Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea: The History and Discovery of the World's Richest Shipwreck

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Gary Kinder

Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea

The History and Discovery of the World's Richest Shipwreck

Gary Kinder

$47.95

Paperback

Forthcoming
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English

Grove Press / Atlantic Monthly Press
26 February 2026

History; Ships & shipping: general interest; Travel & holiday

The 20th-anniversary edition of Gary Kinder's bestselling dramatic story of shipwreck, treasure lost and found, and a new chapter in deep-sea technology

From bestselling author Gary Kinder, Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea is a ""ripping true tale of danger and discovery at sea"" (Washington Post), newly updated for this special 20th-anniversary edition.

In September 1857, the SS Central America, a steamer carrying nearly six hundred passengers returning from the California Gold Rush, was caught in a hurricane two hundred miles off the Carolina coast. Despite the heroic efforts of the captain and his crew, the ship, over four hundred lives, and twenty-one tons of California gold were lost. It remains the worst peacetime disaster at sea in American history. Combining historical adventure and scientific discovery, Gary Kinder re-creates the ill-fated voyage, and then tells the story of Tommy Thompson, a young engineer from Ohio who, in the 1980s, set out to be the first ever to work on the bottom of the deep ocean. As the target for his impossible quest, Thompson chose the wrecksite and fabled treasure of the Central America. Kinder chronicles Thompson's epic battles with naysayers, violent weather, experimental technology, the harsh environment of the deep ocean, and unscrupulous rival treasure hunters. The result is an extraordinary narrative of human drama, heroic rescue, scientific ingenuity, and individual courage.

By: Gary Kinder
Imprint: Grove Press / Atlantic Monthly Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 209mm, Width: 139mm, Spine: 35mm
ISBN: 9780802128928
ISBN 10: 0802128920
Pages: 560
Publication Date: 26 February 2026
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Gary Kinder is the author of the bestselling books Victim and Light Years. He lives in Seattle with his wife and two daughters, where he has founded a technology company called WordRake, which creates editing software for writers and businesses.

Reviews for Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea: The History and Discovery of the World's Richest Shipwreck

Praise for Ship of Gold: White-knuckle reading . . . A marvelous tale, with generous portions of history, adventure, intrigue, heroism, and high technology interwoven . . . Gary Kinder has the skill to put it all together, and luckily for us, we get to read it. -Los Angeles Times A twenty-four-carat sea classic. -New York Times Book Review Engaging, magnificently researched . . . a complex, bittersweet history of two centuries of American entrepreneurship, linked by the mad quest for gold. -Entertainment Weekly An old-fashioned seafaring adventure, awash in time and vigor . . . A ripping true tale of danger and discovery at sea. -Washington Post A truly great tale, cleverly organized and expertly written. -Atlantic Monthly Titanic tragedy meets Tom Clancy technology. -People What a yarn! . . . If you sign on for the cruise, go in knowing that you're going to miss meals and a lot of sleep. -Newsweek Gripping . . . the pages speed past. -Newsday Extraordinarily gripping . . . An astounding and marvelous book. -Cleveland Plain Dealer An extraordinarily good tale. -Chicago Tribune Moving and riveting. -Philadelphia Inquirer It wasn't easy money, but it sure is a great story. Kinder tells it in fascinating, exhaustive detail. -Time Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea is nonfiction treasure . . . The book takes hold of you from page one and never lets go. history and heroics, science and suspense-Ship of Gold has that blockbuster feel. -Sailing Worthy of the best fiction and enough action to shame James Bond. -Men's Journal