Peter Freuchen's Book of the Seven Seas

Description

PETER FREUCHEN’S BOOK OF THE SEVEN SEAS By PETER FREUCHEN with David Loth Here is the sea as only Freuchen can write about it ...a wonderful volume filled with story, lore and legend ... with history and fact ... with myths and strange tales... with magnificent illustrations The “Vagrant Viking,” as millions of readers of his previous books and articles know him, has drawn on his vast knowledge of nautical fact and legend, and on his fantastic personal experiences, to write his Book of the Seven Seas. In these pages, readers will wrestle with sea monsters, drift endlessly in hot dead calms, face the wildest storms, battle mighty navies, see strange sights. And they will join the scientists and explorers on their expeditions into the sea and across it — to discover new forms of life, new sources of wealth, new lands to conquer. Peter Freuchen paints an exciting, colorful picture of man’s adventures on the sea — from the first prehistoric voyages in open rafts to daring scientific explorations in bathispheres. He tells of the sailors who fought for fame and glory. the traders who risked their lives for wealth, and the ‘galley slaves who sought only their eventual freedom. He exposes the “scavengers” of the sea - the pirates and privateers, the whale hunters, the “wreckers” who placed lights on rocky shoals to lure unsuspecting ships to disaster. He tells of the greatest battles of the seven seas — from the destruction of the Persian fleet at Salamis, a model for naval warfare even today ... to the great conflict at Leyte Gulf in the Philippines, where the two largest fleets ever massed sealed the final outcome of World War II. The inimitable Freuchen shows us the great mysteries of the sea itself — the monstrous waves over 100 feet high ... the rivers and currents flowing between underwater mountains and valleys ... its “ghost ships” and “mermaids” and “sea serpents” that sailors swear to have seen... the seas within seas, like the Sargasso, with its ancient legend of dead sailing ships manned by dead crews sailing interminably in great endless circles. He tells us of the great treasures of the sea — food, jewels, oil, minerals ... of the millions of dollars worth of gold in each cubic mile of water and of those who have tried to extract it. Peter Freuchen writes not only about the past and the present, but predicts what may happen to the oceans of the future — how melting glaciers could raise the level of the ocean and flood our coastal cities ... what would happen if a major earthquake knocked out the Gulf Stream... and a bizarre but feasible plan to dam the Bering Strait and pump warm Pacific waters into the Arctic, converting Siberia and Northern Canada into a flourishing and fertile agricultural region. Peter. Freuchen’s Book of the Seven Seas is packed from cover to cover with wonderful stories, lively anecdotes and little-known facts. It captures all the irresistible lure of the seven seas, the fish and plants that inhabit them, the birds that fly over them, the men and ships that sail on them. The result of many years of exploration and research, this is truly a magnificent volume. List of Illustrations 11 Foreword by Peter Freuchen 15 Part 1 THE SHAPE OF THE SEA Chapter 1. ‘The Birth of the Ocean 21 Chapter 2. ‘The Changing Face of the Waters 25 Chapter 3. The Magic Figure 33 Chapter 4. A Glimpse of the Future 44 Part II LIFE IN THE SEVEN SEAS Chapter 5. Genesis 53 Chapter 6. Population Problem 59 Chapter 7. Feast and Famine 64 Chapter 8. Beauties and Beasts 69 Chapter 9. Courtship in the Sea 78 Chapter 10. High 1.Q. 82 Part III THE SEA IN ACTION Chapter 11. The Tides 89 Chapter 12. The Winds 96 Chapter 13. The Currents 105 Chapter 14. The Waves 116 Part IV THE SHIPS OF THE SEVEN SEAS Chapter 15. The Pioneers 127 Chapter 16. Civilization and Navigation 134 Chapter 17. Manpower 141 Chapter 18. Wind Driven 150 Chapter 19. Steam 166 Chapter 20. The Motorship 177 Chapter 21. The Submarine 180 Part V THE GREAT VOYAGES Chapter 22. The Kon-Tiki 191 Chapter 23. South to Africa 204 Chapter 24. First to America 208 Chapter 25. Westward the Course 215 Chapter 26. Around the World 225 Chapter 27. North East Passage 252 Chapter 28. All for Science 260 Chapter 29. North to the Pole 265 Chapter 30. South to the Pole 275 Chapter 31. The New Unknown 283 Part VI BATTLES AT SEA Chapter 32. The Battle of Salamis 297 Chapter 33. The Battle of Svoldr 301 Chapter 34. The Battle of Lepanto 307 Chapter 35. The Defeat of the Armada 315 Chapter 36. The Battle of Trafalgar 322 Chapter 37. The Merrimac and the Monitor 328 Chapter 38. Battles of Our Time 335 Chapter 39. The Irregulars 343 Part VII TREASURES OF THE SEVEN SEAS Chapter 40. Food from the Sea 363 Chapter 41. Mining the Sea 369 Chapter 42. With Harpoon and Club 374 Chapter 43. Jewels from the Sea 389 Chapter 44. Sunken Treasure 399 Chapter 45. Black Ivory 407 Chapter 46. The Greatest Treasure 419 Part VIII THE ISLANDS OF THE SEVEN SEAS Chapter 47. The Romantic Islands 433 Chapter 48. The Rugged Islands 443 Chapter 49. The Lonely Islands 450 Part IX THE LAW OF THE SEVEN SEAS Chapter 50. The Rights of Men and Property 463 Part X STRANGE TALES FROM THE SEVEN SEAS Chapter 51. Supernatural Stories 475 Chapter 52. Wonders and Marvels 482 Chapter 53. Mystery and Adventure 491 Index 505