So, I work on a 200’ passenger vessel. I’m looking for a good book to buy my port captain as she is a great mentor and her birthday is coming up. I would prefer something maritime related but I’m not going to be picky. I’ve been looking at [I]A Man and His Ship.[/I] Any recommendations for or against that book or another? Thanks so much. It’s much appreciated!
A Captain’s Duty might be a more timely book considering the movie is due to come out next month.
[QUOTE=rmb45;120078]So, I work on a 200’ passenger vessel. I’m looking for a good book to buy my port captain as she is a great mentor and her birthday is coming up. I would prefer something maritime related but I’m not going to be picky. I’ve been looking at [I]A Man and His Ship.[/I] Any recommendations for or against that book or another? Thanks so much. It’s much appreciated![/QUOTE]
I read A Man and his ship. I enjoyed it but I don’t think I would recommend it to someone unless they had an interest in the SS United States.
Seriously? You want to give that idiot any of your money?
Longitude by Dava Sobel.
Its about Harrison who invented the marine Chronometer. After multiple casualties due to navigation problems the Navy set up a competition for a method to determine position at sea - determining latitude was already possible.
He was a brilliant clockmaker who succeeded in his objective. However, the Navy could not accept the solution wasn’t to be readily found by astronomical observation alone and kept moving the goalposts, requiring more proving trials, better clocks and so on until Harrison was an old man. An amazing story - some of the other ideas in the competition were quite incredible too and are a story in themselves. Actually his Grandson found the original chronometers and became quite obsessed in restoring them.
As a Chief Officer I am always so humbled by the fact we have really only been able to determine our position with any accuracy since the early 1800’s - and in those days having a chronometer was as big a quantum leap in technology as there has ever been and you’ll see this when you read the book! And above all, appart from being a totally true story - it’s an entertaining read!
I thoroughly enjoyed “The Shipping Man”. Very enlightening and entertaining, especially considering it shines a light on the part of shipping that most at sea are NOT exposed to. As a bonus, it puts a very dry topic forward in a very entertaining way.
[QUOTE=cmakin;120118]I thoroughly enjoyed “The Shipping Man”. Very enlightening and entertaining, especially considering it shines a light on the part of shipping that most at sea are NOT exposed to. As a bonus, it puts a very dry topic forward in a very entertaining way.[/QUOTE]
“The Shipping Man” is on my reading list. I’ve been told that if you enjoyed that book “Dynasties of the Sea” is the next read, recommended by a reliable source.
[QUOTE=Kennebec Captain;120122]“The Shipping Man” is on my reading list. I’ve been told that if you enjoyed that book “Dynasties of the Sea” is the next read, recommended by a reliable source.[/QUOTE]
Thanks for the recommendation. I will look for that one. I have lots of maritime books to recommend. Longitude, as noted above is one of them. “The Grey Seas Under” is another. A collection of the Colin Glencannon stories by Guy Kilpatrick is also a good recommendation.
[QUOTE=cmakin;120132]Thanks for the recommendation. I will look for that one. I have lots of maritime books to recommend. Longitude, as noted above is one of them. “The Grey Seas Under” is another. A collection of the Colin Glencannon stories by Guy Kilpatrick is also a good recommendation.[/QUOTE]
Just down loaded [I]“Dynasties of the Sea[/I]”, a quick glance I think it’s going to be good, especially for you guys with a good insight on the shore side of shipping.
As to[I] Grey Seas Under,[/I],a C/E once asked me "What are you doing here? Did you read the wrong books when you were a kid? Yes, and that was one of them
I read “Grey Seas Under” during a winter trip from Lake Charles to Puerto Rico on a Crowley tug. Loved the “special effects” while reading. . .
I’ve read The Shipping Man, Longitude and Dynasties of the Sea and can ditto those recommendations. I also recommend the true stories Seized by Max Hardberger and In Peril: A Daring Decision, A Captain’s Resolve and the Salvage that Made History by Skip Strong and Twain Baden. All 5 are good reads!