Ghosts of the Deep

Spooky true-life accounts of nautical ghosts range from the days of sailing ships to the twentieth century, with tales including that about an admiral who greeted guests in his London home after his death in the Mediterranean.

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-7-A haunting collection from the dean of the "true" ghost hunters. These accounts of ocean-going specters- from sailing ship days to World War II-are dramatically written, and many include corroborating historical detail, heightening the impression of authenticity. Most of the stories are not well known, although a few, such as "Ocean-born Mary," have been previously anthologized. The book reflects Cohen's open-minded attitude toward the uncanny-neither credulous nor scornful. Sure to be welcomed by fans of the supernatural.Elaine E. Knight, Lincoln Elementary Schools, ILCopyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 5-7. Using an objective journalistic style, Cohen delves into the mysteries enshrouding a variety of ghosts of the sea. Relating names of people involved and often citing precise dates of sea battles, pirate attacks, or ghostly sightings, the straightforwardly delivered narratives include the account of a wealthy nineteenth-century merchant, forced to stay overnight in an undesirable inn, who awoke to find a sailor sleeping alongside of him. It wasn't until morning that he learned his roommate was the ghost of a sailor who had been murdered at the inn and secretly buried in its backyard. Also included is an account of a ship, bound from England to Canada, influenced to change its course by a ghostly intruder in the captain's cabin. In changing course, the ship happened on a vessel that was grounded on an iceberg. Among the wrecked ship's survivors was the very stranger who had visited the captain's cabin. Concluding with notes about haunted ships that can be visited in the U.S., this nonsensationalized collection of salty sightings will intrigue readers. Ellen Mandel

From Kirkus Reviews

Cohen adds to his corpus of corpses (Ghostly Tales of Love and Revenge, 1992, etc.) with an assortment of European and American nautical apparitions--some widely known (the Flying Dutchman; hammering aboard the Great Eastern, frequently presaging misfortune), others of local interest, including several tales of Cornish ghosts from 19th-century collector William Bottrell. Most of the incidents follow typical patterns: an admiral who goes down with his ship in the Mediterranean appears that evening at a London reception; a drowned woman haunts a Bahamian beach calling for her child; the faces of two sailors buried at sea ``follow'' their ship. The ghosts are mostly friendly or passive, but readers will still find cause for an occasional shudder (in one tale, a hotel guest wakes to find himself sharing a bed with a dead sailor), while Cohen's unsensational reportage adds, as usual, an air of credibility. The author closes with a chapter on the Constellation and the Queen Mary, both haunted ships that can be visited. No source notes. (Nonfiction. 11-13) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Daniel Cohen is the author of numerous nonfiction books on ghosts and other paranormal phenomena. He lives in Mt. Kisco, New York.

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