The most comprehensive and authoritative reference book of its kind. A completely revised and updated edition of this highly acclaimed classic, containing more than 2.600 entries on every aspect of the seas and the vessels that sail on them. Coverage of a huge range of topics, from shipbuilding, yachting, diving, marine engineering, and marine mammals, to smuggling, tsunamis, mermaids, and the language and literature of the sea. Hundreds of detailed illustrations and line drawings. Fascinating descriptions of the history of the sea: its battles, such as Pearl Harbor and Trafalgar; its great ships, from Noah's Ark and the Mary Celeste to the Titanic; and its most famous men and women, both real and fictional, including Christopher Columbus, Sir Walter Ralegh, and Robinson Crusoe. Brand new entries include ship preservation, underwater vehicles, warfare at sea, marine pollution, the Economic Exclusion Zone, and climate change. New to this edition. Reflects the radical changes and developments that have occured during the last three decades of the 20th century, in the design and employment of ships and in our attitudes to the seas on which they sail. Fully updated, extensive coverage of subjects such as oceanography and marine archaeology Brand new illustrations and diagrams. New entries include climate change, environmental issues, marine pollution, marine pharmaceuticals, marine wildlife, and the Economic Exclusion Zone.