GUARDIAN BOOK REVIEW
Shipwreck Hunter
by Janis Stein

Buried beneath the Great Lakes in deadly waters is a graveyard of sunken ships waiting to be discovered. In his book, Shipwreck Hunter, author Gerald Volgenau takes his readers on an underwater safari with firsthand accounts from divers who have turned the hobby of shipwreck hunting into a lifetime’s passion.

Just who are these thrill seekers, willing to spend every spare moment of every sailable weekend combing the Great Lakes in search of sunken boats that met their demise a century ago? Danny Fader, dubbed the “human fish,” was one of them. David Trotter is another.

The Great Lakes contain some of the coldest and dangerous waters in the world. Even the most experienced divers can run into trouble. Faulty equipment, a poor decision or an adventurer’s invincible attitude can result in tragedies not easily righted, so it was for Danny Fader, a member of David Trotter’s superior team of wreck hunters.

In 1994, Fader, confident of his abilities and rightly so, dove in search of buried treasure on the steamer Detroit. It would be a dive Trotter’s team would never forget. In a panic, Fader realized just how much could go wrong within minutes. Though Fader would survive the near deadly tragedy, life would never be the same again. And, in time, Fader made a discovery of a different sort.

Through the pages of Shipwreck Hunter, Gerald Volgenau tells in vivid detail the next leg of Fader’s journey. Fader would make many new discoveries in his months and years of recovery; these new discoveries Fader did not find under the treacherous waters of the Great Lakes, but from within. Shipwreck Hunter is a story of one man’s courage when faced with insurmountable odds and of remarkable faith, faith in self and faith in God.

Along with sharing Fader’s account, Shipwreck Hunter also reveals an inside look at the adventures and discoveries of David Trotter, a premier wreck hunter dubbed the Great Lakes “Lord of the Wreck Hunters.” With decades of successful hunting credited to his name, tales from Trotter allow the reader an inside look into the life of a diver, a life filled with thrills, secrets and danger. Trotter takes his love for wreck hunting one step further, tracing the history of the boats and documenting his explorations through pictures, enabling him to create presentations that educate and mystify. A good many freighters left their story untold, their remains awaiting discovery. If any diver can find them, it’s likely Trotter will.

In addition, Shipwreck Hunter pays tribute to the pioneers of Great Lakes wreck hunters and divers as well as delving into the stories of various lost ships, including the possible discovery of the Griffon and the mysterious loss of a Northwest airliner. Volgenau also shares a little known story of two young divers laying their hands on the Edmund Fitzgerald, the Fitz lying at the bottom of Lake Superior in 530 feet of water.

Divers and land-lovers alike will enjoy Shipwreck Hunter, a book both informative in regard to maritime history and compelling, as diver, Danny Fader, shares the price he paid in the dangerous and competitive world of wreck hunters.

For those interested in learning more, please contact David Trotter at DLTrotter@msn.com, or you may call 734-455-7585 for information on his Great Lakes “adventure series” shipwreck discovery and exploration presentations, for autographed copies of the book, Shipwreck Hunter and David’s unique history/discovery/exploration DVDs.