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Books > Sport & Leisure > Transport: general interest > Ships & shipping: general interest
In 1973 David Christie moved house from Essex to Scotland, but it
wasn't till 1974 that he discovered the joys of sailing on Calmac's
ships. An initial sail on King George V at Oban in her last season
was a great introduction but mostly, over the next three years, I
focussed on Queen Mary on the Clyde, now safely back in Glasgow at
the Science Centre. Most of the Clyde piers are covered, with
emphasis on Rothesay. Ferries also feature with old and new on the
Rothesay and Dunoon runs and the smaller boats at Largs. The west
coast features with Oban as the main terminal, then Mallaig, before
a session on the pre-bridge Skye ferries. A single visit to
Ullapool finishes this journey back to the seventies.
In the post-war era, TS Bremen was one of the most popular liners
operating across the Atlantic - but she had a remarkable wartime
history. Built for the French as the SS Pasteur, in 1940 she made a
dramatic escape in the face of invasion, carrying 200 tons of
French gold bullion reserves to Halifax, Nova Scotia. Requisitioned
by the British, she became a hospital troopship and played a major
support role in the Battle of El Alamein. Indeed, Charles de Gaulle
claimed that Pasteur's contribution 'significantly helped bring . .
. Hitler to his ultimate end'. Her sale in 1956 to North German
Lloyd Line as their final flagship - refitted and renamed Bremen -
sparked protest in France, but Bremen sailed on unperturbed, now
the pride of the German nation. Though she had been celebrated as
one of the safest liners ever built, Filipinas Saudi 1, as she was
then known, sank in 1980 in the Indian Ocean. It was a sad ending
to a life filled with glamour, excitement and danger. Here Andrew
Britton tells the story of this distinguished and much-loved vessel
in intimate and colourful detail.
The first close-up look at the hidden world of Somali pirates by
a young journalist who dared to make his way into their remote
havens and spent a year infiltrating their lives.
For centuries, stories of pirates have captured imaginations around
the world. The recent ragtag bands of pirates off the coast of
Somalia, hijacking multimillion-dollar tankers owned by
international shipping conglomerates, have brought the scourge of
piracy into the modern era. Jay Bahadur's riveting narrative
expose--the first of its kind--looks at who these men are, how they
live, the forces that created piracy in Somalia, how the pirates
spend the ransom money, how they deal with their hostages, among
much, much more. It is a revelation of a dangerous world at the
epicenter of political and natural disaster.
In 1843 Brunel's ironship Great Britain was launched, becoming the
forerunner of the great steel-hulled ships of today. Yet she was
tiny compared with the transatlantic liners of the early 1900s as
ship-owners vied for the top spot in terms of speed, elegance and
size. Liners such as Mauritania and Titanic were later followed by
two giant Queens and France's liner Normandie. If the innovative
engineers of the Victorian age guided the shipping industry from
sail to steam, wood to iron and later to steel, then the
twentieth-century invention of the computer took ship construction
to entirely new concepts. Massive passenger vessels, equipped with
remarkable facilities, efficient machinery and capable of meeting
the highest standard of safety, can now be built from keel to
funnel in no more than two years. Construction techniques have
changed beyond recognition, as have methods of ship design and,
indeed, the very roles that these floating resorts are asked to
play. Today Royal Caribbean's sister ships Oasis of the Seas and
Allure of the Seas are the first passenger ships in history to
exceed 200,000 gros tons and are promoted as offering a third more
space than any other cruise vessel afloat and measuring seventy
times the size of the first Victorian passenger-carrying ironship.
For the foreseeable future, at least, these two giant floating
cities will hold the accolade of being the biggest passenger ships
of all time.
The steamers of P&A Campbell were a memorable sight for
hundreds of thousands who lived in the Bristol Channel area,
Brighton and the South Coast and Southampton. For many, a trip down
the water on a White Funnel paddler was their solitary holiday each
year. The ships themselves were well travelled, with many making
excursions to France or to islands like Lundy. In A White Funnel
Album Chris Collard, acknowledged expert on the fleet and its
history, brings together 200 images of the ships in the heyday of
the excursion steamer.
Boats are expensive and they are complicated - unless you are going
to pay a professional to carry out a survey (at yet more expense)
it is invaluable to be able to: - quickly assess a potential
purchase for signs of trouble without paying for lengthy reports -
carry out a detailed check on your own boat the end of the season -
identify problems and get them dealt with before they get serious -
get to know your boat in a lot more detail, so if a problem
develops at sea you will be more able to cope Organised into
chapters covering: Tools of the trade (basic tools, moisture
meters, fingers and feel, smell, mirrors, sources of information);
Checking the hull (including wood construction and rot, GRP
laminates, osmosis, metal construction, keels, anodes); RIBs and
inflatables; Engine and systems; Stern gear; Plumbing; Mast and
rigging; Electrical systems; Interiors; Safety equipment. At the
end of the book there's a handy guide to carrying out a five minute
survey - invaluable when making a quick assessment of a potential
purchase. Highly illustrated, with anecdotes and hands-on advice
throughout, this practical book gives readers the tools to do much
of the work on their own, and know when to call in the experts.
This long-awaited book tells the remarkable story of the second
Mauretania (1938-65): her construction, her naming, her maiden
voyage and her distinguished Second World War service, told through
extracts from a rare diary of a soldier. Also recalled are two
exciting escapes from torpedoing by German U-boats, and the tale of
how this great liner was almost lost in a high-speed collision with
the SS Ile de France, which could have resulted in catastrophic
loss of life. Interviews with those who served on board, peppered
with fascinating anecdotes, describe daily life on the ship, as
well as the more unusual events such as royal visits. Recollections
of the crew, from bell boy to captain, cover the famous Sunshine
Caribbean cruises and an encounter with a hurricane in the North
Atlantic, as well as her final voyage to the scrapyard. Andrew
Britton's unique access to original artefacts from the Mauretania,
including captains' logbooks, publicity material, menus, deck plans
and much more, makes this a collection like no other. Coupled with
lavish photography, including a wealth of previously unpublished
colour images, the result is an evocative book that preserves the
memory of this great Cunard liner for future generations.
The third in a series of Adlard Coles highly practical, hands on,
step-by-step photographic manuals, "Replacing Your Boat's
Electrical System" fills a gap in the market for the DIY boat
builder and repairer, and for owners of older second-hand boats.
The electrical system on a boat is crucial for the operation of all
manner of useful as well as critical equipment, yet a simple
failure or weakness can render these systems inoperable. In older
boats fatigued or damaged wiring can be problematical or even
terminal, so Mike Westin shows ow to replace a boat's electrical
system to ensure fault-free service.This is a visual, hand-holding
guide, concentrating on the all-important details as it explains
each procedure rather than focussing on the theory (which is
relegated to an appendix, for those who wish to go further).
It may not be the longest, deepest or widest river in the world but
few bodies of water reveal as much about a nation's past and
present, or are suggestive of its future, as England's River
Thames. Tales of legendary lock-keepers and long-vanished weirs
evoke the distant past of a river which evolved into a prime
commercial artery linking the heart of England with the ports of
Europe. In Victorian times, the Thames hosted regattas galore, its
new bridges and tunnels were celebrated as marvels of their time,
and London's river was transformed from sewer to centrepiece of the
British Empire. Talk of the Thames Gateway and the effectiveness of
the Thames Barrier keeps the river in the news today, while the
lengthening Thames Path makes the waterway more accessible than
ever before. Through quiet meadows, rolling hills, leafy suburbia,
industrial sites and a changing London riverside, Mick Sinclair
tracks the Thames from source to sea, documenting
internationally-known landmarks such as Tower Bridge and Windsor
Castle and revealing lesser known features such as Godstow Abbey,
Canvey Island, the Sanford Lasher, and George Orwell's tranquil
grave. Paintings, Words and Music: Turner, Tissot, Whistler and
Monet; Shakespeare at Southwark, Alexander Pope, Charles Dickens,
Jerome K. Jerome, William Morris; Handel's Water Music, the first
rendition of Rule Britannia, the Rolling Stones and The Who rocking
Eel Pie Island. Power, Politics and Intrigue: Runnymede and Magna
Carta, the first English parliament, Whitehall Palace, Cliveden and
the Profumo affair, the Houses of Parliament and the brooding
headquarters of MI5 and MI6. Trade and Commerce: Eel trapping,
osier growing; bargemen, watermen and lightermen; the rise and fall
of London's docks; urban regeneration, rural protection.
`I can think of no other edifice constructed by man as altruistic
as a lighthouse. They were built only to serve.' George Bernard
Shaw Since ancient times, long before GPS, radio transmission or
radar, lighthouses have served as beacons helping ships to navigate
Ireland's sometimes treacherous waters. The earliest lights were
simply bonfires built on hillsides; in the fifth century, St Dubhan
established a brazier of burning wood or turf on the headland of Hy
Kinsellagh (now known as Hook Head). Today, despite technological
advances, these coastal icons continue to serve as crucial
navigational aids for the maritime traffic of our island nation,
from the smallest leisure crafts to cargo ships and trawlers. By
day, they mark the way with their instantly recognisable
appearances; at night, by the character of their signals. One flash
every two seconds tells a sailor that they are near Valentia Island
off the coast of Kerry. Four flashes every twenty seconds means
that they are further north, approaching Loop Head in County Clare.
As well as representing a unique part of our maritime history and
built heritage, lighthouses are a powerful symbol of strength and
resilience in times of darkness. This evokes an irresistible
fascination with them in many people. Artist Roger O'Reilly grew up
near the Boyne Estuary lighthouse in County Meath and ever since
has associated a sense of peace and reassurance with the warm glow
of lighthouse beacons. He has spent two years criss-crossing the
country to draw dramatic portraits of these sentinels of our
shores. Gathered in this extraordinary collection, each beloved
landmark is accompanied by a wealth of practical and insightful
information: history, location, elevation, signal and range. This
spectacularly illustrated celebration of these architectural gems
will be treasured by anyone who finds comfort, intrigue or
excitement in the glimmer of a lighthouse through the darkness.
How was the Norse Navigator able to shape his course across the
North Atlantic long before the invention of the magnetic compass?
This book tells the story of the Viking Sun Compass and how it
allowed the Vikings to sail across the Atlantic. In 1948, the
Danish archaeologist C.L. Vebaek found the remains of a small
wooden disc at the Viking Age site of Uunartoq in Greenland. Since
then the Master mariners Carl V. Sver and Sen Thirslund have
interpreted this find as a navigational instrument. This book is
the essence of more than forty years of archaeological studies,
discussions and practical sea-going experiments. The author gives a
full account of the history of the find and demonstrates
convincingly how Viking Age Navigators could make use of this and
other simple devices in order to find their way across the vastness
of the Northern Atlantic.
In 1969, the first two men landed on the moon. There were five
other landings, leading to a total of twelve astronauts standing on
the moon. A further six circled above while the world watched. Also
in 1969, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston was the first man to sail solo
non-stop around the world south of Cape Horn. He was the eighth of
only eleven men who rounded the Horn alone before the final moon
landing. These eleven men had no-one watching them. This dramatic
and exciting book, written so vividly you can feel the sea's spray
on your face and taste the salt on your lips, tells the story of
these eleven men and their sailing exploits, and compares and
contrasts their voyages with what the twelve space astronauts
achieved. 'One famous astronaut spoke of a "small step for man, one
great leap for mankind". For those who go to sea, rather than into
space, there's no greater step than rounding Cape Horn.' From the
preface, written by Paul Heiney
This colourful history tells the story of Cunard's RMS Queen Mary,
who along with her running mate Queen Elizabeth covered the
transatlantic route from Southampton to New York via Cherbourg, the
British answer to the German and French superliners. She was
launched in May 1936 and immediately won the coveted Blue Riband,
winning it again in 1938, before she served as a troopship in the
war. She then carried on plying the Atlantic route with Queen
Elizabeth until the jet age changed the world again and she was
retired, now preserved as a floating museum and restaurant in Long
Beach, California. Andrew Britton presents a wealth of unpublished
photographic material and ephemera from his unparalleled collection
to tell the story of this historic liner, including rare wartime
views, shots of her 'grey ghost' paintwork, unique behind the
scenes photographs, from the air shots, interior views and a wide
selection of menus, log books, timetables, tickets and much more
besides. Even including captain's invitations, this superlative
book offers a captivating trip through the history of this great
liner.
J. Samuel White & Company was the oldest firm on the Admiralty
List and built 252 ships for the Royal Navy alone. The yard's
closure in 1966 ended 300 years of shipbuilding during which time
the company had gained acclaim from mercantile and naval customers
alike. Famed early on for fast Revenue cutters and naval brigs, in
its final years Royal Navy destroyers earned it great distinction.
Highly innovative, it developed and patented many pioneering
products while other innovations included semi-diesel engines, heat
exchangers, air conditioners and compressors, besides a range of
marine thruster units. Not only did the company build ships and
boats but it also constructed a range of marine aircraft. During
the First World War, White's production accounted for 100 ships,
including twenty-seven destroyers, and 201 seaplanes. Production
during the Second World War added up to 317 ships, among them
twenty-six destroyers and a large minelayer. Illustrated with
photographs of these and many of the company's other products, this
book tells the story of J. Samuel White and its subsidiary
concerns, a business built on a reputation of quality which earned
it the slogan: "White's-built - well-built!".
'I saw that ship sink, I never closed my eyes. I saw it, I heard
it, and nobody could possibly forget it. I can remember the
colours, the sounds, everything. The worst thing I can remember
were the screams.' EVA HART This is the amazing story of how Eva
survived the sinking of the Titanic - the disaster that claimed the
life of her father. The events of a few hours during her childhood
had a huge impact on Eva. Her vivid memories of being bundled into
a lifeboat and of watching the unsinkable ship slip beneath the
surface remained with her for the rest of her life, although it was
nearly forty years before she could talk openly about the tragedy.
A Girl Aboard the Titanic is the only eyewitness description we
have from a child of this famous maritime disaster.
This is a companion volume to Friedman s highly successful _British
Battleship 1906 1946_ and completes his study of the Royal Navy s
capital ships. Beginning with the earliest installation of steam
machinery in ships of the line, the book traces the technological
revolution that saw the introduction of iron hulls, armour plate,
shell-firing guns and the eventual abandonment of sail as auxiliary
propulsion. This hectic development finally settled down to a
widely approved form of pre-dreadnought battleship, built in large
numbers and culminating in the _King Edward VII_ class. As with all
of his work, Friedman is concerned to explain why as well as how
and when these advances were made, and locates British ship design
firmly within the larger context of international rivalries,
domestic politics and economic constraints. The result is a
sophisticated and enlightening overview of the Royal Navy s battle
fleet in the latter half of the nineteenth century. It is also well
illustrated a comprehensive gallery of photographs with in-depth
captions is accompanied by specially commissioned plans of the
important classes by A D Baker III, and a colour section featuring
the original Admiralty draughts, including a spectacular double
gatefold. Norman Friedman is one of the most highly regarded of all
naval writers, with an avid following, so for anyone with an
interest in warships, the publication of this work will be a major
event.
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