The North Sea waters off the Yorkshire coast have been one of the busiest shipping areas around the British Isles for centuries. The biggest port is Kingston-upon-Hull but many other towns and villages built their livelihoods on the sea. From the days of the earliest settlers along the coast of Yorkshire, people have sailed these waters to fish and trade, and travel up and down the British Isles and across the North Sea to northern Europe, Scandinavia, the Baltic and further afield. Tragically these waters have witnessed many shipping disasters through the centuries, from naval battles to shipping accidents, not least the sinking of the Bonhomme Richard in the Battle of Flamborough Head in 1779 and the Piłsudski at the start of the Second World War in 1939. In addition to the wrecks on the seabed there are remains of wrecks on cliffs and rocks as well as the lighthouses, lifeboats and monuments that protect and memorialise the shipping.In Shipwrecks off the Yorkshire Coast author Richard M. Jones reveals the stories behind the shipping disasters in waters of the North Sea off the Yorkshire Coast. Illustrated throughout, it will appeal to all those with an interest in shipping and shipwrecks, as well as those interested in the history of this part of the east coast of England.
