10 Ships That Rocked the World - 9781554517817

Ships have sailed through human history for thousands of years. Sometimes, their dramatic voyages have even changed the course of the world--bringing cultures together in peace or conflict, playing a role in wars and revolutions, and transforming societies.

There are 10 ocean adventures:

• Groundbreaking exploits of Zheng He's 15th-century treasure ships on voyages to far-away Africa and the Middle East
• Vasco da Gama's Sao Gabriel navigating unknown waters
• The Lady Penrhyn sailing with the first convicts exiled to Australia in 1787
• The USS Susquehanna on its pivotal trade mission to Japan in 1853
• The tense confrontation of the Holocaust survivor ship Exodus 1947 while enroute to Israel
• Passengers from India aboard the Komagata Maru and their unsuccessful immigration to Canada in 1914
• The standoff when Somali pirates seized the oil tanker Sirius Star
• How Granma, a tiny yacht, played a major role in Cuba's revolution
• Civil War submarine H.L. Hunley and its ill-fated crew
• Greenpeace's Rainbow Warrior, a key player in the environmental movement.

With a rich variety of photos, maps, and striking illustrations, 10 Ships that Rocked the World reveals the crucial role ships played in some of history's most significant dramas.