Ghostliners: Exploring the World's Greatest Lost Ships

Steve Pitt is a Toronto-based freelance writer and an award-winning journalist. He has written many young adult and children's books, including Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox.

In 1985, Robert Ballard became an instant celebrity when he discovered
the Titanic seven decades after it hit the briny bottom. Since then, he
and his underwater exploration team have added the Empress of Ireland,
the Lusitania, the Britannic, and the Andrea Doria to their diving
credits. Ballard has filmed, photographed, and written separate books
for nearly every one of these lost ships. This book is a “best of”
compilation of these famous wrecks, with most photographs and
illustrations taken from earlier works.

Even if you are not a Titanic buff, it is virtually impossible to
resist Ballard’s one-two combination of then and now photographs of
these once majestic vessels. Poignant shots, such as the one of a
child’s porcelain doll’s head resting two miles deep on an ocean
floor, put a human presence on these ships. Writing credits are shared
between Dr. Ballard and historian Rick Archbold. Incredibly detailed
paintings by renown maritime artist Ken Marschall help the reader
understand what happened to each ship and how the wrecks currently
appear after decades under water. The book’s short chapters are
designed more to whet a reader’s appetite than to sate it. Highly
recommended.