History and the Sea

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  • David W Pratt
    Senior Member
    • May 2005
    • 12324

    History and the Sea

    is the name of a course I am taking at URI. One of the books we read was The Perfect Storm, I think I am going to reccomend that they use Fastnet Force Ten in future. More factual, and it lead to changes, unlike the loss of the Andrea Gail.
    Ergo, I am interested in the collective opinion of The Bilge.
    Consider this line to be an unrelated, gratuitous, ad hominem, insult of your choice.
  • Paul Pless
    pinko commie tree hugger
    • Oct 2003
    • 124805

    #2
    Re: History and the Sea

    The Perfect Storm may have been selected because the incident's familiarity by a larger audience.

    Fastnet Force Ten is certainly an excellent evaluation of that tragedy. There are a couple of good books describing the 1998 Sydney to Hobart race that could be worthwhile.
    Simpler is better, except when complicated looks really cool.

    Comment

    • Ian McColgin
      Senior Member
      • Apr 1999
      • 51639

      #3
      Re: History and the Sea

      Rousmaniere tells the story well, just as Marchaj more profoundly identifies the important design issues, and far as that goes Parrott and Coote make important contributions to aspect of small boat safety but is it history in any real sense of the word?

      Neither is “The Perfect Storm”, except to the extent of making a turn of phrase become so ubiquitous as to become nearly useless.

      Are you all reading any Samuel Elliot Morrison? Some fantastic sea history whether you want navel or commercial. Or Mahan if you want sea power? Or check how ocean commerce established mercantilism and it’s contrast to how sea power also established extractive colonialism, all to be found in any of the many excellent histories of say the British and the Dutch East India companies, Spanish exploration, and so on.

      I guess before weighing in on a narrow question like “Perfect Storm” v. “Fastnet Force 10” I need a sense of the syllabus as it stands.

      Comment

      • S.V. Airlie
        Ancient Mariner
        • Dec 2006
        • 63914

        #4
        Re: History and the Sea

        Morrison was good. Greenlaw ( Greenbow whatever) hit the heart strings.

        Comment

        • Ian McColgin
          Senior Member
          • Apr 1999
          • 51639

          #5
          Re: History and the Sea

          So, I googled 'URI history courses', found the blurb for yours. Because "The Perfect Storm" manages in a narrative to sensitivly cover much of the current social and economic reality of the New England fishery, I think it fits the course better than a safety discussion of a sport in which few can participate and only a few more are interested. You're interested. I'm interested. Most on this Forum are interested. But as part of a broad history class? I think not.

          Comment

          • David W Pratt
            Senior Member
            • May 2005
            • 12324

            #6
            Re: History and the Sea

            The three books are: In the Heart of the Sea, by Philbrick, The Perfect Storm, and The Terrible Hours, by Mass. The last is an account of the rescue and salvage of the USS Squalus which sank off the Isles of Shoals in 1939.
            We also looked at teh loss of the Indianapolis, the Lusitania, the Pueblo, the Tonkin Gulf Incident, Exxon Valdez is coming up.

            Comment

            • Ian McColgin
              Senior Member
              • Apr 1999
              • 51639

              #7
              Re: History and the Sea

              What an interesting book list. Not what I'd have expected from the blurb.

              Comment

              • David W Pratt
                Senior Member
                • May 2005
                • 12324

                #8
                Re: History and the Sea

                You might think that Britain, the pre-emminent sea power of the 18th, 19th and early 20th century might get a mention, or Harrison, Bowditch, and hometown boy Eldridge.

                Comment

                • S.V. Airlie
                  Ancient Mariner
                  • Dec 2006
                  • 63914

                  #9
                  Re: History and the Sea

                  Originally posted by David W Pratt
                  You might think that Britain, the pre-emminent sea power of the 18th, 19th and early 20th century might get a mention, or Harrison, Bowditch, and hometown boy Eldridge.
                  Isn't it just a semester course? You can only jam so much material into a semester..I agree, if time allowed that including the topics you mentioned may have been appropriate..

                  Comment

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