Clive Cussler’s The Sea Hunters – Set Two (Acorn Media DVD)

 

Picture: C+     Sound: C+     Extras: C     Episodes: B

 

 

Clive Cussler returns with a second DVD set in the Sea Hunter series and features some of the most historically significant shipwrecks from around the globe.  Unlike the first Sea Hunters set, Sea Hunters: Set 2 features a more expansive collection of shipwrecks that range from 1771 with Catherine the Great’s Treasure Ship to 1991 with the ship that inspired the film The Perfect Storm (reviewed elsewhere on this site).  This reviewer has always been enthralled with history and treasure hunters and Clive Cussler’s series is simply fantastic.  The Sea Hunters is factual, yet extremely entertaining and viewers could easily watch all 6 episodes without ever becoming bored.

 

The Episodes are as follows:

 

1)     The Search for Carpathia

2)     The Search for Andrea Gail

3)     Catherine the Great’s Treasure Ship

4)     Russalka: The Czar’s Lost Ironclad

5)     Lost at Sea: The Great U.S. Navy Airships Akron and Macon

6)     Search for the S.S. Alabama

 

 

Cussler delivers a fantastic set as he hosts the six ship wreck episodes.  The first episode many viewers may remember as the ship that rushed to save the victims of the Titanic, but what many don’t realize is that it was sunk just 6 years later by a German U-boat.  Another interesting episode centers on the Vrouw Maria, Catherine the Great’s Treasure Ship, as it supposedly holds a priceless collection of art intended for the Russian Empress’s personal collection.  Overall, the series is full of historically valuable information and manages to entertain at the same time.  What more could you ask for?

 

The technical features of The Sea Hunters: Set 2 are adequate with a 1.33 X 1 Full Screen image that is not always crisp and at times feels like an analog VHS, but the colors seem balanced even with the occasional light/dark issues.  The sound is adequate but by no means good in its Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo presentation, but it gets the job done and is mostly clean.  The extras include a few bonus segments for each episode and a quick Clive Cussler bio, not impressive but at least they are there.

 

Overall, The Sea Hunters: Set 2 is a nice set that will entertain both history buffs and casual viewers alike, with its strong factual roots that are heightened with mystery and intrigue.

 

 

-   Michael P Dougherty II