering. Thompson, a trained engineer, had to pull together a team of dedicated workers and invent the technology no one had sucsessfully been able to make before. Throw in a rival treasure hunting team following them at sea looking for the same wreck, and you have a story of unparalelled adventure and wonder, every bit as exciting and page-turning as it is informative and facsinating. On top of that, Kinder has a written a fantastic account of the ships final days and moments, which he splits up and weaves in between chapters on Thompson and his growing ideas for finding the wreck. The paralel stories grow together as the book progresses, placing us inside Thompsons head to understand his desire and iron will for finding the Ship of Gold. This is a book that should not be missed- please do yourself a favor and read it.
Rating:
Summary: Absorbing
Review: This book had a fantastic layout. The historical accounts mixed with the ongoing events of an incredible engineering feat. The tension of the searches, and the battles of competition during the search. This is a must read and will put analytical people in awe..
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding from a former sea farer
Review: I have travelled half the world by ship and this read is true to the fact. A great read even for the non sailors. The story transitions smoothly and will keep you reading on.
Rating:
Summary: A Must Read Book for Every Engineer or Engineering Student
Review: The title sounds weird but I really mean it. As a educator of pre-engineering students at a local two-year college I can think of no better book to introduce a student to what a truly gifted engineer does. If you have a friend, child, collegue, whatever who has a bit of engineer in them, get them this book and have them read it. If you are an engineer or love to tinker on old cars, planes, trains, etc. you won't be able to put this down.The disaster and man vs. nature storyline is enough to hook anyone but for those with a technical or mechanical bent, the descriptions of the problems encountered and surmounted in recovering the gold take the book beyond almost every other recent work in the genre.
Rating:
Summary: Ship of Gold (in the Deep Blue Sea)
Review: I highly recommend this book as a clearly written, exciting description of the technical aspects of the search for, and discovery of the wreck of the Central America. Gary Kinder has avoided making an interesting story dull by use of a conversational tone, and an interesting juxtaposition of a description of the sinking of the ship,and the description of the organization and description of the Columbus-America partnerships discovery of the wreck 130 years later. I expected a fairly dry recitation of the facts, and was pleasantly surprised to have an almost couldn't put it down book. While a little more space could have been devoted to the artifacts recovered, overall the book is an excellent example of non-fiction writing and enjoyable to read.
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