Pellegrino Titanic trilogy

Dan Kappes

Member
Charles Pellegrino has written a trilogy of Titanic books. Here they are in order of publication date:

1. Her Name, Titanic (1988)
2. Ghosts of the Titanic (2000)
3. Farewell, Titanic: Her Final Legacy (2012)

I have only read Her Name, Titanic.

Has anyone else read all three books in this trilogy and should I read the last two books?
 
The first two are in the Internet Archive library at archive.org along with many other Titanic books published more than 10 or so years ago. Free registration is required and there’s sometimes a waiting list, but I like to point it out as a resource. I haven’t read “Farewell, Titanic”.

Both of the older books contain some things that should be taken with a grain of salt. I can’t remember which book these examples are from (“Her Name” if you’ve seen them, “Ghosts” if not) but there are claims that there were stowaways in the hold and that the coal in the fireplace in the 1st Class Smoking Room started a fire when it poured out around the time of the breakup. If they existed, those stowaways would’ve been the first to die, and they wouldn’t be on our list of the 1496 drowned. Pellegrino wrote that they were tolerated by the crew because they kept the firemens’/trimmers’/greasers’ quarters tidy. Interesting and tempting to believe, but not corroborated anywhere else. That A Deck coal fire isn’t in any other books either.

So, “Ghosts” is worth a look if you borrow a copy and you have the time to read it, I think. If nothing else, you’ll know what’s in a book others might’ve read, and there are accounts of wreck expeditions. As for buying a copy, I’d likely pass.
 
The first two are in the Internet Archive library at archive.org along with many other Titanic books published more than 10 or so years ago. Free registration is required and there’s sometimes a waiting list, but I like to point it out as a resource. I haven’t read “Farewell, Titanic”.

Both of the older books contain some things that should be taken with a grain of salt. I can’t remember which book these examples are from (“Her Name” if you’ve seen them, “Ghosts” if not) but there are claims that there were stowaways in the hold and that the coal in the fireplace in the 1st Class Smoking Room started a fire when it poured out around the time of the breakup. If they existed, those stowaways would’ve been the first to die, and they wouldn’t be on our list of the 1496 drowned. Pellegrino wrote that they were tolerated by the crew because they kept the firemens’/trimmers’/greasers’ quarters tidy. Interesting and tempting to believe, but not corroborated anywhere else. That A Deck coal fire isn’t in any other books either.

So, “Ghosts” is worth a look if you borrow a copy and you have the time to read it, I think. If nothing else, you’ll know what’s in a book others might’ve read, and there are accounts of wreck expeditions. As for buying a copy, I’d likely pass.
Fireman George Kemish reported the stowaways to Walter Lord, in a letter written to him, June 1955: "Stowing away in those days was quite easy. No one knew who the Stowaways were. Apparently they had no relatives or friends. That type is to be seen in most big ports. Never [Listed as] missing, because they are never known--just world wanderers. They were always welcome by us because--[in exchange for our keeping their secret]--they would keep our quarters clean." (Farewell Titanic, page 45) George Kemish here is talking about the "kindly stowaways" in Cargo Hold 1
 
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