What finally happened to the USS Arkansas, the Pennsylvania, the Saratoga? Naval historian Kermit (Kit) H. Bonner follows the stories of more than 30 battleships, cruisers and destroyers to their final destinations. Some survive as public museums, some became foreign naval vessels, others wound up in scrapyards or rest eternally at the bottom of the sea. Hundreds of one-of-a-kind photos illustrate the proud heritage of these former rulers of the waves, as well as the men who sailed them.

The Eternity is a Swiss death ship. It ventures into international waters to offer its passengers, each of whom is terminally ill, a quiet, peaceful death for a fee of $25,000. Young Robert Hoskins, fresh out of medical school and broke, signs on to be a ship's doctor. He is appalled with what is happening and becomes emotionally involved with his dying patients. The ship's director, Heinrich Hauser, is a stern, militaristic Swiss manager who demands that Hoskins kill, not save, his patients. Hoskins openly defies the system and is terminated. The young doctor is determined to get revenge. He learns Hauser is selling organs taken from patients. He tells the media, and the organ sales scam becomes an international incident. Action and excitement escalates as Hauser goes berserk and tries to kill Hoskins. The ship steams out of control as the crew and passengers hide. Several are shot and killed and US Navy Seals are brought aboard to help quell the rampage.

Maritime historian and researcher James K. Barnett transcribed two extraordinary, little-known journals from Captain James Cook’s third exploratory voyage. They offer remarkable eyewitness accounts at the time of initial European contact, the first reasonably accurate maps of North America’s west coast, the earliest comprehensive report from the Bering Sea ice pack, and the dramatic story of Cook’s death at Kealakekua Bay. Astonishing for accounts of landings along Hawai'i, Vancouver Island, and Alaska, both chronicles languished in Australian archives for over a century. Barnett adds context and commentary to complete the story. Commissioned by the British Admiralty, Cook set sail in July 1776 to confirm the outline of North America’s Pacific coastline and search for the elusive Northwest Passage. The expedition’s sailing ships, the Resolution and the Discovery, traveled to the South Seas, then chanced upon the Hawaiian Islands before reaching the Oregon coastline and the Arctic. Cook chose to winter in the Hawaiian archipelago, where he died in a skirmish. His crews made a second attempt to find the coveted route, then returned to England after more than four years at sea. James Burney was first lieutenant on the Discovery. Active in shore parties and chart preparation, he saw Cook’s death from the ship’s deck. One of the few accounts from the consort vessel, his writing provides new details and important, thoughtful impressions of North and South Pacific people and places. Working under the notorious William Bligh, Henry Roberts was Master's Mate on the Resolution, performing essential hydrographic and cartographic tasks. He was a few feet away when Cook was killed. His well-illustrated logbook includes coordinates, tables of routes, and records of weather at sea, but also lively accounts of shore excursions. Illustrations include maps and drawings, as well as images by the expedition’s official artist, John Webber.

To the delight of millions of Patrick O'Brian fans, here is the final, partial installment of the Aubrey-Maturin series, for the first time in paperback. Blue at the Mizzen (novel #20) ended with Jack Aubrey getting the news, in Chile, of his elevation to flag rank: Rear Admiral of the Blue Squadron, with orders to sail to the South Africa station. The next novel, unfinished and untitled at the time of the author's death, would have been the chronicle of that mission, and much else besides. The three chapters left on O'Brian's desk are presented here both in printed version-including his corrections to the typescript-and a facsimile of his manuscript, which goes several pages beyond the end of the typescript to include a duel between Stephen Maturin and an impertinent officer who is courting his fiancée. Of course we would rather have had the whole story; instead we have this proof that O'Brian's powers of observation, his humor, and his understanding of his characters were undiminished to the end. Includes a Facsimile of the Manuscript.

In October 1866, a powerful Category 4 hurricane struck the Bahamian Islands. With winds well over 140 miles per hour and even higher gusts that toppled trees, sank ships, peeled away rooftops, and destroyed vital infrastructures, the massive storm battered the islands with great ferocity. When the seas finally calmed and the winds died down, the massive storm had killed more than 387 people in the Bahamas alone and left a massive trail of destruction. Author Wayne Neely, a leading authority on Bahamian and Caribbean hurricanes, shares an engaging account of how the hurricane of 1866 not only devastated the islands, but also altered the course of Bahamian history forever. While demonstrating how the hurricane significantly impacted the wrecking and salvaging industry, Neely also educates others about the complex set of weather conditions that contribute to hurricanes. He includes fascinating stories of survival and heroism as the storms victims struggled to move forward in the midst of tragedy. Hurricanes are no novelty to the Bahamas, but all who were lucky enough to live through the howling winds and the terror of a sky filled with flying debris surely never forgot The Great Bahamas Hurricane of 1866.

Includes facsimile of the manuscript.