Lost At Sea Book Captures Romance Of Some Of Century’s Greatest Ocean Liners, Their Tragic Endings

“Lost Liners” By Rick Archbold and Robert Ballard (Hyperion, $60)

Right in time for Titanic-mania comes “Lost Liners,” a handsome and fascinating volume that takes readers on a tour of some of the century’s greatest ocean liners both as they were in their colorful trans-Atlantic careers and as they met their ends, which were often heart-rending.

Written by Rick Archbold and oceanographer Robert Ballard - the discoverer of the Titanic wreck in 1985 - and lovingly illustrated by artist Ken Marschall, “Lost Liners” chronicles the age of ocean liners from its earliest days - as sailing ships and steamers made their first chancy crossings - through the heady heydays and into the twilight. Along the way, the authors linger at the berths of some of the most dazzling ships the world has seen: the Lusitania and her sisters, Mauretania and Aquatania; the Titanic and her sisters, Olympic and Britannic; the French Line’s art deco treasure, Normandie; and Cunard’s Queens (Mary and Elizabeth), among many others.

With archival photographs and Marschall’s vivid paintings supplementing the authors’ expert written histories of the great vessels, the reader is treated as a first-class passenger on these lost liners and is shown the ships from stem to stern, from their palatial public rooms to their dusty, throbbing engine rooms.

There is also a sadder journey in store. This book is, after all, called “Lost Liners,” and we are told in sometimes sad and shocking detail how these majestic ships met their ends. While the fates of ships such as the Titanic and Lusitania are well known, it’s fascinating to learn how other ocean greyhounds made their last sailings. We are along for the ride as the Italian liner Andrea Doria is nearly sliced in two by a Swedish ship lost in the fog. We see a similar fate as the Empress of Ireland collides with another ship, taking more than a thousand souls to the bottom of the St. Lawrence River in a matter of minutes. And we stand overlooking the piers on Manhattan’s West Side as the Normandie, turned into an inferno by a small, accidental fire, is so heavily weighed down by water from firefighters’ hoses that she heels over and capsizes at her berth.

These are all ghost ships now, but “Lost Liners” brings back the romance, drama and adventure of an age lost to all but memory.