Destiny's Voyage – SS Atlantic the Titanic of 1873
There were two Titanic's in maritime history. The one we are all familiar with that struck an Iceberg in 1912 off Nova Scotia and the other, subject of this writing, the SS Atlantic, first of the White Star luxury liners commissioned in the early 1870s. Like father like son, these great ships were built as monuments by the Ismay family owners to provide the White Star company with the biggest, fastest and most luxurious passenger steamships to ply the waters of the Atlantic Ocean between Liverpool, England and New York City, USA.
Sailing to New York the SS Atlantic found herself at the hands of a Chief Engineer and the influence of Thomas Ismay upon the shipbuilders to create her destiny on the rocks of the Nova Scotia Coast. The destiny of all those souls who trusted in the steamship company's billing of safe and comfortable travel was themselves lost to the rupture and ultimate capsize of the behemoth. No women or children, save one ten-year-old boy, survived. No men with families survived and all eleven multi-millionaires and those accompanying wives escaped the deep waters. You will learn how events in the lives of some of these souls determined their ultimate passage and final destinies. The heroism of one Anglican Priest and the people of Lower Prospect and Terrence Bay, Nova Scotia sacrificed life and limb to save and care for survivors It is a story every bit at horrendous and tragic as the Titanic, it is just that it happened in an earlier era.
The book was 30 years in the making with long breaks due to life's changing needs. It was to be a genealogy of the author's mother as her grandmother whose father was a survivor of the tragedy, was still living but before she could be recorded she passed away at age 96. Her story notes were left behind but then after losing his mother in 1981, the author shelved the story. The theme was changed to Destiny and the seven-year period of being his wife's caregiver until her death he spent finishing the book.
About Bob Love (Boise, Idaho Author)
Born in Mountain Home, Idaho by a mid-wife in a private home across the street from the grade school, Bob grew up from a pioneer stock in Elmore County where his father was the Sheriff during WWII. His summer was spent in the mountains of the county where his uncle was the road overseer. This experience brought him into the territory where his book "Peg Leg Annie" is based. Upon serving in the USAF during the Korean War, Bob came back to Boise where he served law enforcement agencies in Boise City, Ada County, and Nyssa, Oregon for eight years before becoming an insurance claims adjuster.
Moving to Alaska, the next 45 years are spent operating and owning independent claims adjusting and marine surveyor companies. Bob specialized in major case property and casualty, aviation and maritime losses. In 1989 the insurers of the Exxon Valdez retained Bob and his wife Bev's company to handle all claims arising out of the Prince-William Sound oil spill clean-up. In 1980 Bob was called to Hawaii to handle commercial risk claims. that included the Magnum PI TV Series Risk Division and aircraft loss in the Marshall Islands.
Not all was work as he founded the Kenai, Alaska Peninsula Oiler's baseball club, a college summer league team, which is now in its 45th season. He managed, coached and officiated athletic competitions from Little Leagues to college.
Bob has two books out, "Destiny's Voyage, SS Atlantic the Titanic of 1873" and "Peg Leg Annie"( which is local Idaho history). Both are Creative Non-Fiction covering many years of research and writing. Bob is now a 5th generation grandfather, father to five daughters, a widower now living together with his childhood girlfriend Pat, originally from Glenns Ferry, Idaho and their 2-year-old Bishon, Murphy, in Boise.
