Sea Hunters

The Sea Hunters

By Clive Cussler

Synopsis:

A nonfiction work by the creator of Dirk Pitt, this book tells thirteen tales of searches for shipwrecks. The circumstances surrounding each are described in detail along with the searches. This book reads like a novel. Among the shipwrecks are the C.S.S. Hunley, a confederate submarine-the first to sink a ship in battle, The Leopoldville, a troop transport torpedoed by a German u-boat on Christmas eve, 1944 and the discovery of U-20, the german sub that sank the Lucitania in 1915.

Dirk Pitt Adventures by Clive Cussler

Shock Wave

Inca Gold

Sahara

Dragon

Treasure

Cyclops

Deep Six

Pacific Vortex

Night Probe!

Vixen 03

Raise the Titanic!

Iceberg

The Mediterranean Caper

SIMON & SCHUSTER Rockefeller Center 1230 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10020

The events depicted in this book and the people who are portrayed, past and present, were and are real. The historical events, however, although factual, were slightly dramatized and dialogue has been added.

SIMON & SCHUSTER and colophon are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster Inc.

DIRK PITT is a registered trademark of Clive Cussler

Designed by Levavi & Levavi

Manufactured in the United States Of America

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Cussler, Clive.

The sea hunters / Clive Cussler & Craig Dirgop. cm.

1. Shipwrecks.

2. Underwater archeology.

1. Dirgo, Craig.

II. Tide.

G525.C965 1996

910.4'5-dc2O 96-28656 CIP

ISBN 0-684-83027-2

Acknowledgments

The authors are indebted to Joaquin Saunders, author of The Night Before Christmas; Ray Rodgers, author of Survivors of the Leopoldville Disaster, and those men of the 66dl Panther Division who survived the terrible tragedy off Cherbourg, France, on the evening of December 24, 1944, for their stories of horror and heroism. It is truly an event that should not be swept away into the mist of time.

PHOTO CREDITS

All photos not otherwise credited are the author's.

Nicholas Dean, Edgecomb, MA: 8

Denver Public Library, Western History Department: 23

Imperial War Museum, London, England: 24, 25, 26

Mariners' Museum, Newport News, VA: 1, 2, 28

Bill Shea, Lincoln, MA: 31

U.S. Naval Historical Center: 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14

Ralph Wilbanks, Isle of Palms, SC: 20, 22

To the men and women who have supported the National Underwater & Marine Agency from its inception. Through the tough times and the fun times, their loyalty has remained solid and enduring. This is merely a partial record of their remarkable achievements. Without their efforts, over sixty shipwrecks of historic significance might still lie on the bottoms of the seas and rivers, ignored and forgotten for all time. Some ships are gone, dredged out of existence or buried under modern construction. Some are still intact. Now that the way has been shown, we leave it to future generations to recover the knowledge and artifacts that remain of our maritime heritage.

And to my wife, Barbara, for her enduring patience, and my children, Teri, Dirk, and Dana, who grew up with a father who never grew up.

Contents

NUMA Advisory Board of Trustees 14

Introduction 15

PART 1 The Steamboat Lexington Through by Daylight- 1840 35

II Enter NUMA- 1983 54

PART 2