For centuries the seas of the world have provided men with a challenge for exploration, a livelihood and sometimes a dangerous means of travel. Through the years daring men have developed and sailed many unusual, highly specialized ships devised to answer special needs. It is these strange ocean craft of the world which Walter Buehr presents here in fascinating detail for young readers. 

Here are the whaling ships, both old and new, as they hunt the world's largest creatures, cook out the whale oil and store the oil even as the hunt continues. Among the other unique vessels included are hydro-foil ferry boats which skim over the water on huge skis; the deep-diving bathyscaphe, a new tool to satisfy man's curiosity about ocean bottoms, and the submarine with its potential for peace as well as its use as a weapon of war.

Walter Buehr, long a popular author and illustrator of books for children, has sailed in many parts of the world. He brings his intimate personal knowledge and deep interest in the sea to his unusual and handsomely illustrated book. 

From the dust jacket