Includes three stories where characters are tested by dramatic events 'that show in the light of day the inner worth of a man, the edge of his temper, and the fibre of his stuff; that reveal the quality of his resistance and the secret stuff of his pretences, not only to others but also to himself'.

Shipwrecks Off the East Coast tells the stories of nine ill-fated vessels as they navigated the often treacherous waters of the Atlantic region. Among them: the wreck of the SS Atlantic, only miles from safety in Halifax, where 562 people perished, including all women and children aboard but one solitary boy; the dramatic sinking of the SS Caribou, destroyed by a German U-boat's torpedo off the coast of Newfoundland, with 135 lives lost; the famous sinking of the sailing vessel Marco Polo just ninety metres offshore of PEI; and the Royal Tar, whose passengers included a full complement of circus animals and performers, which was engulfed by fire and abandoned by her chief crew members.

The sea has long provided humankind with wonder, and delightful or demented imaginations along with it. This book provides eyewitness accounts, paired with alternative explanations, to explore legends surrounding the mysterious appearances of ghost ships.