The Shipwreck Hunter: A Lifetime of Extraordinary Discoveries on the Ocean Floor

Shipwreck hunter Mearns provides an at times riveting, at times ponderous collection of his experiences planning, funding, and executing successful searches for sunken ships. Mearns succinctly summarizes the historical contexts for each of the ships he locates, from his early search for the Lucona (which sank in 1977) to determine the innocence or guilt of the owner, accused of insurance fraud and murder, to his explorations of historically important ships lost in war, such as the HMS Hood and HMAS Sydney. The book is at its most exciting in recounting the search for the ships and relating the events that led to their sinkings, including the heroic efforts of crews to protect their ships and ensure the safety of all on board; one second mate of a hospital ship managed to rope together 50 survivors on various pieces of debris to create a “survival island.” The narrative flounders, though, when the focus shifts to the complex efforts and political maneuvers needed to secure funding from governmental bodies and the BBC to document his explorations. Mearns’s unique perspective on the art and science of locating shipwrecks makes for fascinating reading. Agent: George Lucas, InkWell Management. (June)