Watercraft on World Coins – Volume 1: Europe, 1800–2005

Fram, Golden Hind, Santa Maria, Vasa, and HMS Victory are names of famous ships that have played a part in Europe's maritime history. The stories associated with these and many other ships are presented in this book of "ship coins." Each narrative provides the historical background and watercraft experience and circumstance of the soldiers, sailors, admirals and generals, explorers, naval commanders, and fishermen who, sometimes through bravery and sometimes through human error, have merited a place in the historical record, and are associated with particular vessels that have merited the striking of a coin in record and remembrance. This book is the first ever to narrate history through the medium of ships featured on coins. Each entry contains information on the ships - wherever available - including length, beam, depth, and tonnage. The book constitutes a catalogue of ship coins organized according to the popular KM numbering system, with groupings under separate headings where ships have a common design. The coin images represent the many different ways in which the ships are depicted. Each volume contains a select bibliography and an index listing the ships, persons, and other major topics covered in the narratives. Volume I: Europe,1800 - 2005 will be followed by Volume II: America and Asia, 1800-2008, and Volume III: Africa and Oceania, 1800-2011.