- Paperback: 288 pages
- Publisher: International Marine (1 April 2005)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0071456309
- ISBN-13: 978-0071456302
- Product Dimensions: 22.4 x 15 x 2.3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
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131,560 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #21 in Books > Sports, Hobbies & Games > Water Sports > Scuba Diving
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Product Description
Review
"Dark Descent is a spellbinding read that perfectly describes the nightmarish conditions of diving on the wreck that remains a tomb of its victims." - Clive Cussler, author, Raise the Titanic!, The Sea Hunters, and Trojan Odyssey."
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Description
"Dark Descent makes the reader a vicarious participant in what is a very extreme sport."—Philadelphia Inquirer
On May 29, 1914, the passenger liner Empress of Ireland was struck by the freighter Storstad and sank in fifteen minutes, taking more than 1,000 victims with her. It remains one of the largest losses of life ever in a maritime accident.
At more than a hundred feet deep in the frigid Gulf of St. Lawrence, diving the Empress is like trying to navigate an unfamiliar sixty-story building lying on its side at a forty-five-degree angle, in pitch blackness with only a flashlight. In Dark Descent, Kevin McMurray takes us deep into the bowels of the lost ship, first to relive her tragic death and then to join the divers who have probed the wreck's secrets. It's an adventure from which some divers don't return.
"Impressively researched. . . . For those who love the lure of the deep water and the mysteries of shipwrecks, this specialized history will be a pleasure."—Publishers Weekly
"Kevin has a remarkable knack of adding life and realism. A great job."—R. W. Hamilton, Chairman of the Board, Divers Alert Network
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Make no mistake, this is as complete a work on the ship "Empress of Ireland" as one might wish to find. The story of the tragedy itself is told in fascinating detail and the individual accounts of personal loss, survival and even the death of a professional salvage diver in the days following the demise of this once great ship reveal a level of research which is both thorough and complete.
It all happened in 1914, only two years after the loss of the Titanic but also only a few months before Europe would be plunged into a conflict which would become known as the Great War, or the War to end all Wars. How curious, therefore, that the story of the Titanic lives on - and on, and that that of the Empress of Ireland seems to have become lost alongside the wreck itself.
Anyone wanting to know anything at all about the Empress of Ireland need hardly look further than this book - which is, indeed a job well done. My only criticism is reserved for the standard of reproduced photographs - some of which are no bigger than postage stamps and many of which are not clear.
First class reference material for historians, anyone with an interest and, especially, those contemplating diving the wreck itself. Read the book first, you might just change your mind.
NM
It all happened in 1914, only two years after the loss of the Titanic but also only a few months before Europe would be plunged into a conflict which would become known as the Great War, or the War to end all Wars. How curious, therefore, that the story of the Titanic lives on - and on, and that that of the Empress of Ireland seems to have become lost alongside the wreck itself.
Anyone wanting to know anything at all about the Empress of Ireland need hardly look further than this book - which is, indeed a job well done. My only criticism is reserved for the standard of reproduced photographs - some of which are no bigger than postage stamps and many of which are not clear.
First class reference material for historians, anyone with an interest and, especially, those contemplating diving the wreck itself. Read the book first, you might just change your mind.
NM
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
An excellently written and compelling account of the history and diving of the Empress of Ireland, a Canadian liner which sank in the Gulf of St. Lawrence in 1914. Incredibly more lives were lost in this disaster than in the sinking of the Titanic but the outbreak of the First World War and the entry of America into that conflict as a result of the sinking of the Lusitania has confined this disaster to the forgotten annals of history.
McMurray structures the book in two parts; an easily read account of the tragedy itself and a history of the diving of the wreck focussing on key diverssuch as Gary Gentle etc (names well know in the American diving community).
An overarching theme is the politics involved in the dive and the factions between various groups of divers such as French and English speakers. For example, the age-old issue of divers from countries other than the location of the wreck removing artefacts to take back home is a constant theme. In this case the Americans taking the loot from a Canadian wreck. This led to the efforts of one diver and Canadian resident to get the site protected by the federal government as a historical site thus making the removal of artefacts illegal. McMurray is as fair to the assessment of the warring factions as possible.
McMurray himself has dived the site and a chapter is devoted to his recent dive of the site. This brings to the book a real personal touch which makes us easily imagine floating through the ghostly rooms as McMurray's buddies.
For any who have read the excellent Deep Descent a similar book detailing diving of the Italian liner the Andrea Doria, there is a fair amount of death in this work as well - i.e. a narrative of all of the people who have died diving the Empress. Fortunately the number of deaths on the Empress have been comparatively few, but the book does force home the danger of the wreck.
The book is mercifully untechnical. As someone who the nearest they come to diving is rinsing their hair in the bathtub this is a blessing. However that is not to say that there is nothing in here for the amateur or professional diver, plenty is given to diving equipment, techniques and gas mixtures used by divers over the ages.
All in all an excellent and engaging read that has attempted to bring back to the historical conscience the tragic wreck of a wonderful Edwardian liner.
3 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
As with Kevin F. McMurray's earlier book Deep Descent, this book mixes the history of the ship and it's sinking along with details of it's diving history. The good thing about his knowledge of this wreck is that it is first hand. He himself is a diver with many years experience and he has actually dived The Empress or Ireland.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A Great read
A great book which can be enjoyed by divers and non-divers alike. The book contains the story of the Empress of Ireland, her sinking and rediscovery. Read more
Published on 19 Aug 2009 by P. Younger
Empress of Ireland - a deep and dangerous wreck.
I was drawn to purchase this book as I really enjoyed reading McMurrays' account of the various efforts made to explore the Andrea Doria over the years. Read more
Published on 20 May 2008 by the Doc
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