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Books > Sport & Leisure > Transport: general interest > Ships & shipping: general interest

Titanic in Photographs (Paperback): Daniel Klistorner, Steve Hall, Bruce Beveridge, Art Braunschweiger, Scott Andrews Titanic in Photographs (Paperback)
Daniel Klistorner, Steve Hall, Bruce Beveridge, Art Braunschweiger, Scott Andrews; Foreword by …
R646 R575 Discovery Miles 5 750 Save R71 (11%) Ships in 9 - 15 working days

The name Titanic has become synonymous with catastrophe, the story of this luxurious liner legendary. Wrecked after colliding with an iceberg on her maiden voyage, the loss of around 1,500 lives among her passengers and crew has gone down in history as one of the most emotive and tragic disasters in history. In this evocative collection of photographs the authors of Titanic The Ship Magnificent tell her full story, from the shipyards of Harland & Wolff and its early vessels, with the backdrop of the great race to build the biggest and best passenger liner, to the frenzy of excitement surrounding her launch. Looking at her officers and crew, as well as her stops at Cherbourg and Queenstown - including some special, rare photographs - the book follows the story to its inevitable conclusion, considering the lifeboats, the presence of the Carpathia and the aftermath of the disaster.

Rock Lighthouses of Britain & Ireland (Paperback): Christopher Nicholson Rock Lighthouses of Britain & Ireland (Paperback)
Christopher Nicholson; Foreword by H.R.H. The Princess Royal
R828 R785 Discovery Miles 7 850 Save R43 (5%) Ships in 9 - 15 working days

Rock Lighthouses of Britain & Ireland is a new edition of the classic work on the subject - but with some of the most famous Irish rock lighthouses included. The text has been updated to include the modern technology being used by the lighthouse authorities, as well as all the historical advances made over the centuries at British and Irish rock lights, complemented by scores of new and many stunning photographs. Also included are historic plans and drawings, many of them highly colourful and artistic, as used by the original lighthouse builders. At the end are comprehensive and detailed tables about the rock lighthouses maintained by all three lighthouse authorities. Building on the acclaim received for the earlier editions, it brings the history of these iconic structures completely up-to-date, from the day the first granite block was laid, through their construction, automation, the disappearance of the lighthouse keeper, right up to today's automated operation. Here are some of the world's most famous rock lighthouses. There are stories of men battling against Nature's most powerful forces to build a structure designed to save lives on a seemingly impossible site. Rock Lighthouses of Britain & Ireland spans the centuries between the world's first rock lighthouse on the Eddystone reef, to the very last rock lighthouse, constructed in the traditional style, on Ireland's Fastnet Rock and accordingly will remain the premier book about rock lighthouses.

Boat Crew Seamanship Manual (COMDTINST M16114.5C) (Hardcover): United States Coast Guard Boat Crew Seamanship Manual (COMDTINST M16114.5C) (Hardcover)
United States Coast Guard
R2,228 Discovery Miles 22 280 Ships in 12 - 17 working days
Bradshaw's Canals and Navigable Rivers - of England and Wales (Hardcover): Bradshaw's Canals and Navigable Rivers - of England and Wales (Hardcover)
R533 Discovery Miles 5 330 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

A facsimile edition of Bradshaw's Canals and Navigable Rivers of England and Wales. In the Victorian era, the name Bradshaw became synonymous with reliable information on travelling the nation's blossoming network of railways. Published in 1904, Canals and Navigable Rivers was the first guide to planning journeys on the inland waterways of England and Wales. Noting bridges, locks, distances and commercial use, it explores the routes, operation and history of the network, and gives commentary on the areas through which it passed. Compiled at a time when the railways had largely supplanted the waterways, it paints a fascinating portrait of the Edwardian canal system as it began to fall into gentle decay. This facsimile edition of the original book now offers a different perspective for canal boaters and walkers, and gives invaluable information about waterways now lost.

Building a Strip Canoe, Second Edition, Revised & Expanded (Paperback, Expanded): Gil Gilpatrick Building a Strip Canoe, Second Edition, Revised & Expanded (Paperback, Expanded)
Gil Gilpatrick
R640 R505 Discovery Miles 5 050 Save R135 (21%) Ships in 12 - 17 working days

This title includes full-sized plans for 8 canoe designs, most of which are the author's own adaptations. The step-by-step directions are accompanied by more than 100 photographs and illustrations. Covering everything from safety in the boat to shop repairs, Gil Gilpatrick thoroughly explains the whys and shortcuts learned from his experience in the shop and on the water. A Maine guide, he uses his own canoes and tests their performance on the challenging Allagash River every summer. It includes full-sized plans for 8 well-proven canoe designs, most of which are the author's own adaptations. Step-by-step directions for building a canoe from start to finish are accompanied by more than 100 photographs and illustrations.

Tiny House Living - RV Living & Shipping Container Homes (Hardcover): Bill Oatfield Tiny House Living - RV Living & Shipping Container Homes (Hardcover)
Bill Oatfield
R676 R612 Discovery Miles 6 120 Save R64 (9%) Ships in 10 - 15 working days
From the Deck of Your Own Yacht - The Start of Flotilla Sailing and What Happened Next in the Ionian Sea (Paperback): Mike... From the Deck of Your Own Yacht - The Start of Flotilla Sailing and What Happened Next in the Ionian Sea (Paperback)
Mike Jakeways
R502 Discovery Miles 5 020 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

Flotilla sailing enables thousands of people every year to charter a yacht and enjoy a holiday in a sunny foreign location: a group of boats sails together under the guidance of a lead crew. In 1974, the first holiday flotilla of eleven yachts set off from Aegina in the Saronic Gulf of Greece and no-one involved could have had any idea that they were at the beginning of something that would grow so big. It is now possible to go flotilla sailing in every continent of the world. The author traces how flotillas originated, how new cruising areas were opened up and new companies formed. He worked closely with the pioneers of this form of tourism who willingly contributed to the research into what they called 'the time of our lives': managers in one or other of the companies, skippers or engineers in charge of the boats, and clients. The second part of the book looks in detail at changes in some villages and harbours of the Ionian Sea, an area where much of the development has occurred through the influence of the boats rather than land-based tourism. It draws on conversations with taverna owners who remember when two visiting yachts was big business. Every page has coloured reproductions from the original brochures and cruising guides, and in the Ionian section modern photos are set alongside equivalent views before the yachts started coming in numbers. The book may be an introduction to flotillas, an insight into the background of the companies which now offer charters of this sort, or just a memento of a wonderful holiday.

Deckhand - Life on Freighters of the Great Lakes (Paperback): Nelson Mickey Haydamacker, Alan D. Millar Deckhand - Life on Freighters of the Great Lakes (Paperback)
Nelson Mickey Haydamacker, Alan D. Millar
R579 R527 Discovery Miles 5 270 Save R52 (9%) Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Long before popular television shows such as "Dirty Jobs" and "The Deadliest Catch," everyday men and women---the unsung heroes of the job world---toiled in important but mostly anonymous jobs. One of those jobs was deckhand on the ore boats.

With numerous photographs and engaging stories, "Deckhand" offers an insider's view of both the mundane and the intriguing duties performed by deckhands on these gritty cargo vessels. Boisterous port saloons, monster ice jams, near drownings, and the daily drudgery of soogeying---cleaning dirt and grime off the ships---are just a few of the experiences Mickey Haydamacker had as a young deckhand working on freighters of the Great Lakes in the early 1960s. Haydamacker sailed five Interlake Steamship Company boats, from the modern "Elton Hoyt 2nd" to the ancient coal-powered "Colonel James Pickands" with its backbreaking tarp-covered hatches.

"Deckhand" will appeal to shipping buffs and to anyone interested in Great Lakes shipping and maritime history as it chronicles the adventures of living on the lakes from the seldom-seen view of a deckhand.

Mickey Haydamacker spent his youth as a deckhand sailing on the freighters of the Great Lakes. During the 1962 and '63 seasons Nelson sailed five different Interlake Steamship Company ore boats. He later went on to become an arson expert with the Michigan State Police, retiring with the rank of Detective Sergeant.

Alan D. Millar, to whom Haydamacker related his tale of deckhanding, spent his career as a gift store owner and often wrote copy for local newspaper, TV, and radio.

How To Build A Boat - A Father, his Daughter, and the Unsailed Sea (Paperback): Jonathan Gornall How To Build A Boat - A Father, his Daughter, and the Unsailed Sea (Paperback)
Jonathan Gornall 1
R312 R253 Discovery Miles 2 530 Save R59 (19%) Ships in 12 - 17 working days

'The passages he addresses directly to Phoebe are as tender as the father-daughter letters in Karl Ove Knausgaard's Seasons Quartet' Times Literary Supplement 'This book tells the inspiring story of how even the least skilled of us can make something wonderful if we invest enough time and love' The Daily Mail 'Both the book, and place, are magical' The Sunday Telegraph 'When Jonathan Gornall decided to build a boat for his daughter, he had no experience and no practical skills. What followed was a very real labour of love.' The Scotsman One man learns the ancient skills of boat-building to connect with fatherhood. How to Build a Boat is the story of a thoroughly unskilled modern man who, inspired by his love of the sea and what it has taught him about life, sets out to build a traditional wooden boat as a gift for his newborn daughter. It is, he recognises, a ridiculously quixotic challenge for a man who, with a family and mortgage to support, knows little about woodworking and even less about boat-building. He isn't even sure what type of boat he should build, what type of wood he should use, the tools he will need or, come to that, where on earth he will build it. He has much to consider, and even more to learn. But, undaunted by his ignorance, he embarks on a voyage of rediscovery, determined to navigate his way back to a time when a man could fashion his future and leave his mark on history using only time-honoured skills and the ancient tools and materials at hand. The journey begins with a search for clues in the once bustling, but now still, creeks and backwaters of his beloved Suffolk, where men once fashioned the might of Nelson's navy from the great oaks that shadowed the water's edge. If all goes to plan, it will end with a great little adventure, as father and daughter cast off together for a voyage of discovery that neither will forget, and both will treasure until the end of their days. A writer following in the bestselling footsteps of Adam Nicolson, Tim Moore and Charlie Connelly - discovering what make modern man tick through the discovery of a craft long forgotten.

Travelling Art - Gypsy Caravans and Canal Barges (Paperback): Gordon Thorburn, John Baxter Travelling Art - Gypsy Caravans and Canal Barges (Paperback)
Gordon Thorburn, John Baxter
R621 R550 Discovery Miles 5 500 Save R71 (11%) Ships in 9 - 15 working days

The hey-day of the British gypsy caravan was short, only about 70 years, during which period it grew from a simple utility vehicle, blossomed and flourished as a mobile work of art, then disappeared from common sight. These caravans were masterpieces of woodcraft and design, and the best of them cost as much as a small house. Unlike any small house, almost half the cost was in the decoration. This beautifully illustrated book presents the different types of caravan and the great variety of art which was carved and painted upon them and their brothers-in-transport, the old narrowboats. While there were certain rules and conventions of style, the decoration on and in all the types was ultimately governed only by how much money could be spent. The caravan in particular was the supreme status symbol among travelling people and its art the prime means for expressing where one stood in the world.

Birmingham and the Heart of England - For Everyone with an Interest in Britain’s Canals and Rivers (Spiral bound): Nicholson... Birmingham and the Heart of England - For Everyone with an Interest in Britain’s Canals and Rivers (Spiral bound)
Nicholson Waterways Guides
R433 Discovery Miles 4 330 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

Explore Britain's canals and rivers with the Nicholson bestselling guides. For all users of the inland waterways. This established, popular and practical guide covers the canals and waterways around Birmingham and central England. Covered in this guide are: Ashby Canal; Birmingham Canal Navigations (Main Line); Birmingham & Fazeley Canal; Coventry Canal; Erewash Canal; Grand Union Canal (Main Line, Leicester Section and the River Soar); Oxford Canal, North; Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal, North; Stratford-on-Avon Canal, North; Worcester & Birmingham Canal, North; and the Trent & Mersey Canal. The detailed Ordnance Survey® maps clearly show the location of essential features such as locks, towpaths and boating facilities, as well as pubs, shops and restaurants in the area. There are comprehensive navigational notes and descriptive text on the history of each canal, and on local services and places of interest, for which postcodes are included – ideal for use with sat-navs. Scale: 2 inches = 1 mile, 3 cm = 1 km. This practical A5 guide features 'lie flat' spiral binding and 'book mark' back cover flap for ease of reference. In print for 50 years, the Collins/Nicholson guides to the waterways have always been a vital part of journeys along Britain’s canals and rivers. These bestselling guides are designed for anyone and everyone with an interest in Britain’s inland waterways – from experienced boaters to those planning their first boat trip, as well as walkers, cyclists and visitors. Nicholson's – The bestselling guides to Britain's Waterways.

Severn, Avon and Birmingham - For Everyone with an Interest in Britain's Canals and Rivers (Spiral bound): Nicholson... Severn, Avon and Birmingham - For Everyone with an Interest in Britain's Canals and Rivers (Spiral bound)
Nicholson Waterways Guides
R428 Discovery Miles 4 280 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

Explore Britain's canals and rivers with the Nicholson bestselling guides. For all users of the inland waterways. This established, popular and practical guide covers the canals and waterways around Birmingham and the River Severn. Covered in this guide are the River Avon; Birmingham Canal Navigations (Main Line); Droitwich Canals; Gloucester & Sharpness Canal and the River Severn; Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal; Stourbridge and Dudley Canals; Stratford-on-Avon Canal; Stroudwater Navigation and Thames & Severn Canal; and the Worcester & Birmingham Canal. The detailed Ordnance Survey (R) maps clearly show the location of essential features such as locks, towpaths and boating facilities, as well as pubs, shops and restaurants in the area. There are comprehensive navigational notes and descriptive text on the history of each canal, and on local services and places of interest, for which postcodes are included - ideal for use with sat-navs. Scale: 2 inches = 1 mile, 3 cm = 1 km. This practical A5 guide features 'lie flat' spiral binding and 'book mark' back cover flap for ease of reference. In print for 50 years, the Collins/Nicholson guides to the waterways have always been a vital part of journeys along Britain's canals and rivers. These bestselling guides are designed for anyone and everyone with an interest in Britain's inland waterways - from experienced boaters to those planning their first boat trip, as well as walkers, cyclists and visitors. Nicholson's - The bestselling guides to Britain's Waterways.

Longships Lighthouse (Paperback): Elisabeth Stanbrook Longships Lighthouse (Paperback)
Elisabeth Stanbrook
R197 Discovery Miles 1 970 Ships in 12 - 17 working days
Sea Fever - A Seaside Companion: from buoys and bowlines to selkies and setting sail (Paperback, Main): Meg Clothier, Chris... Sea Fever - A Seaside Companion: from buoys and bowlines to selkies and setting sail (Paperback, Main)
Meg Clothier, Chris Clothier
R282 Discovery Miles 2 820 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

'What a fun book! Reading Sea Fever is enticing and intriguing, like watching floating treasure bob past your nose.' Tristram Gooley, author of The Natural Navigator Can you interpret the shipping forecast? Do you know your flotsam from your jetsam? Or who owns the foreshore? Can you tie a half-hitch - or would you rather splice the mainbrace? Full of charming illustrations and surprising facts, Sea Fever provides the answers to all these and more. Mixing advice on everything from seasickness to righting a capsized boat with arcane marine lore, recipes, history, dramatic stories of daring-do and guides to the wildlife we share our shores with, even the most experienced ocean-dweller will find something in these pages to surprise and delight.

Lighthouse (Paperback): Tony Parker Lighthouse (Paperback)
Tony Parker
R438 R387 Discovery Miles 3 870 Save R51 (12%) Ships in 12 - 17 working days

What was it that led a man to make lighthouse-keeping his life's occupation - to select a monotonous lonely job, which takes him away from his family for months at a time, leaving him in a cramped, narrow tower with two other men not of his own choosing? Lighthouse-keepers and their families opened their souls to Tony Parker, who has been described as Britain's most expert interviewer. With this revelatory portrait of a small community he has given us an exceptional insight into the British character.

South Midlands Canal Companion (Paperback, 11th edition): Michael Pearson South Midlands Canal Companion (Paperback, 11th edition)
Michael Pearson
R428 Discovery Miles 4 280 Ships in 9 - 15 working days

Thoroughly revised, with all new photographs, this latest edition of a guide first published in 1983 has been increased in size from 112 page to 128 pages and features a square backed spine with sewn sections for added durability. Featuring the popular 'Warwickshire Ring' cruising circuit, this guide includes coverage of the Grand Union Canal between Stoke Bruerne and Birmingham, the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal, the Coventry Canal, the oxford Canal between Hawkesbury and Napton, the Ashby Canal, the Stratford on Avon Canal, and the Worcester & Birmingham Canal between Tardebigge and Birmingham.

A Good and Favorable Wind - The Unusual Story Of A Submarine Under Sail And Its Cautionary Lessons For The Modern Navy... A Good and Favorable Wind - The Unusual Story Of A Submarine Under Sail And Its Cautionary Lessons For The Modern Navy (Hardcover, Large type / large print edition)
David L. Johnston, Ric Hedman; Illustrated by Jim Christley
R889 Discovery Miles 8 890 Ships in 12 - 17 working days
Vessels of Camden (Hardcover): Barbara Dyer Vessels of Camden (Hardcover)
Barbara Dyer
R736 Discovery Miles 7 360 Ships in 12 - 17 working days
Titanic the Ship Magnificent - Volume One - Design & Construction (Hardcover): Bruce Beveridge, Scott Andrews, Steve Hall,... Titanic the Ship Magnificent - Volume One - Design & Construction (Hardcover)
Bruce Beveridge, Scott Andrews, Steve Hall, Daniel Klistorner, Art Braunschweiger 1
R2,426 R1,939 Discovery Miles 19 390 Save R487 (20%) Ships in 9 - 15 working days

The largest, most luxurious ship in the world, lost on her maiden voyage after colliding with an iceberg in mid-Atlantic, Titanic has become the stuff of legends. Built at the peak of the race between the British, French and Germans to build bigger and better ships, she was the achievement of 15,000 men in one of the world's most advanced shipyards. While everyone knows the new White Star liner was the most glamorous and was full of millionaires when she sank, few appreciate just how luxurious she was or how advanced her design was for her day. For the first time, Bruce Beveridge, Scott Andrews, Steve Hall, Daniel Klistorner and Art Braunschweiger look in detail at the ship herself, how she was built and what it was like inside. From the engine rooms to the First Class parlour suites, from the Doulton water closets to the cargo cranes, every area of Titanic is presented in stunning detail. Volume One covers the design and construction of Titanic, with individual chapters detailing such diverse areas as the riveting of the ship, her heating and ventilation systems, funnels, steering and navigation systems and more. Volume Two covers the interior design and fitting out of the ship and presents detailed deck-by-deck information, from the palatial rooms of First Class to areas of the ship seen only by the crew.

Antigua de Fortune of the High Seas (Paperback): Anna Rainbow, Oli Hyatt Antigua de Fortune of the High Seas (Paperback)
Anna Rainbow, Oli Hyatt
R191 Discovery Miles 1 910 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

A magical, thrilling pirate adventure: fun, fantastical and totally unputdownable! '[A] magical tale of pirates, magic and high adventure!' DAN SMITH 'non-stop adventure, Loved all the magic lurking beneath the sea.' NICKI THORNTON Tiggy has always had the ocean in her blood - and lately, she's been dreaming of mermaids - but she's a high-born girl on the Isle of Fortune, forced to wear dresses, attend balls and (worst of all) comb her wild curls. But then the Pirate King strikes, wielding deadly turquoise magic, and Tiggy's younger brother is stolen - along with every boy on the island. Tiggy knows it is time to claim her destiny, take to the high seas and rescue the boys of Fortune ... A spellbinding, hugely exciting pirate adventure: fun, feminist, classic in feel and totally unputdownable. Perfect for fans of Pirates of the Caribbean! Oli is co-founder and executive producer at Blue Zoo, a BAFTA-winning film animation company - bringing a brilliantly cinematic and visual feel to Antigua de Fortune.

Advanced First Aid Afloat (Paperback, 5): Peter F Eastman Advanced First Aid Afloat (Paperback, 5)
Peter F Eastman
R533 R462 Discovery Miles 4 620 Save R71 (13%) Ships in 12 - 17 working days

Since its first publication in 1972, more than 30,000 blue-water sailors have looked to this book when injury or illness struck at sea. Virtually every accident or ailment that might occur when professional medical care is unavailable is squarely faced and dealt with, using layman's language and step-by-step instructions that calmly take the reader from diagnosis through treatment to follow-up care. The fifth edition brings this standard work up-to-date with current medical practice. While maintaining its ease of use for quick, easy reference in case of a medical emergency at sea, diagrams inside the front and back covers point the reader to the appropriate section of the book. Each section starts with a short account of a possible accident or sickness that might occur on a voyage, and then lists the steps to be taken by the caregiver. Photographs and diagrams accompany many of the procedures. Separate chapters are devoted to preparing a crew and the boat's medical chest for long cruises, including lists of drugs for which prescriptions are needed. A number of chapters deal with the unique needs of children.

Fate Deals a Hand - The Slippery Fortunes of Titanic's Professional Gamblers (Hardcover): George Behe Fate Deals a Hand - The Slippery Fortunes of Titanic's Professional Gamblers (Hardcover)
George Behe
R627 R556 Discovery Miles 5 560 Save R71 (11%) Ships in 9 - 15 working days

During the early twentieth century, professional gamblers were such a scourge in the smoking rooms of trans-Atlantic passenger liners that White Star Line warned its passengers about them. In spring 1912 three professional gamblers travelled from the USA to England for the sole purpose of returning to America on the maiden voyage of Titanic. "Kid" Homer, "Harry" Rolmane and "Boy" Bradley (Harry Homer, Charles Romaine and George Brereton) were grifters with a long history of living on the wrong side of the law, who planned to utilize their skills at the card table to relieve fellow passengers of cash. One swiftly fell under suspicion of being a professional "card mechanic", and was excluded from some poker games, but other games continued apace. This new book, the result of years of research by George Behe, reveals the true identities of these gamblers, their individual backgrounds, the ruses they used, and their ultimate fates after tragedy struck, as well as providing an intriguing insight into a bygone age.

The Anatomy of Nelson's Ships (Hardcover, New Ed): C.Nepean Longridge The Anatomy of Nelson's Ships (Hardcover, New Ed)
C.Nepean Longridge
R1,354 Discovery Miles 13 540 Ships in 9 - 15 working days

Nelson's history has been written from every possible angle, but this is not so with his ships. Such information as there is about the ships is buried in contemporary books on naval architecture; only the expert can sift it and present it in a usable form. In doing this, Dr. Longridge's 1955 work quickly became a veritable treasure trove for the naval historian and ship modeler. H.M.S. Victory is the supreme example of the ships of the period, and fortunately she is still in existence. The original draughts of 1765 have been preserved, as have also the drawings used in the restoration of the ship in 1922. The author was thus able to compile from authentic sources and his model of the Victory now occupies a prominent position in the Science Museum at South Kensington. The illustrations are a unique feature. They include a set of photographs showing the interior construction of H.M.S. Victory and H.M.S. Implacable, the latter being taken only a few days before she was scuttled. The book features over 180 line drawings, designed by E. Bowness, A.R.I.N.A., and executed by G.F. Campbell, Assoc. M.R.I.N.A., ranging from elaborate perspective drawings of the complex gear at the fore top and crosstrees to the simplest detail. The folding plates by G.F. Campbell (which measure 560 x 400 mm and 235 x 450 mm) include lines, inboard and outboard profile, deck plans of the hull, standing and running rigging plans, and a complete belaying pin plan. Such an analysis of the ship of this period had never before been attempted.

Dive Truk Lagoon, 2nd edition - The Japanese WWII Pacific Shipwrecks (Hardcover, 2nd edition): Rod Macdonald Dive Truk Lagoon, 2nd edition - The Japanese WWII Pacific Shipwrecks (Hardcover, 2nd edition)
Rod Macdonald
R1,072 R979 Discovery Miles 9 790 Save R93 (9%) Ships in 9 - 15 working days

The 50-mile wide lagoon of Truk Atoll, far out in the remote expanses of the Pacific, is quite simply the greatest wreck diving location in the world. Scores of virtually intact Japanese WWII wrecks of transport ships, still filled with cargoes of tanks, trucks, artillery, beach mines, shells and aircraft, rest in the crystal-clear waters of the lagoon - along with two Japanese destroyers and one submarine - each today a man-made reef teeming with sea life. The seemingly impregnable fortress islands of Truk Atoll were a powerful air base and the main forward anchorage for the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN). By 1944, the Allies were pushing westwards across the Pacific islands towards the Japanese homeland. On 4 February 1944, a daring 2,000-mile long-range U.S. reconnaissance flight revealed the Truk lagoon to be full of the might of the Imperial Japanese Navy, along with scores of large supply ships and transports. The Allies decided to attack immediately. Sensing this, the Imperial Japanese Navy scattered, but the merchant ships remained, as crews rushed to offload their war cargoes of aircraft, tanks, artillery, mines and munitions. Other heavily laden supply ships continued to arrive from Japan, unaware of the Allied assault plans. Task Force 58, codename Operation HAILSTONE, was formed for an immediate attack. In total secrecy, nine U.S. aircraft carriers, holding more than 500 combat aircraft, steamed towards Truk - supported by a screen of battleships, cruisers, destroyers and submarines. At dawn on 17 February 1944, an initial fighter sweep of Truk by 72 F6F Hellcat fighters roared in over Truk under Japanese radar - catching the Japanese by complete surprise. The Hellcats immediately began strafing Japanese airfields and soon hundreds of aircraft were involved in one of the largest aerial dogfights of WW II. The F6F Hellcat was by now vastly superior to the Japanese Zero fighter, and the Japanese planes were shot out of the sky within an hour. With air superiority established, U.S dive-bombers and torpedo-bombers spent two days sinking all the large ships trapped in the lagoon. These sunken ships, with their war cargoes, were largely forgotten about until 1969, when Jacques Cousteau located and filmed many of the wrecks. The resulting TV documentary, Lagoon of Lost Ships, went viral. Truk's secret was out - and the beautiful wrecks, untouched since WWII, have proved an irresistible lure for thousands of divers each year since then. New illustrations of most of the previously unillustrated wrecks have now been specially created to make this book the most comprehensive guide to diving Truk Lagoon that has ever been produced.

Patrol and Rescue Boats on Puget Sound (Hardcover): Chuck Fowler, Dan Withers, Combatant Craft of America Patrol and Rescue Boats on Puget Sound (Hardcover)
Chuck Fowler, Dan Withers, Combatant Craft of America
R686 Discovery Miles 6 860 Ships in 12 - 17 working days
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