Mayday: Disasters at Sea

Rating:
Summary: Does not live up to it's own hype.
Review:



According to the "blurb" on the book's back cover, this author was given "unprecedented access to the investigative procedures of the experts who pick up the pieces." Firstly, I know of no expert or department of any Company, Organisation or Government who could ever become responsible for - or even able to, pick up the pieces of a shipwreck disaster. Secondly, unprecedented access to any investigative procedure is of no use to anyone. What he should have sought was unprecedented access to their findings.

In short, this book is a collection of short stories about maritime disasters in general and, very predictably, it just had to start with the Titanic. Having reduced that great but tragic story to just 10 pages, we then get an overview of Bulk Carrier, Cruise Liner and Tanker losses - to mention but some.

This book is not of any use to me as a shipwreck historian and researcher and I would suggest it is of limited interest to those who are new to the subject.

NM.