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Editorial Review Product Description
Miles off the coast of northern California lies a mariner's nightmare. Concealed by roiling sea and thick fog, the jagged edges of a submerged volcanic mountain chain await approaching vessels like predators in the mist. This is one of the most hazardous reefs off the West Coast. And for over a century, it has been home to the most remote, most expensive, and most dangerous lighthouse ever built in America.Called "Dragon Rocks" in 1792 by British explorer George Vancouver, the area became known as St. George Reef in the hope that its namesake might slay the dragon. But the beast claimed its greatest victim in 1865 when the side-wheel steamer S.S. Brother Jonathan sank on one of the rocks with the loss of 225 souls, inspiring an extraordinary effort to make the waters safe. The result took ten years to construct and cost as much as twenty conventional lighthouses. In Sentinel of the Seas, Dennis M. Powers chronicles the heroic stories of men and women who have gone where land and sea collide. To build the St. George Reef Lighthouse, Alexander Ballantyne--probably the only man alive who was qualified and brave enough to supervise such a project--faced incredible hurdles, including the haul of six-ton granite blocks onto a spit of washed-over land from a quarry seventy-five miles away. In 1937 George Roux, the tough, longtime head lighthouse keeper, was trapped for two months by howling winds and stories-high waves with his crew on the verge of mutiny. In 1951 a rogue wave capsized a Coast Guard launch being lowered from the lighthouse, challenging keeper Fred Permenter to attempt a nearly impossible rescue that would win him a place in Coast Guard history. Based on five years of research drawing on the National Archives, original journals, and personal interviews, Sentinel of the Seas is the first book to capture the tumultuous history of this astounding engineering feat and the lives that have been influenced by it. The author takes readers back to the dawn of lighthouse design, charting the dramatic moments and the courageous people who have shaped a struggle against the oceans that culminates in the singular experience of St. George Reef. A vivid, comprehensive work of history that reads like the best adventure writing, this portrait of human tenacity and the raw fury of nature solidifies Dennis M. Powers's reputation as one of our finest chroniclers of the sea. ... Read more Customer Reviews (4) 
Sentinel of the Seas
Dennis Powers is a great story teller!And "Sentinel of the Seas" is another great example!OK, I could be biased, Dennis is a dear friend of mine.But it also gives me insight into how he can weave such a good story.Dennis is one of those people you just like talking to and I think that comes out in his books.It is also how he gets people to tell him interesting things while he is doing the research.In "Sentinel of the Seas" he captures what it must be like to live in this remote lighthouse.A really fun read!
Just imagine...
I loved this book!Dennis Powers's "Sentinel of the Seas..." is thoroughly captivating.Each chapter is filled with fascinating descriptions of the men---and there were heroic women too---who risked everything in order to secure the west coast.There are tales of immigrants who could only find work that no one else wanted, so those men took brutally hard jobs. Powers ties together the social, economic, and political scenes to portray life at a time when if a man was out of a job for whatever reason, he was simply out of luck.
Before the Oregon Territory was settled, a few hardy pioneers ventured west via wagon train, but that kind of travel was inefficient.It took months and it was full of hardships and hazards.There were no railroads or other methods of transporting goods to the developing west coast, so ships were essential to transport men and materials.And the stormy, rock-strewn Oregon coast caused too many ships to go down; that was expensive in terms of lost lives and lost fortunes as well.So the lighthouses were essential.But imagine building one amidst the raging, murderous sea with thunderous tides that could--and did--carry off men along with tons of desperatly needed goods.
This book is is a thriller.
Brilliantly written
Reviewed by Richard R. Blake for Reader Views (5/07)
"Sentinel of the Seas" reads like a novel.Dennis Powers has written another classic masterpiece which chronicles man battling the sea.As in his earlier works "Treasure Ship" and "The Raging Sea," Powers has thoroughly researched his work. He spent five years in preparation, searching archives, original journals, dairies, ship logs, Lighthouse Board Reports, and doing personal interviews of survivors, and their families. The lighthouse was built on St. George Reef which is one of the most hazardous reefs off the West Coast.
Powers recounts the history, engineering and construction of the lighthouse.He also explains the various lighting and sound warning devices used over the history of the lighthouse. Powers masterfully weaves into the record heroic stories of the men and women who designed, built, and maintained the St. George Reef Lighthouse from it's completion in 1892 until it's abandonment in 1975, and renewal in 2002.
"Sentinel of the Seas" heralds the career of Alexander Ballantyne, who supervised the project, as well as the careers of George Roux, and Fred Permenter the lighthouse keepers. Powers details the work of the "wickies," lighthouse life, the history and the development of other U. S. lighthouses. He shows a deep appreciation for the courage the lighthouse keepers demonstrated in the midst of crashing waves, tumultuous storms, and hurricane force winds which they faced on a recurring basis.
Turnover among the personal was significant.Powers explained it this way: "This station was one of the least sought-after assignments in the service.Potential wickies had already heard what duty would be like on Dragon Rocks.It had earned its reputation."I personally enjoyed the insight into the contrast between routine work and boredom of the assignment with hazardous way of life of the lighthouse keepers.Powers uses descriptive phrases that made me feel "the enveloping curtains of cold mists" or hear the "barks of the seals, cries of the seagulls, and the crashing surf."
This is great adventure reading, brilliantly written. I highly recommend "Sentinel of the Seas" to everyone who loves epic adventure stories of the adventure of the sea, shipwreck, and nautical history.
An other great book from Dennis Powers
Really enjoyed this book, Keeps you interested and the tale of building St. George Lighthouse is amazing. A harrowing tale of perseverancefor ten years in all kinds of weather.
Also included is Lighthouse keepers at other lighthouses and a chaper on Women Lighhouse keepers. Mr Powers really does his homework when he writes his books and I have enjoyed working with him on three of his books at the Del Norte Conty Historical Society Museum in Crescent City California where three of his books have their roots.
Sandra Nuss
Researcher, Del Norte Co. Historical Society
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