New Jersey Shipwrecks

Book excerpt: Winner of the Foundation for Coast Guard History¿s award for ¿a brilliantly researched chronicle of shipwrecks along the New Jersey Shore from 1642 to the present day.¿ New Jersey Shipwrecks takes us on a gripping voyage through the ¿Graveyard of the Atlantic,¿ a name bestowed upon the state¿s treacherous shoals and inlets. Before this coastline became a summer playground of second homes and resort beaches, it was a wild frontier of uninhabited and shifting sandbars. From the days of sail to steam and oil, ships (and submarines) have been drawn to this coast. And, for thousands of vessels, it became their final resting-place. Early rescuers braved the seas in small boats, using simple buoys and rope to help victims. Others invented new technologies to assist in rescues. Quoting from original letters and reports, Shipwrecks reveals the sense of duty and honor which prevailed in these brave rescuers. Many devoted their lives ¿ literally ¿ to help save others whose lives were turned upside down in stormy Atlantic waters. From the early wrecks of the 18th century to the present day, the life-and-death drama of maritime disasters is captured in Shipwrecks, along with the history of the U. S. Lifesaving Service (later to become the Coast Guard), lighthouses, legends, and true accounts of heroism. 142 historic photographs and illustrations are displayed in this quality, large-format softcover, which also includes a listing of the hundreds of wrecks along the New Jersey Shore, as well as an index and bibliography.