Philip Vanderdecken, a young Netherlander, has long dreamed of rescuing his father. While sailing around the Cape of Good Hope, the elder Vanderdecken swore to the heavens and killed one of his sailors, condemning himself to an eternity as Captain of a cursed vessel—the legendary Flying Dutchman. The Phantom Ship is a novel by Frederick Marryat.

The Phantom Ship (1839) is a novel by Frederick Marryat. Inspired by the legend of the Flying Dutchman, a fabled ghost ship doomed to sail the seas until the end of time, The Phantom Ship is a tale of adventure and Gothic horror from an author who served for decades in the British Royal Navy. Philip Vanderdecken had always feared this day would come. Raised by his mother in Terneuzen, he had grown accustomed to life without a father. During a voyage around the Cape of Good Hope, the elder Vanderdecken condemned himself to an eternity at the helm of the Flying Dutchman, a legendary vessel doomed to sail the seas without ever touching land. Now a young man, Philip is informed by his dying mother of the possibility of saving his father by letting his spirit rest. Terrified, he promises his mother to carry a relic of the Holy Cross across the globe until he can find the Flying Dutchman. He joins the Dutch East India Company and sets out at once on an adventure filled with romance, magic, and unimaginable horror. Poorly reviewed upon publication, The Phantom Ship has endured as a cult classic and continues to be adored by generations of loyal readers. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Frederick Marryat’s The Phantom Ship is a classic of British literature reimagined for modern readers.