Let me just start off by saying that I love shipwrecks!

"Sinkable" by Daniel Stone plunges readers into the heart of one of history's most tragic maritime disasters—the sinking of the Titanic. With meticulous research and gripping storytelling, Stone paints a vivid portrait of the events leading up to that fateful night in April 1912. Through the lens of personal narratives, he humanizes the passengers and crew aboard the Titanic, offering insight into their hopes, fears, and ultimately, their fate.

Beyond the individual stories, "Sinkable" delves into the broader context of the era, exploring the social, political, and technological factors that contributed to the disaster. Stone navigates the complex web of class inequalities, maritime regulations, and design flaws with clarity and depth, providing readers with a comprehensive understanding of the Titanic's place in history. By examining these issues, he invites readers to reconsider their perceptions of the tragedy and its lasting impact on the world.

With its engaging prose and thought-provoking analysis, "Sinkable" is a compelling read for anyone interested in maritime history or the human experience. Through its pages, Stone not only pays tribute to the lives lost aboard the Titanic but also honors the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity.

Thank you to Daniel Stone, NetGalley, and Dutton for sending me the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sinkable: Obsession, the Deep Sea, and the Shipwreck of the Titanic by Daniel Stone is a broad view of shipwrecks, shipwreck hunting, the ocean, and the obsessive nature of those who are fascinated by any and all of the above. 113 years after the fact, the Titanic remains one of the most obsessed about wrecks and Stone doesn't really give new information about the wreck itself but does give more information about those who have capitalized on the wreck by stating they're going to find it or they own the wreck. Mainly Doug Wooley and Jack Grimm who came from two very different backgrounds but both wanted to be named as the locator & eventual raiser of the Titanic (neither one of them did either, Robert Ballard found it (with a team) and it still sits on the sea floor moldering away. There was a good bit of information on other wrecks and the vagaries of the ocean that make some wrecks easy to find and others just disappear into the void. Overall, an interesting if not entirely unique take on shipwrecks.

Just when you think you've heard everything about the Titanic, here comes another book with its own unique spin. Ostensibly about the wreck of the Titanic, Sinkable by Daniel Stone also looks at the wider world of ships and what happens when they sink in the ocean. He also takes a look at some colorful (and I mean colorful) characters who tried to raise the Titanic. I guess you can say some are still trying to raise the Titanic even though common sense and physics say it is impossible. It's important to dream.

The book is a breeze to read. It does open up its scope a bit in places which may be distracting to someone who only wants to hear about the Titanic and nothing but the Titanic. As an addict who loves anything about shipwrecks, I found the whole thing fascinating and fun when it's not sad.

(This book was provided to me as an advance read copy by Netgalley and Penguin Group Dutton. The full review will be available on HistoryNerdsUnited.com on 10/25/2022.)

An interesting take on the Titanic. It wasn’t really what I was expecting but it will add valuable insight into the canon of Titanic books.

The book focuses mainly on the sinking of the Titanic as that is what most people think of when shipwrecks are mentioned. I was most interested with the discussions of other shipwrecks including how they are found. So much of the book deals with individual's obsessions with finding the famous wreck. It was a very fascinating book overall

Daniel Stone has written an interesting book in his newest release, Sinkable: Obsession, the Deep Sea and the Shipwreck of the Titanic, I did learn some things I never knew. There seemed to be repetitive areas at times though. Three and a half stars.

Too long but cool shit overall! I think it just could have used some tightening up to cut a few pages.

Much better than I suspected it would be, I was totally engaged. This was about obsession and the titanic but also about different shipwrecks and the physics of ships and I was entranced.

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Penguin Group Dutton for an advanced copy of this book on both nautical history and the ideas and obsessions that drive people to search for meaning under the sea.

According to UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization there are over 3 million shipwrecks sitting at the bottom of the sea, give or take. Few of these are known outside the world of nautical studies, warships and treasure ships being among the more familiar. The one known best to more people and probably with more movies and songs, sorry SS Edmund Fitzgerald, is the RMS Titanic. Plunging to the depths of the Atlantic more than 100 years ago the Titanic has trended at various points as plans were made to find the final resting spot, resurface the liner, or even rebuild. Men with money, spent quite a bit looking for it, and when found, plans were of course made to make even more money from the wreck. One man even claims the boat is his, which shows the obsession that many have for a ship that didn't even complete its maiden voyage. In Sinkable: Obsession, the Deep Sea, and the Shipwreck of the Titanic, looks at the famed ship in its afterlife, a siren song that continues to enchant, even as time, pressure and water erode away everything but the legend.

The book is not only about the Titanic but about the sea and how dangerous, even now, sailing across the ocean can be. Money is a factor, giant freighters, laden with cargo containers, packed high, on seas that even today with forecasting and satellites can still turn rogue in a minutes time. The book then discusses the Titanic, and how quickly plans were made to resurface the boat by an American with gumption, money and electromagnets. The author then discusses how wrecks are found, and exploited by both legal and illegal means, and what makes wrecks so worth finding and the profit to be made. However it is always Titanic we return to, the millionaire who wanted to find it and the fame he hoped to win. The British man, who claims ownership of the wreck, since no one really told him no. And finally the discovery by Robert Ballard or the wreck, plans to make money from it, and what the sea is slowly erasing of the wreck.

A fascinating book that covered far more about nautical history, law, and what the sea can do and what draws people to the sea, and what lies below. A very well researched and well written account with many interesting and diverse characters. My favorite does have to be Doug Woolley who has spent the last 50 years claiming ownership of the Titanic, since no one really said no you can't. Woolley gives a person hope. The book is told in a very conversational style, not academic, and when a question arises about something, the answer is sure to appear in the next sentence. I book that I was sorry to see end.

I have read quite a few books on the Titanic, starting with Walter Lord's account of the sinking A Night to Remember, Clive Cussler's Raise the Titanic, even Arthur C. Clarke's The Ghost of the Grand Banks, the fiction books of course written before the wreck was found in pieces, thereby ruining the chances to return the Titanic to the surface and a fate of being a tourist trap. I enjoyed this book for the history, the science and I have to admit Doug Woolley. The man was a man not of greatness, but of great dreams. Why not claim the most famous shipwreck as his own. It might be worth a laugh, maybe a round at the pub. Maybe just maybe, it made his heart go on, and gave him something to live for.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this advance copy in exchange for a fair review.

This is a non-fiction book which describes what the title suggests and in that order. Its a book about obsession, deep sea exploration, shipwrecks, and yes in the construct of the Titanic, which is endlessly (and I mean endlessly) fascinating. This book strives to be accessible. The language is clear and understandable without a lot of jargon or technical explanations of things that I dare say most Titanic fans wouldn't care for. I found myself doing a lot of googling on the topic which is a sure sign that I am into the topic.
An example was this shipwreck depth comparison which is so well done. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGPiQ47ahsE
Clearly the Youtube people were as fascinated as I am with the Titanic. I am not sure most people would want to read this non fiction exploration of shipwrecks, but I found it extremely informative and fascinating, but I will say that I had to read it in doses as it doesn't read like a novel. You'll learn a lot from the how of the sinking to the why of the expeditions and the attempts to raise her.
4*

I tried but I kept picking it up and putting it down and nothing about the narrative drew me in. The cover, the title, and the topic were the three things that made me think it was a cool fit to read through Netgalley, however right from the start the jumbled delivery of both the Titanic story while also telling comparative stories about specific elements of other shipwrecks is then buried beneath conversations about the science of sinking ships which is then buried beneath the conversations about Stone's research and meeting various people about the subject which is buried beneath unnecessarily kitschy titles for the chapters that don't get to the heart of the delivery of information that made him interested in writing about the topic.

I couldn't keep my interest unfortunately.

This was a wonderful book. I expected a slightly dry recitation of facts concerning the Titanic, but what I got was a fascinating journey through the world of wreck exploration and the amazing people who make it possible.

I did not think there was anything left to say about the Titanic, but I was surprised at the direction this author took - incorporating maritime info with Titanic info.

He makes it look so seamless and its interesting to compare the events of the Titanic versus other wrecks. I was not aware of the huge amount of wrecks, that was a an eye opener surprise to me. The author even makes the comment that the Titanic got a chunk of the celebrity, while other wrecks offer up, depending on which ship and location, even more mystery.

This book was a very fast read but I kept saying "wow, I did not know that'.

Obviously, very well researched, but the book reads easily and intriguing.

The Titanic is probably the most famous ship, it's a cultural icon and has featured in a ton of media and stories since its ill-fated voyage. What this book does instead of focusing on the stories most readers already know is discuss the Titanic as a shipwreck. The author takes readers through the searches for the ships final resting place, showing off all the colorful characters that attached themselves to the Titanic mythos while also providing some much needed and interesting context from other sources, like other shipwrecks, sailing in general, and oceanography. The author writes casually, which makes this book easy to follow and fun to read.