The Phantom Ship (1839) is a Gothic novel by Frederick Marryat which explores the legend of the Flying Dutchman and, in one chapter, features a werewolf.The plot concerns the quest of Philip Vanderdecken of Terneuzen in the Netherlands to save his father - who has been doomed to sail for eternity as the Captain of the Bewitched Phantom Ship, after he made a rash oath to heaven and slew one of the crew whilst attempting to sail round the Cape of Good Hope. Vanderdecken learns upon his mother's death that there exists a way by which his father's disturbed spirit may be laid to rest, and vows to live at sea until he has spoken with his father face to face and accomplished this purpose. Vanderdecken sails around the world in a number of ships, in the employ of the Dutch East India Company, so that he can redeem his father by presenting him with the relic of the Holy Cross he wears round his neck. His quest, however, brings him into conflict with earthly and unearthly powers as the sight of the Flying Dutchman brings doom to all who encounter her The legend of the Flying Dutchman forms the background to the story and makes regular appearances throughout the novel, while Marryat adds many other supernatural details. He introduces as the heroine, Amine, the daughter of one Mynheer Poots, a miser. Having Arab blood in her veins, she possesses some of the secrets of Arabian magic, but her incautious use of her magic arts brings her into the dungeons of the Inquisition at Goa. Likewise, there is Schrifter, the demon pilot; and Krantz, with a tale of horrors in the Harz mountains; atrocious monks; and ghosts that will not be drowned

The Phantom Ship (1839) is a Gothic novel by Frederick Marryat which explores the legend of the Flying Dutchman.The plot concerns the quest of Philip Vanderdecken of Terneuzen in the Netherlands to save his father - who has been doomed to sail for eternity as the Captain of the Bewitched Phantom Ship, after he made a rash oath to heaven and slew one of the crew whilst attempting to sail round the Cape of Good Hope. Vanderdecken learns upon his mother's death that there exists a way by which his father's disturbed spirit may be laid to rest, and vows to live at sea until he has spoken with his father face to face and accomplished this purpose.Vanderdecken sails around the world in a number of ships, in the employ of the Dutch East India Company, so that he can redeem his father by presenting him with the relic of the Holy Cross he wears round his neck. His quest, however, brings him into conflict with earthly and unearthly powers as the sight of the Flying Dutchman brings doom to all who encounter her.

The Phantom Ship (1839) is a Gothic novel by Frederick Marryat which explores the legend of the Flying Dutchman.The plot concerns the quest of Philip Vanderdecken of Terneuzen in the Netherlands to save his father - who has been doomed to sail for eternity as the Captain of the Bewitched Phantom Ship, after he made a rash oath to heaven and slew one of the crew whilst attempting to sail round the Cape of Good Hope. Vanderdecken learns upon his mother's death that there exists a way by which his father's disturbed spirit may be laid to rest, and vows to live at sea until he has spoken with his father face to face and accomplished this purpose.Vanderdecken sails around the world in a number of ships, in the employ of the Dutch East India Company, so that he can redeem his father by presenting him with the relic of the Holy Cross he wears round his neck. His quest, however, brings him into conflict with earthly and unearthly powers as the sight of the Flying Dutchman brings doom to all who encounter her.

The Phantom Ship (1839) is a Gothic novel by Frederick Marryat which explores the legend of the Flying Dutchman and, in one chapter, features a werewolf.The plot concerns the quest of Philip Vanderdecken of Terneuzen in the Netherlands to save his father - who has been doomed to sail for eternity as the Captain of the Bewitched Phantom Ship, after he made a rash oath to heaven and slew one of the crew whilst attempting to sail round the Cape of Good Hope. Vanderdecken learns upon his mother's death that there exists a way by which his father's disturbed spirit may be laid to rest, and vows to live at sea until he has spoken with his father face to face and accomplished this purpose. Vanderdecken sails around the world in a number of ships, in the employ of the Dutch East India Company, so that he can redeem his father by presenting him with the relic of the Holy Cross he wears round his neck. His quest, however, brings him into conflict with earthly and unearthly powers as the sight of the Flying Dutchman brings doom to all who encounter her. Themes--The legend of the Flying Dutchman forms the background to the story and makes regular appearances throughout the novel, while Marryat adds many other supernatural details. He introduces as the heroine, Amine, the daughter of one Mynheer Poots, a miser. Having Arab blood in her veins, she possesses some of the secrets of Arabian magic, but her incautious use of her magic arts brings her into the dungeons of the Inquisition at Goa.Likewise, there is Schrifter, the demon pilot; and Krantz, with a tale of horrors in the Harz mountains;atrocious monks; and ghosts that will not be drowned. The reviews for the novel were generally poor. The Athenaeum thought that the work "falls sadly short of the racy marine stories by which the author won his first fame." In particular, it noted that Marryat "dashes off scenes of portent and terror with the same familiar and slip-shod style ... and the result is a feebleness of effect, not to be found in his other novels."Likewise in referring to the book, The Dublin Review thought that the "falling off in his last novel ... is very considerable," and stated that "a string of extravagant adventures, carelessly put together, and heavily told, deaden curiosity, -the Flying Dutchman makes his appearance as regularly as a packetboat, and becomes at last almost as tiresome." In recent times S.T. Joshi has called the novel "an aesthetic disaster - appallingly prolix, and written in a stiff, cumbersome style that reads like a bad translation from a foreign language."

In the enthralling nautical adventure 'The Phantom Ship,' Captain Frederick Marryat skilfully weaves supernatural elements with maritime lore, inviting readers aboard a spectral vessel that defies the bounds of time and sea. Marryat, a pioneer of the sea story and adept in the literary art, imbues his work with an authenticity that stems from his own naval experiences. The tale is set against the sprawling backdrop of the high seas and delves into the legend of the Flying Dutchman, a ghostly ship doomed to sail the oceans forever. The book's intricate plot, rich in detail and maritime terminology, aligns with the stylistic features and thematic concerns of the 19th-century literary context, dealing with fatalism, superstition, and man's battle against the implacable forces of nature. Frederick Marryat's own seafaring life undoubtedly informed the technical precision and rousing authenticity found in 'The Phantom Ship.' The author's time in the Royal Navy, reaching the rank of captain, provided a wealth of material that informed his fiction. Marryat's firsthand experience lends the book an air of verisimilitude, often blurring the line between fact and fantasy. This novel, written at the height of Marryat's literary career, not only reflects his deep knowledge and passion for the sea but also illustrates his ability to create compelling narratives that resonate with the human experience. 'The Phantom Ship' will captivate readers passionate about maritime adventures and those intrigued by the fusion of historical realism and supernatural myth. It is a book highly recommended for enthusiasts of classic literature, particularly for those who appreciate the finesse with which Marryat navigates through the tempestuous waters of seafaring lore and the human condition. This book will transport you to the deck of the hauntingly immortal Dutchman, through prose as profound and unpredictable as the sea itself.

On December 4th, 1872, a 100-foot brigantine was discovered drifting through the North Atlantic without a soul on board. Not a sign of struggle, not a shred of damage, no ransacked cargo—and not a trace of the captain, his wife and daughter, or the crew. What happened on board the ghost ship Mary Celeste has baffled and tantalized the world for 130 years. In his stunning new book, award-winning journalist Brian Hicks plumbs the depths of this fabled nautical mystery and finally uncovers the truth. The Mary Celeste was cursed as soon as she was launched on the Bay of Fundy in the spring of 1861. Her first captain died before completing the maiden voyage. In London she accidentally rammed and sank an English brig. Later she was abandoned after a storm drove her ashore at Cape Breton. But somehow the ship was recovered and refitted, and in the autumn of 1872 she fell to the reluctant command of a seasoned mariner named Benjamin Spooner Briggs. It was Briggs who was at the helm when the Mary Celeste sailed into history. In Brian Hicks’s skilled hands, the story of the Mary Celeste becomes the quintessential tale of men lost at sea. Hicks vividly recreates the events leading up to the crew’s disappearance and then unfolds the complicated and bizarre aftermath—the dark suspicions that fell on the officers of the ship that intercepted her; the farcical Admiralty Court salvage hearing in Gibraltar; the wild myths that circulated after Sir Arthur Conan Doyle published a thinly disguised short story sensationalizing the mystery. Everything from a voodoo curse to an alien abduction has been hauled out to explain the fate of the Mary Celeste. But, as Brian Hicks reveals, the truth is actually grounded in the combined tragedies of human error and bad luck. The story of the Mary Celeste acquired yet another twist in 2001, when a team of divers funded by novelist Clive Cussler located the wreck in a coral reef off Haiti. Written with the suspense of a thriller and the vivid accuracy of the best popular history, Ghost Ship tells the unforgettable true story of the most famous and most fascinating maritime mystery of all time.