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Books > Sport & Leisure > Transport: general interest > Ships & shipping: general interest
Tom Christian is on the trail of revenge and a fortune in gold. As
square-jawed and rugged as Clark Gable in his prime, Tom is headed
deep into the jungles of the Solomon Islands to find Punjo
Charlie-the ruthless criminal who killed his partner. But these
jungles are thick with danger . . . as greed, temptation and sudden
violence threaten to draw Tom into the heart of darkness. There's a
pile of gold. . . . There's a beautiful blonde. . . . And there's a
bloodthirsty tribe of headhunters who have fallen under the spell
of Punjo Charlie. The trap has been set. The question is: will Tom
fall into it? Will he lose his way and lose his head . . . or will
he get his revenge, get the gold and get the girl? The answer lies
buried in the rain forest . . . and in Tom's heart. And as he's
about to discover, there's only one way out of the jungle: all-out
war. In 1927, L. Ron Hubbard sailed across the Pacific to Guam to
meet his naval officer father. It was the beginning of an adventure
that would take him from the Western Hills of China to the South
Pacific islands. Along the way he met Cantonese pirates, Chamorro
natives, British spies, and headhunters of the South Pacific. He
was one of the few Westerners to come away from an encounter with a
headhunter tribe not only unscathed, but bearing gifts as well.
Those experiences and knowledge proved invaluable in the writing of
such stories as The Headhunters.
Palm oil is the quintessence of West Africa - it is complex, an
acquired taste and reckoned to be rather unhealthy. Small chop is
the addition of ingredients that make it palatable for European
taste. From the unique perspective of working aboard merchant ships
trading to the area, the author provides a viewpoint of the first
25 years of West African independence - it is simultaneously the
story of the final years of many of the British Merchant Navy's
liner trades where fortunes largely depended upon imperial routes.
The author served in ships of three very different shipping
companies, two British and one Nigerian, and from this unusual
breadth of experience, a fascinating story of ships, their crews,
their cargoes and the peoples from Senegal to Angola is told. The
last of the famous surf ports, the navigation of the twisting
waterways of the Niger Delta and the ascent of the great Congo
River are vividly described. A colourful picture is painted of the
astonishing variety of cargoes and how ships almost literally felt
their way across treacherous mudbanks, picked their way through
mangrove-bordered creeks with local pilots boarding from canoes.
The reader also meets the local inhabitants who include
hard-working men from the desert interior, their more wily brethren
from the coastal regions, itinerant traders and plausible rogues,
the cowed workers of Portuguese Angola and, above all, the famous
Kroomen of Freetown who helped work the ships around this
intriguing coast of crashing surf and foetid creeks. With the
fortunes of the new nations faltering, the Palm Line ships are
forced to find work in other trades. The author experiences daily
life in Poland under martial law, later finding himself on voyages
to Brazil, the Indian sub-continent and Australia aboard ships
primarily designed for the West African ports. Told
sympathetically, yet with a keen eye for the absurd and downright
funny, this is a lively, informative story of ordinary people
trying to make a living in a world where events, over which they
have no control, change their lives irreversibly.
When London first applied as a contender to stage the 2012 Olympic
Games, there was cynical speculation as to whether the transport
infrastructure could cope should it win. During the bidding process
for 2012, Transport for London, the capital's transport strategy
provider, did its bit to promote the application with buses and
Stratford station displaying prominent 'Back the Bid' slogans.
There was a 'can-do' mentality among transport management on this
occasion, and in this book Malcolm Batten looks at the preparation
and delivery of the Olympic and Paralympic games by London's
transport providers. The transport legacy is also examined here,
with previously unpublished photographs celebrating a landmark
achievement in the history of London transport.
National Service, Britain's name for conscription, existed between
1945 and 1963. In that time, two and a half million men were
required to serve for two years with the armed forces. For some, it
was a miserable penance. For the majority, it was just something
that had to be done but for a lucky few, of whom the author was
one, it was a time of travel and adventure. Following a six-year
medical degree, with a further year of houseman posts, he chose to
serve his conscription in the Royal Navy. However, the Navy
required only a small number of doctors and selection was by
interview in London. Being young, single and tired of the
stultifying life of a student, the author opted for a posting in
small ships abroad and was delighted to be accepted. The result was
a mixture of travel and excitement with cheerful and lively
companions in far-flung places including Borneo, Japan, Korea and
Hong Kong. As the time for his National Service drew nearer he was
unsure of which of the many paths within medicine he was to take.
As will be seen, the forthcoming months were to be useful in
reaching a decision. This exuberant story is recounted from notes
and letters and commences with the author's time at the Edinburgh
Royal Infirmary. 'Put him up in modified Russell Traction,' said
the senior surgical registrar, 'and I will pin him in the morning.'
Modified Russell Traction? My fellow house surgeon and I had no
idea what he meant...Thus began a medical adventure.
Bob Sherman has a strength of character and purpose that would make
Spencer Tracy proud. But signing on to the crew of the yacht
Bonito, he'll need every ounce of his strength and courage to
overcome the forces arrayed against him--in Sea Fangs.
He'll take on the forces of nature--a hurricane smashing into the
boat off the Venezuelan coast. He'll stand up to the forces of
ignorance--Bonito's incompetent captain. He'll defy the forces of
corruption--the boat's owner, who stripped him of his land years
ago. And he'll fight the forces of evil--a ruthless band of pirates
who take all aboard, including the owner's daughter, to the
uncharted Island of Death.
His fate intertwined with a woman whose father stole everything he
valued, Sherman is about to discover that there's one force as
powerful, unpredictable and dangerous as the sea itself . . . the
force of a beautiful woman's love.
Hubbard had vast experience at sea. By the time he'd written this
story, he had traveled twice to China on Naval vessels, had signed
on a twin-masted schooner plying the Chinese coast, and had
organized a five-thousand mile expedition aboard a four-masted
schooner. He had first-hand experience of the violence of the
sea--and of the men who ply it--as he depicts in Sea Fangs.
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"A must for his legions of fans and an impressive tribute to his
storytelling skills."" --The Midwest Book Review
"A great read about some great ladies, Pat Majher's "Ladies of
the Lights" pays long overdue homage to an overlooked part of Great
Lakes maritime history in which a select group of stalwart women
beat the odds to succeed in a field historically reserved for
men."
---Terry Pepper, Executive Director of Great Lakes Lighthouse
Keepers Association
Michigan once led the country in the number of lighthouses, and
they're still a central part of the mystique and colorful
countryside of the state. What even the region's lighthouse
enthusiasts might not know is the rich history of female lighthouse
keepers in the area.
Fifty women served the sailing communities on Lakes Huron,
Michigan, and Superior, as well as on the Detroit River, for more
than 100 years. From Catherine Shook, who raised eight children
while maintaining the Pointe Aux Barques light at the entrance to
Saginaw Bay; to Eliza Truckey, who assumed responsibility for the
lighthouse in Marquette while her husband fought for four years in
the Civil War; to Elizabeth Whitney, whose combined service on
Beaver Island and in Harbor Springs totaled forty-one years---the
stories of Michigan's "ladies of the light" are inspiring.
This is no technical tome documenting the minutiae of Michigan's
lighthouse specifications. Rather, it's a detailed, human portrait
of the women who kept those lighthouses running, defying the gender
expectations of their time.
Patricia Majher is Editor of "Michigan History" magazine,
published by the Historical Society of Michigan. Prior, she was
Assistant Director of the Michigan Women's Historical Center and
Hall of Fame in Lansing, Michigan. In addition, she has been
writing both advertising and editorial copy for almost thirty years
and has been a frequent contributor to Michigan newspapers and
magazines.
Three hundred nautical miles from shore, I'm cold and sick and
afraid. I pray for reprieve. I long for solid ground. And I can't
help but ask myself, What the hell was I thinking? When Sue
Williams set sail for the North Atlantic, it wasn't a mid-life
crisis. She had no affinity for the sea. And she didn't have an
adventure-seeking bone in her body. In the wake of a perfect storm
of personal events, it suddenly became clear: her sons were adults
now; they needed freedom to figure things out for themselves; she
had to get out of their way. And it was now or never for her
husband, David, to realize his dream to cross an ocean. So she'd go
too. Ready to Come About is the story of a mother's improbable
adventure on the high seas and her profound journey within, through
which she grew to believe that there is no gift more precious than
the liberty to chart one's own course, and that risk is a good
thing ... sometimes, at least.
Southampton Docks is one of the most important maritime centres in
the UK, and here Andrew Britton explores its rich history. From
four-funnelled liners and flying boats to power stations and
refineries, this volume depicts all that happened in the docks, the
living heartbeat of the city. Herein see previously unpublished
behind-the-scenes shots of the dock at work, of captain's logbooks
and tickets - even some ships' menus; it all gives the true flavour
of dock life. Using the original port map of Southampton and
historic artefacts, the lives and times of Southampton Docks are
brought to the fore. This edition is lavishly illustrated with rare
and unseen images, providing a real treat for anyone interested in
Southampton and its docks.
As daring and defiant as Kirk Douglas journeying 20,000 Leagues
Under the Sea, there's no stopping diver Hawk Ridley as he takes
the plunge into a briny world of untold riches and danger. The
Caribbean is a fortune hunter's dream, salted with the gold of
galleons long ago claimed by the deep. Now Hawk's headed for the
Windward Passage of Haiti to stake his claim. But a rival team has
also picked up the scent, and they're willing to turn the sea red
with blood to get to the gold first. Fighting off ruthless
competitors is nothing new to Hawk...but fighting off a beautiful
woman is a different story. Is she an innocent stowaway or a
seductive saboteur? Between the cool millions lying on the bottom
of the ocean, and the boiling-hot race to grab it, Hawk's about to
find the answer and make a discovery Twenty Fathoms Down that will
blow you out of the water. When it came to research, Hubbard was
not one to head for the library. He always went to the source-in
this case a U.S. Navy deep-sea diver who agreed to show him the
ropes and the danger. Hubbard admits it was daunting-even
frightening-but he returned from the experience with all the
first-hand knowledge he needed to fathom the true nature of life
and death underwater. "Primo Pulp Fiction." - Booklist
A practical illustrated guide to making scale model tug boats,
offering information and guidance in line with the very latest
developments in tug technology and design, and modern advances in
model building. It covers scratch building, kits and mixing the
two. The first six chapters are devoted to tugs in general,
arranged by the duties for which each type of tug is designed.
Subsequent chapters cover the details of scale modelling. This book
is an enlargement and substantial revision of the tug material
which appeared in the author's previous book Scale Model Tugs &
Trawlers (Nexus Special Interests, 1999). Illustrated with original
photographs and plans, it has been compiled from a wealth of
practical experience and material gathered by experienced
professional ship modeller Tom Gorman.
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RMS Queen Mary
(Paperback)
Suzanne Tarbell Cooper, Frank Cooper, Athene Mihalakis Kovacic, Don Lynch, John Thomas
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R657
R541
Discovery Miles 5 410
Save R116 (18%)
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Ships in 10 - 15 working days
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Launched in an era when speed and grandeur went hand in hand, the
RMS Queen Mary is the last survivor of the golden age of ocean
liners. From the time of her maiden voyage in 1936, passengers
crossed the North Atlantic cocooned in luxury. Movie stars,
tycoons, politicians, and royalty shared a ship with everyday
people, for whom this was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. During
World War II, the Queen Mary ferried countless soldiers safely
across the sea and, at war's end, carried their brides and babies
home to America. Refurbished and polished to her previous glory,
the Queen Mary continued to carry passengers until her final voyage
to Long Beach in 1967. The RMS Queen Mary now serves as a floating
hotel and tourist attraction, a living testament to her glamorous
history, a generous showcase of art, and a magnificent example of a
time when oceans could be crossed in both comfort and beauty.
France produced some of the finest and best-decorated passenger
ships of the twentieth century. Beginning in 1912 with the
four-funnel France, the nostalgic voyage continues with the great
and grand transatlantic liners of the French Line, the CGT. These
include the famous Ile-de-France, Normandie and Liberte, as well as
the lesser passenger ships of the French Line. In addition, focus
is given to Compagnie de Navigation Sud-Atlantique, Transports
Maritimes and Chargeurs Reunis operating important South American
routes and to Messageries Maritimes running in Africa, the East and
the South Pacific. Packed full of nostalgic reminiscence of great
ship days gone by, the book explores majestic liners, mail boats to
Africa and colonial steamers to Saigon. Presenting many previously
unpublished images alongside insightful text and anecdotes, William
H. Miller brings the reader on board France's greatest
transatlantic liners.
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