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Walton, a historian and avid coin collector, states in the very first sentence, ``This is a book about money.'' Walton chronicles Spain's exploitation of the mineral wealth of Latin America for over 300 years, showing how that wealth transformed the world financial markets. The treasure fleets transported silver and gold mined in Peru and New Spain in large convoys twice yearly to Europe and Asia. This silver, mainly in the form of eight real pieces (pieces of eight), was then circulated worldwide by trade, laying the groundwork for our precious metal-based economic system today. Walton focuses more on political and economic activites in Europe, only briefly mentioning the disastrous impact this system had upon the indigenous peoples. Extensive footnotes and detailed reading lists are supplied with each chapter. Armchair sailors who have read the works of C.S. Forester, Alexander Kent, or Dudley Pope will find this fascinating reading. Recommended for both academic and public libraries.-
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Why did Germany torpedo the Lusitania, a civilian vessel? And why did such an enormous ship sink so fast? Now, take a high-tech plunge beneath the Irish Channel and relive one of the Centuries most mysterious maritime tragedies: The date is May 7, 1915, just nine months into World War 1. A German U-boat torpedoes the Lusitania - one of the largest and fastest luxury liners in the world. Of the 1,959 people aboard, including the millionaire Alfred Vanderbilt, nearly two-thirds will die. Many are trapped inside the great ship as she sinks in just eighteen minutes. Survivors recount a mysterious, massive second blast following the torpedo hit. Was the Lusitania carrying a secret cargo of high explosives from the neutral U.S. for Britain? Some think so, but explorer and scientist Dr Robert Ballard, discoverer of R.M.S. Titanic and the German battleship Bismarck, has doubts. Join the great undersea detective on a classic National Geographic adventure, as he probes the sunken liner in two-person mini-sub for clues that could re-write history.
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On July 26, 1945, the heavy cruiser Indianapolis steamed into port at the Pacific island of Tinian, carrying a cargo that would end World War II: the uranium that would be dropped on Hiroshima just three weeks later. Having delivered its load without incident, Indianapolis moved on toward the Philippines to join the great armada moving in on Japan. Though intelligence reports assured Captain Charles McVay that the route from Guam to Leyte was safe, there were Japanese submarines active in the area. On the night of July 29, having detected with sonar the clinking of dishes aboard the Indianapolis from a distance of more than a dozen miles, the submarine I-58 sank the American ship, killing nearly 900 sailors in the explosion and its terrible aftermath. Captain McVay was quickly court-martialed for having failed to follow evasive maneuvers, "the first captain in the history of the U.S. Navy," Doug Stanton observes, "to be court-martialed subsequent to losing his ship in an act of war." Although the sailors under his command would insist that McVay had been scapegoated, and although I-58's commander testified before the court that "he would have sunk the Indianapolis no matter what course she was on," McVay was never able to clear his name. He committed suicide in 1968.Stanton captures the drama of these events in his vigorous narrative, which augments and updates Richard Newcomb's Abandon Ship!. Stanton observes that although McVay was exonerated by an act of Congress in 2000, the conviction still stands in Navy records. Stanton's book makes a powerful case for why that conviction should be overturned, and why the captain and crew of the Indianapolis deserve honor.
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The story of the Titanic right up to its rediscovery is told for more advanced, independent young readers by the man who discovered the great sunken ship.
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Wreck Valley Vol II is the most comprehensive, accurate, illustrated collection of information, photographs, sketches and stories ever written about the wrecks that lie off the Long Island, New York, and New Jersey shores. This book is a completely new updated, expanded and enhanced edition of Daniel Berg's original Wreck Valley book. Wreck Valley Vol II covers the history, legend, present condition, aquatic life and pertinent dive information on over 90 shipwrecks. This text includes over 265 illustrations comprised of 137 color photographs, 97 black and white historical images, 32 sketches, plus one map. The collection of historical photographs alone would take years of archive research to locate and would cost a small fortune if purchased separately. Many of these rare photographs have never before been published. Vol II also includes a Loran "C" List of accurate shipwrecks locations. Divers, fisherman, marine historians, armchair sailors or anyone with a general interest in history, diving or the sea will surely find this book informative, facinating and the perfect addition to their library.
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