Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Recounting his 25 years as founder and director of the Submerged Cultural Resources Unit the underwater archeological team of the National Park Service Lenihan (Wake of the Perdido Star, with Gene Hackman) offers an entertaining mix of maritime history, memoir and adventure tale. Started in 1975 to keep fortune hunters from looting national water parks for sunken treasure and damaging vital historical material, Lenihan's unit has explored the wondrous (and deadly) sinkholes in Florida and Mexico; studied shipwrecks in the Great Lakes, Micronesia and places in between; and investigated the remains of the USS Arizona and the ships sunk by nuclear bombs near Bikini atoll. While the author is an authority on sea archeology and naval history, he and his divers are also underwater cowboys and cowgirls, thrilling in the dangers of their extreme sport. A sharp, engaging writer, Lenihan describes the terrifying aspects of his work the bone-chilling cold, impenetrable clouds of silt and the notorious bends with a good dose of black humor. (A surreal trip through an old impoundment house submerged in the reservoir of Amistad Dam in Texas is especially haunting.) Fast paced, full of amiable characters, the book will appeal to divers, maritime enthusiasts and anyone fond of nautical hijinks and swaggering seafarers. Photos and maps not seen by PW.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Review
"A gripping saga of archeological exploration of famous shipwrecks. An engaging read of true adventure in the depths." —Clive Cussler
"A sharp, engaging writer, Lenihan describes the terrifying aspects of his work with a good dose of black humor." —Publishers Weekly
"An edge-of-your-seat story that succinctly illustrates the danger of wreck exploration." —The Post and Courier, Charleston, SC
"Every water-oriented reader will be enthralled by Lenihan's underwater world." —Maine Harbor
Biography
Dan grew up on the Lower East Side of New York City. He received his BA in Philosophy from Guilford college in 1967 and an MA in Anthropology from Florida State in 1973. He was certified to teach scuba in 1972 (NAUI), cave diving in 1973 (NACD) and began supervising underwater archaeological projects for the National Park Service. Dan was founding chief of the NPS Submerged Cultural Resources Unit, renamed Submerged Resources Center. He was an NPS archaeologist until 2009 and the U.S. delegate to the International Committee on Underwater Cultural Heritage ICOMOS/UNESCO 1991-2004. The books Submerged, Underwater Wonders of the National Parks and Shipwrecks of Isle Royale drew from his NPS experiences. He also co-authored three novels with actor Gene Hackman. Dan has two sons with his wife Barbara from Jacksonville, Illinois. Dan and Barb live in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
