Here's a photo of me in a submersible, looking at the wreck of the USS Monitor 240 feet under the ocean off Cape Hatteras. You might enjoy reading my book, Ironclad, The Epic Battle, Calamitous Loss, and Historic Recovery of the USS Monitor. Published in 2005 by International Marine/McGraw Hill.  Links to the book:  International Marine  Amazon.com                                                                         

Here's what Peter Nichols, author of A Voyage for Madmen and Evolution's Captain, wrote on the dustjacket: "Paul Clancy's masterful investigation into the recovery of the Monitor is at once a thrilling recreation of an epic moment in naval history and a tense account of a dangerous, high-tech marine salvage operation. Big characters drive both narratives, making for a satisfying story of men -- and women -- on the high seas."  And Kevin F. McMurray, author of Deep Descent and Dark Descent: "Ironclad is a fascinating glimpse into our nation's history -- an engrossing story of heroism, human ingenuity, and intrigue wrapped in a great adventure. "

Clancy Books

Another recent book, Historic Hampton Roads: Where America Began, succeeds, I hope, in bringing into one place the history of this vast and fascinating region.  Here's a line or two from the Prologue: On days stormy or fair you can stand at an overlook on the high dunes at Cape Henry, where pelicans patrol the shoreline, where sea grasses wave in the breeze, and imagine what native people must have felt when they saw three small ships, flying flags of a strange country, making for the entrance of the great bay. And you can sense, perhaps, the relief and wonder among the passengers and crew upon sighting journey's end and imagining a new beginning. Barnes & Noble

And just this year, History Press has published my latest: Hampton Roads Chronicles. From the Preface: Take a stroll with me. Stand on the high dunes at Cape Henry and imagine, out there where the stupendous energy of the ocean moves with the rhythm of the tides, the beginning of America. The arrival of English settlers, the collision of cultures, the struggle for survival, the birth of idependence, the clash of arms -- it all starts here. And, like the tide, history flows through every corner of Hampton Roads. Take your history dipper with you beside the James, the Elizabeth, the Nansemond, the York, the Dismal Swamp Canal and you can ladle it up by the gallon, by the hogshead.Try This Link

Bathers at Virginia Beach, 1920s. The Virginian-Pilot