It's whispered that around midnight, when no trains are due to past, the plaintive wail of of a steam whistle can be heard approaching in the distance. Then comes the clank of a bell and the roar of steam exhaust. If conditions are just right and there is a rain falling, a light is seen coming down the grade from the west toward the creek. Upon reaching the bridge, the beam suddenly blinks out and the sounds of a locomotive melt into the night.
This is how Clive Cussler describes The Lost Locomotive of Kiowa Creek. No, no, this isn't a book about lost train engines that continue to haunt the countryside years after their accidents. This is a book about NUMA's search for ships that have gone down in the past. Before you can say 'Fascinating' aka Star Trek's Mr. Spock, a few things need to be kept in mind.
The team doesn't dive on the wrecks so this is no treasure hunt aka Titanic. It's simply an account of the efforts taken to locate the ships based on historical documents, and sometimes, eye-witness testimonies. Most of the times, a confirmation is sought from the instrument readings alone. So account of each search does contain fair amount of technical jargon - especially when it comes to description of the ship/submarine parts or instruments used for locating underwater things. After a while, it can get a bit overwhelming. Lastly, a large number of these ships/submarines are from those that were sunk during the US civil war. For the non-Americans, some of the references like Baton Rouge, Confederate troops, Vicksburg and Union fleet won't make much sense unless you are familiar with that part of the history.
Nevertheless, I found the book a good read because the author knows how to tell a good story. Each search operation is divided into two parts. The first part tells the reader about how the ship/submarine went down. This is fiction built on the basis of historical information. The second part details NUMA's (sometimes multiple) efforts to track the wreck. Among the worthies covered in this book are The Leopoldville - a Belgian troop transport ship that was lost on Christmas Eve of 1944, C.S.S. Hunley - the first submarine in the history to sink a warship and the German U-boat U-21 which sunk H.M.S. Pathfinder during first World War. My most favorite accounts are those of Lexington, U.S.S. Cumberland, C.S.S. Florida, and of course the The Lost Locomotive of Kiowa Creek.
So, if you are interested in knowing how some of these ships and submarines went down fighting, and don't mind a few technical details along the way, this book is definitely worth investing your time in.
P.S. Mr. Cussler, that remark about a movie based on Kipling's story (and filmed in India!) was totally uncalled-for. You got it right when you said that 'Different cultures, different tastes in films'. For the record, I agree with the Scots about Stephen King movies.
This is how Clive Cussler describes The Lost Locomotive of Kiowa Creek. No, no, this isn't a book about lost train engines that continue to haunt the countryside years after their accidents. This is a book about NUMA's search for ships that have gone down in the past. Before you can say 'Fascinating' aka Star Trek's Mr. Spock, a few things need to be kept in mind.
The team doesn't dive on the wrecks so this is no treasure hunt aka Titanic. It's simply an account of the efforts taken to locate the ships based on historical documents, and sometimes, eye-witness testimonies. Most of the times, a confirmation is sought from the instrument readings alone. So account of each search does contain fair amount of technical jargon - especially when it comes to description of the ship/submarine parts or instruments used for locating underwater things. After a while, it can get a bit overwhelming. Lastly, a large number of these ships/submarines are from those that were sunk during the US civil war. For the non-Americans, some of the references like Baton Rouge, Confederate troops, Vicksburg and Union fleet won't make much sense unless you are familiar with that part of the history.
Nevertheless, I found the book a good read because the author knows how to tell a good story. Each search operation is divided into two parts. The first part tells the reader about how the ship/submarine went down. This is fiction built on the basis of historical information. The second part details NUMA's (sometimes multiple) efforts to track the wreck. Among the worthies covered in this book are The Leopoldville - a Belgian troop transport ship that was lost on Christmas Eve of 1944, C.S.S. Hunley - the first submarine in the history to sink a warship and the German U-boat U-21 which sunk H.M.S. Pathfinder during first World War. My most favorite accounts are those of Lexington, U.S.S. Cumberland, C.S.S. Florida, and of course the The Lost Locomotive of Kiowa Creek.
So, if you are interested in knowing how some of these ships and submarines went down fighting, and don't mind a few technical details along the way, this book is definitely worth investing your time in.
P.S. Mr. Cussler, that remark about a movie based on Kipling's story (and filmed in India!) was totally uncalled-for. You got it right when you said that 'Different cultures, different tastes in films'. For the record, I agree with the Scots about Stephen King movies.
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