| This is a true wreck divers book filled to the
brim with high quality archive plates as well as underwater
images of the wrecks themselves not to mention fascinating artefacts
recovered from several wrecks throughout. The cover painting
itself is enough to encourage the imagination this book brings
out, with it the authors cleverly set about stories of lost
ships such as HMS Victory, lost locally to a tremendous storm
in 1744. Victory, a 100 gun first rate ship of line has never
been found although the great searches carried out over four
decades is heavily emphasised in the text and backed by modern
day images. A Roman shipwreck sets the way for 22 individual
accounts of various Islands shipping disasters through to the
present day. Readers will perhaps recall the recent expeditions
in search of HMS Charybdis & Limbourne covered in past issues
of 990. Ovenden & Shayer have worked closely with survivors
of these disasters only to build on the foundation 990 lay in
greater detail and backed up with unpublished images both above
and below water. Where emphasis has been detailed in specific
areas photographic images have been supplemented by the commissioning
of original artwork to interpret and depict events. The book
recounts for the first time events leading up to each disaster
and examines the impact upon lives of those involved. Although
divers themselves the authors have collectively gathered evidence
gained by numerous third parties making available detailed information
of the wrecks in question as well as the often deep expeditions
that set out to discover them. From photographs of ships bells
underwater to recovered musket's its all here. Many of the chapters
also span far from the Channel Islands themselves and readers
in France Germany, Netherlands and the US with discover their
own history linked to the shipwrecks of the Channel Islands.
It is quite clear there has been no expense spared in this
publication leaving you satisfied in every way that the twenty-five
pounds layout is worth every penny. As a genuine and honest
opinion of this book I would say I'm hard pushed to find any
faults and if you enjoy your shipwrecks as much as I do this
is defiantly for you. I'll wait to see if I review a better
shipwreck book than 'Shipwrecks of the Channel Islands' in
2003, in the mean time this publication can reside in my library
for years to come with much pride.
Leigh Bishop Jan 2003
Published by Underwater Video Services and printed in Guernsey
ISBN 0-9543955-0-6
Hardback 200 pages with an extensive amount of both colour
and blk& white plates.
Price £25 sterling + £3.80 P&P (UK) £10
(US).
Buy a limited signed copy direct by telephoning author John
Ovenden himself on
+44 1534 499971 (Channel Islands) or e-mail jmovenden@hotmail.com
Cheque payable to "Underwater Video Services"
send to:
Shrewsbury Villa
Le Mont Les Vaux
St Brelade
Jersey
JE3 8LS
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