Disasters on the Thames

The River Thames has been a vital lifeline for London since Roman warships sailed along it to the newly founded town of Londinium. Even then the peaceful-looking river had a lethal aspect which led to the loss of these Thames sailors. When the Vikings sailed across the treacherous North Sea they did not expect to lose their ships in the Thames but still many did. Throughout the centuries the River Thames has claimed the lives of crews of small boats and large naval warships, the scale of the tragedies growing with the sizes of the vessels involved. The danger to shipping was often accepted as a necessary risk in order to keep trade flowing into London and many of the earlier tragedies, before news was so widely transmissible, have been largely forgotten today. This illustrated book chronicles the surprising number of disasters and tragedies to have occurred on the River Thames up to the present day.