Disaster Off Martha's Vineyard

On May 19, 2014, I spoke about this disastrous shipwreck at Tales of Cape Cod on in Barnstable, MA.  Here's a link to a YouTube video of my talk.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KzUo-JDe2k&feature=youtu.be

This dramatic tragedy occurred a quarter century before the Titanic. The shipwreck occurred off Gay Head in the brutal winter of 1884. More than a hundred innocent souls died due to a confluence of errors and miscues where common sense and following orders were absent without leave.
​The sinking of the City of Columbus lives on in Vineyard lore.

Author John Hough suggested I write this book, even though his grandfather had written Disaster Off Devil's Bridge about the same ship, a half century ago.  I had access to internet research, and I was fortunate to meet the man who discovered the sunken wreck, in the summer of 2000.  It's a very dramatic tale.

The author reading Disaster Off Martha's Vineyard. (Photo by Robert Aldrin)

Reviews  can whet the appetite of the curious.  Here's  a piece on Disaster Off Martha's Vineyard by Mark Lovewell, of the Vineyard Gazette.  
Read the review in the Vineyard Gazette.









And here's the link to an interview with Mindy Todd on WCAI on the book, Disaster Off Martha's Vineyard: http://www.capeandislands.org/post/recalling-tragic-shipwreck-marthas-vineyard

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The dramatic story of a shipwreck off the shores of Martha's Vineyard resonates decades after the event.  Tidbits of information surface now and again, making the story a vivid reminder of the dangers of the seas.  As noted in the foreword, by Matthew Stackpole, the key element to the success of an ocean venture is a capable crew.  Read Disaster Off Martha's Vineyard to learn the damage wrought by crew members who failed to pursue the best elements of their profession.