Adventures of a Sea Hunter: In Search of Famous Shipwrecks

Peter Harmathy teaches secondary-school fine arts in Barrie, Ontario.

James Delgado, executive director of the Vancouver Maritime Museum in
Canada, is one of the world’s most sought-after marine archaeologists.
He has written nearly 30 books, including his bestseller Across the Top
of the World: The Quest for the Northwest Passage. Adventures of a Sea
Hunter gleans material from a National Geographic television series, The
Sea Hunters, hosted by Delgado.

Delgado has combed the world for shipwrecks both known and newly
discovered. His first find was an 1830 wreck located in shallow water
where a tidal surge nearly claimed his life. The deepest, the Titanic,
involved a two-mile descent in a cramped mini-sub. The Titanic, now a
memorial rather than a museum, is described as though we were entering a
hallowed ground full of stories and ghosts. Among the remarkable
discoveries are the General Harrison, sunk in 1851 and found buried 24
feet beneath street level in San Francisco’s financial district. Each
of the book’s 14 chapters describes a separate shipwreck, and each is
supplemented by black-and-white photographs or drawings.

Although the author’s syntax is occasionally awkward, one cannot
fault his captivating enthusiasm, awe, and reverence for these
underwater (and underground) marvels. We are reminded always of the
dangers of Delgado’s profession, and of the fact that archaeology is
as much about humanity as it is about science.