Hicks, Brian. Ghost Ship: The Mysterious True Story of the Mary Celeste and Her Missing Crew.HICKS, Brian. Ghost ship; the mysterious true story of the Mary Celeste and missing crew. Random House, Ballantine Books. 288p. notes, bibliog, index, c2004. 0-345-46665-9. $14.95. SA The tale of the Mary Celeste undoubtedly heads the long, long list of "mysteries of the sea," and it will continue to be told and retold re·told v. Past tense and past participle of retell. as long as people are fascinated by yarns about ships and the ocean. Like all really good puzzle tales, this one is true, yet full of tantalizing tan·ta·lize tr.v. tan·ta·lized, tan·ta·liz·ing, tan·ta·liz·es To excite (another) by exposing something desirable while keeping it out of reach. clues that point in all directions. The basic facts of the tragedy are not in dispute. The little trading brigantine was only about 100 feet long--about the same size as the Golden Hind or, for that matter, a modern tugboat tugboat, small, strongly built vessel, used to guide large oceangoing ships into and out of port and to tow barges, dredging and salvage equipment, and disabled vessels. . On December 4, 1872, she was discovered sailing peacefully in the North Atlantic, slightly tattered by only a few days' neglect: perfectly normal except for her crew, which was strangely missing. The ship's papers were in order, the possessions of all were undisturbed, and there was no sign of a leak or any other hazard. The only clues were a frayed halyard hal·yard also hal·liard n. Nautical A rope used to raise or lower a sail, flag, or yard. [Alteration (influenced by yard1) of Middle English halier, from hanging over the size, and the ship's missing lifeboat. Urban legends about the puzzle soon hatched out like mayflies: there was food on the galley table--still warm! Mysterious marks on the hull must have been made by a giant squid] A powerful curse had been laid on the ship when it was launched--probably voodoo! The story is also irresistible to modern literary detectives as well, many of whom have broken into print with their own plausible-sounding theories. The incident happened not really all that long ago, the ship's history and movements were well documented, and information about the captain and crew is easy to find. The latest and most respectable of these recreations is this title, authored by the South Carolina journalist who recently wrote about the recovery of a lost Confederate submarine in Raising the Hunley. Brian Hicks has done a workmanlike work·man·like adj. Befitting a skilled artisan or craftsperson; skillfully done. workmanlike Adjective skilfully done: a neat workmanlike job Adj. 1. job of reviewing all that is really known about the Mary Celeste, thoroughly studied all of the theories, and arrived at his own conclusions in a systematic manner. Best of all, he is a skillful storyteller who will hold the interest of YAs and adult readers as well. Raymand Puffer puffer, common name for some tropical marine fish of the family Tetraodontidae. The puffers and their allies, the boxfish, the porcupinefish, and the ocean sunfish or headfish, form an odd group (order Tetraodontiformes). , Ph.D., Historian, Edwards AFB AFB abbr. acid-fast bacillus AFB Acid-fast bacillus, also 1. Aflatoxin B 2. Aorto-femoral bypass , Lancaster, CA |
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