The Shadow Ship; or, The Rival Lieutenants

# "The Shadow Ship; or, The Rival Lieutenants"

A serialized naval adventure by Col. Prentiss Ingraham, published in Beadle and Adams' dime weekly in 1884. The story begins in December during the Second War with Great Britain. A young naval lieutenant, facing ruin after losing his fortune at a New York gambling establishment, attempts suicide on the East River but is diverted when he rescues a gentleman from four ruffians. The rescued man invites the officer aboard his vessel, the Mexican cruiser El Cinto de Acero ("The Steel Belt"). The narrative then shifts to the previous year, introducing a father and daughter, Lord Raphael Vivian and eighteen-year-old Claudine, observing a maritime disaster from a Maine coast promontory. The story establishes competing protagonists and mystery surrounding dual loyalties and identities.