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Image Not Available for Shipwrecks and Disasters at Sea, or Historical Narratives of the Most Noted Calamities
Shipwrecks and Disasters at Sea, or Historical Narratives of the Most Noted Calamities
Image Not Available for Shipwrecks and Disasters at Sea, or Historical Narratives of the Most Noted Calamities

Shipwrecks and Disasters at Sea, or Historical Narratives of the Most Noted Calamities

Author
Publisher (1799 - 1865)
Date1848
Object number00003827
NameBook
MediumInk on paper
DimensionsOverall: 195 x 120 mm
ClassificationsBooks and journals
Credit LineANMM Collection
DescriptionThis book, titled 'Shipwrecks and Disasters at Sea, or Historical Narratives of the most noted Calamities, and Providential Deliverances from Fire and Famine, on the Ocean: With a Sketch of the Various Expedients for Preserving the Lives of Mariners by the aid of Life Boats, Life Preservers, &c.' was published in Philadelphia in 1848. It was written by Charles Ellms and contains a range of narratives of shipwreck incidents across the globe. One account details the 1833 'Fatal Wreck of the AMPHITRITE, convict ship, on the coast of France', which was bound for Australia.
HistoryCompiled by Charles Ellms, it chronicles historical narratives of 27 sea disasters from 1558 to 1833, and as good measure includes a 'Sketch of the Various Expedients for Preserving the LIVES OF MARINERS, by the aid of Life Boats, Life Preservers, etc'.


SignificanceWhile 'Shipwrecks and Disasters at Sea', along with other Ellms publications, was based on historical accounts, he was known to exaggerate the details about the shipwrecks. Critics found it difficult to determine between facts and storytelling but the genre lent itself to drama, and Ellms did much to bring sea literature, including the notion of swashbuckling pirates, into the mainstream.