Scholastic Canada - Ghost Liners

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Scholastic Canada Ltd.
ISBN 0-590-12452-8 PBK
64 pages
Ages 8-12

by Robert D. Ballard
Illustrated by Ken Marschall

Descend to the ocean's eerie depths and view the graves of Titanic and other legendary ships — the mysterious Lusitania, the tragic Empress of Ireland, the Andrea Doria and Titanic's giant sister ship, the Britannic.

The stories of these sunken palaces are filled with riveting drama and devastating loss, and their wrecks make up an astounding underwater museum. The compelling text is complemented by the magnificent paintings of Ken Marschall, as well as underwater photos and rare archival images. There's no better way to explore the haunting liners that once graced the Atlantic.


	Ghost Liners


	Ghost Liners


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Excerpt from GHOST LINERS
by Robert D. Ballard
Illustrated by Ken Marschall

Empress of Ireland

They had been left open by passengers who craved some fresh air in the cramped and poorly ventilated staterooms. This was against the rules. Once a ship was under way, the operating instructions required all portholes to be closed. But it was a rule frequently broken, especially in sheltered waters such as those of the St. Lawrence.

When the Empress began its rapid tilt to starboard, water soon began to pour through the lowest portholes, usually only five feet (one and a half meters) above the waterline. Once those portholes went under, the Empress's end was inevitable. Water quickly flooded into parts of the ship that had not been damaged by the Storstad's bow.

Of the 1,477 on board, 1,012 died, 840 of them passengers. This was eight more passengers than had died on the Titanic. Yet the Empress of Ireland never gained anything like Titanic's fame. It wasn't as big or as fashionable a ship — and had never claimed to be unsinkable.

Only a few months after the Empress of Ireland sank, the First World War broke out and the newspapers had other tragedies to report. Today, the ghostly wreck is the most powerful reminder of this great but almost forgotten maritime disaster.

From Ghost Liners, copyright © 1998 by Robert D. Ballard. Illustrations copyright © 1998 by Ken Marschall.

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"Ghost Liners was an incredible book! I loved it. I think everyone who likes the Titanic should read it! Thanks." Thomas D., Age 12, U.S.A., Rating: 10 "Well . . . this book is one of the greatest books ever! It is not my book. My friend Trevor let me look at one he checked out of the library. It has one of the most famous and most saddest OCEAN LINERS of all time...................... the R.M.S. TITANIC! I really do think the author and illustrator did a sensational job on “GHOST LINERS.”" Anonymous

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