CLASSIC DIVE BOOKS
Historic Ship Restoration, and Replicas.
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HOMEPAGE |
The ships listed here have cheated the grasp of the oceans and
shipbreakers and have been recovered from shore or the ocean floor to either
sail again or, more than likely, been placed on display. The section also
includes replica construcctions of historic ships.
Included here:
Please note: The books are listed for interest only, and not offered for sale. |
GREAT BRITAIN | |
THE RETURN OF THE GREAT BRITAIN.
Richard Goold-Adams. Weidenfeld and Nicolson, London, 1976. Hardcover, dustjacket, 226 pages, index, many mono photographs, and drawings. From the fly: The SS Great Britain, designed by the great Victorian engineer, Isambard Kingdom BruneI, was the world's first propeller-driven, ocean-going vessel. She was built in Bristol and launched on 19 July 1843 by Prince Albert amidst great festivities and public rejoicing. In 1970 the Great Britain returned to the very same dock in Bristol, watched by eight million people on Britain's television network. The story of her salvage - an epic of the sea - is told here for the first time infascinating detail. From the moment when she was first surveyed in the Falkland Islands, where she lay on the point of disintegration in Sparrow Cove, we have a full account of the dramatic rescue: her successful refloating, the long tow home lashed to a pontoon, and the delicate manoeuvres of the dry-docking process. Richard Goold-Adams, the Chairman of this remarkable project has given us a graphic account of its different aspects: the problems of fund-raising and settling the site, and more recently the challenge of restoration and public exhibition. With him we have a dramatically personal insight into the story of the SS Great Britain Project, and the fight to save this great ship. [ps] |
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MARY ROSE | |
THE MARY ROSE: THE EXCAVATION AND RAISING OF HENRY VIII'S
FLAGSHIP
Margaret Rule. Conway Maritime Press, 1982. Hardcover, dustjacket, 224 pages, index, bibliography, references, illustrated with photographs in colour and black-and-white and with diagrams. The raising of the Mary Rose was not achieved until after eleven painstaking years of underwater excavations. The ship is the only known surviving example of shipbuilding of the period. Her sudden and unexpected sinking in 1545 resulted in everything within the hull being trapped and preserved. The excavation was able to uncover numerous objects of everyday life aboard ship and a perfect time capsule of Tudor life. This is the story of her life, her loss and her recovery, and makes for a fascinating and thrilling adventure in modern underwater archaeology. |
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THE STORY OF THE MARY ROSE
Ernle Bradford. |
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RELIC OF THE MARY ROSE
Published originally in 1841 but this edition was re-published in 1995 for the 175th anniversary of Siebe Gorman & Co Ltd. The cover is made of wood and leatherette and has a gold Siebe Gorman crest. There are only sixteen pages in the book, all pages being edged in gold leaf. It measures 4 inches (10 cms) by 3 inches (7.5 cms). Each copy made was given a unique number of a limited edition. Covers the story of the Mary Rose that sunk at Spithead in July 1545. [ps] |
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VASA | SEE NEW SITE FOR THE VASA. |
THE RAISING OF THE VASA
The Rebirth of a Swedish galleon. Roy Saunders. Oldbourne Book Co. Ltd, London. 1962. Hardcover, dustjacket, 88 pages, mono prints. From the fly: On August 10th, 1628, the giant battle galleon Vasa set sail from Stockholm and, within a few minutes, sank. The Vasa was the biggest battleship of the day and the pride of Imperial Sweden. In the centuries that followed many attempts were made to salvage her. But not until 1956, when her exact location was discovered by Anders Franzen of Stockholm, was it possible to bring the skill of modern engineers to the task. Today, the great ship, raised from its resting place on the seabed, is a Swedish national monument. Scientists and craftsmen are engaged in the task of ensuring its preservation. Because of the nature of the water in that part of the sea, the Vasa was brought to the surface intact. The hulk contained perfectly preserved arms and utensils of a vanished age; around it were strewn great quantities of woodcarving - of gods, kings, knights, mermaids, dragons, lions, demons, cherubs; symbolic works of art from a fantastic Baroque period. It contained the centuries - old skeletons of Swedish fighting mariners. The story of the sinking of the Vasa and its reclamation is graphically told by Roy Saunders in this enthralling book. [ps] |
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THE SWEDISH WARSHIP WASA
Lars Ake Kvarning & Bengt Ohrelius Published by Macmillan Press Ltd in the UK in 1988. Printed card covers, no DJ with 36 printed pages. Dimensions: 21 cms tall by 29.7 cms wide This large format book is aimed at the juvenile reader was originally published in 1972 but this 1988 reprint. It is extremely well illustrated with very many diagrams, drawings, charts and photographs, many of which are in colour. The book covers the Vasa from the building to the loss and eventual salvage, preservation and display in the tremendous Vasa Museum in Stockholm. The book is divided into logical sections heades: "Why the Vasa", "Building the Vasa", "Joining the Fleet", "Life on Board", "The Crew", "Seamanship", "Fighting Power", ""Maiden Voyage", "Disaster", "Salvage", "Recovering the Vasa", "Preservation and Restoration", "The Power and Glory" and "The Wasa Museum". Although aimed at the younger reader, the book compliments the other Vasa books. [pt]. |
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THE VASA VENTURE
Lars Widding. Published 1962. Hardcover, 100 pages with pictures and illustrations. From eBay description: There are about four books about the loss,discovery and susequent salvage of the Swedish warship Vasa which sank in Stockholm harbour in 1628 in similar circumstances as the Mary Rose.This ornate warship, pride of the Swedish navy,sank into deep mud, to be preserved for hundreds of years.Though not before she was the scene of an audacious salvage,whereby an open diving bell was used to recover some of the bronze cannons.She was eventually found in the 1950s and hard hat divers tunneled beneath her hull to sling and raise her to the surface to be preserved in her own dock.This book is the scarcest of the four and a very good read. [ps] |
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THE WARSHIP VASA
Anders Franzen Norstedt and Bonnier, Stockholm, 1960. Profusely illustrated with drawings, maps and historic photographs. Limited edition, only (?) 15,000 copies printed. Fascinating well illustrated account of the Swedish warship Vasa, sunk in a sudden squall just off Stockholm in 1628, and her salvage. The Warship Vasa was built in the early 17th century when Sweden was a great power. She was one of the mightiest warships, and, as such, was richly ornamented. On August, 1628 she sank in Stockholm. In this volume, Anders Franzen, the originator of the salvage project, presents the historical background of the Vasa, the recovery process and the plans for the future. Also: THE WARSHIP VASA, DEEP DIVING AND MARINE ARCHAEOLOGY IN STOCKHOLM. Anders Franzen. Nordiska Uppslagbocker, Sweden, 1961 (2nd.ed, revised) 4to - over 9" - 12" tall. Hardcover, cloth/dust jacket; 84 pages of the exploration of the Vasa. A great many interesting photographs. The story of the rediscovery, salvage and preservation of the Swedish warship Vasa which sank in Stockholm harbour in 1628. [ps] |
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VASA - THE KING'S SHIP
Commander Bengt Ohrelius. Publisihed 1962. Hardcover, dustjacket, 124 pages with photographs and illustrations. |
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