Three Miles Down: A Firsthand Account of Deep Sea Exploration and A Hunt for Sunken World War II Treasure - Softcover

Hamilton-Paterson, James

3.29

24 ratings by Goodreads

9780156012713: Three Miles Down: A Firsthand Account of Deep Sea Exploration and A Hunt for Sunken World War II Treasure

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0156012715 ISBN 13: 9780156012713

Publisher: Mariner Books, 2000

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Somewhere in the deep Atlantic off the west coast of Africa lie two casualties of the second World War: a Japanese submarine and a British liner. Both were reportedly carrying tons of gold. In Three Miles Down, James Hamilton-Paterson recounts the thrilling search, code-named Project Orca, for these vessels and their awesome payload. In the winter of 1995, an international crew of researchers, investors, and salvage experts set sail on the Russian research ship Akademik Keldysh, determined to find and then recover the sunken treasure. It was an enormous financial and physical risk, for even if the vessels were located, they rested in more than 5,000 meters of water. No salvage had ever been attempted at such depths before-roughly 1,200 meters deeper than the Titanic's watery grave. In his daily chronicle, Hamilton-Paterson, the ship's literary stowaway, not only captures the peculiar personalities and the tensions on board, but shares the fascinating history of the sunken vessels and the extreme danger and technological complications of deep-water recovery. A brilliant account of a treasure-hunting expedition and once-in-a-lifetime voyage to the bottom of the sea, Three Miles Down is also a rousing tale of deception, greed, courage, and great beauty.

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About the Author:

James Hamilton-Paterson is the author of sixteen books of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. His novel Ghosts of Manila was short-listed for the Whitbread Prize in 1994, which he previously won for Gerontius in 1991, and two of his books have been New York Times Notables. A fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, Hamilton-Paterson divides his time between Italy and the Philippines.

Review:

Hamilton-Paterson proves to be a chronicler of the intrigue among a crew of strangers, a font of lore about wrecks and deep-sea exploration, and a marvelous witness to the lightless wonders of profound depths. -- Outside

In Three Miles Down, [Hamilton-Paterson] moves beyond the typical adventure formula and gives us a story that lingers on people and place and on small, genuine curiosities. -- The New York Times Book Review

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