Old Bookaroo
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- Dec 4, 2008
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Pirate Hunters; Treasure, Obsession, and the Search for a Legendary Pirate Ship by Robert Kurson (New York: 2015).
If this book isn’t on your Christmas Wish List it ought to be. It is outstanding! The author of the fascinating Shadow Divers has done it again with a first-rate story about the search for pirate Joseph Bannister’s shipwrecked vessel the Golden Fleece on the north coast of Dominican Republic.
Kurson weaves Bannister’s story (which ties directly to Sir William Phips and his salvage of the Concepcion on the Silver Bank north of Hispaniola) with the search for his ship. Personally, there are times when it would have been more clear to not cut back and forth quite so much - but this is Mr. Kurson’s work, not my own.
The long back story on the two principals may be more than some people care to know about them. But the history and the detailed account of a modern hunt for sunken treasure is extraordinary. As the book points out, international laws may have already made such an expedition a thing of the past, like Bannister himself.
There are the nagging little errors that creep into any treasure hunting book that hasn’t been written by an expert. It’s highly unlikely any Caribbean treasure diver is going to be looking for the wooden remains of a 17[SUP]th[/SUP] century wreck. Shrapnel was invented by a British army General in the 1800’s. Cannon in the late 17[SUP]th[/SUP] century were firing solid shot - not shells. Grape shot was much more common than canister aboard ships. And, particularly on the pirate side of the affair, langrage was more common than grape shot. I believe Mr. Kurson believed too much of Barry Clifford’s publicity.
Again, these are small mistakes and they really don’t detract from an excellent book. This is a valuable contribution to sunken treasure literature.
If this book isn’t on your Christmas Wish List it ought to be. It is outstanding! The author of the fascinating Shadow Divers has done it again with a first-rate story about the search for pirate Joseph Bannister’s shipwrecked vessel the Golden Fleece on the north coast of Dominican Republic.
Kurson weaves Bannister’s story (which ties directly to Sir William Phips and his salvage of the Concepcion on the Silver Bank north of Hispaniola) with the search for his ship. Personally, there are times when it would have been more clear to not cut back and forth quite so much - but this is Mr. Kurson’s work, not my own.
The long back story on the two principals may be more than some people care to know about them. But the history and the detailed account of a modern hunt for sunken treasure is extraordinary. As the book points out, international laws may have already made such an expedition a thing of the past, like Bannister himself.
There are the nagging little errors that creep into any treasure hunting book that hasn’t been written by an expert. It’s highly unlikely any Caribbean treasure diver is going to be looking for the wooden remains of a 17[SUP]th[/SUP] century wreck. Shrapnel was invented by a British army General in the 1800’s. Cannon in the late 17[SUP]th[/SUP] century were firing solid shot - not shells. Grape shot was much more common than canister aboard ships. And, particularly on the pirate side of the affair, langrage was more common than grape shot. I believe Mr. Kurson believed too much of Barry Clifford’s publicity.
Again, these are small mistakes and they really don’t detract from an excellent book. This is a valuable contribution to sunken treasure literature.
