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"Resurrection: Salvaging the Battle Fleet at Pearl Harbour" by Daniel Madsen, a fascinating account of what was possibly the world's largest wreck recovery operation.

 

It would be interesting to compare that with "The man who bought a Navy" - the story of the raising of the German battle fleet scuttled at Scapa Flow after the First World War.

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Right now: "БОЕВАЯ ϺАШИНА ПЕХОТЫ БМП-1 Техническое описание и инструкция эксплуатации"

 

Or, if you prefer the easy way:

 

"Infantry Fighting Vehicle

BMP-1

Technical description and user manual"

 

Taking time though as it's all in Cyrillic!! :D:D:D

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It would be interesting to compare that with "The man who bought a Navy" - the story of the raising of the German battle fleet scuttled at Scapa Flow after the First World War.

 

I hadn't heard of that one before but now have a copy on order. Thanks for bringing it to my attention!

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It would be interesting to compare that with "The man who bought a Navy" - the story of the raising of the German battle fleet scuttled at Scapa Flow after the First World War.

 

Runflat, if you are interested in marine salvage, i recommend two books, one by Tony Booth called Admiralty Salvage in Peace and War and Desmond Young's Try Anything Twice.

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What book are you reading at the moment?

 

My AA renewal notice, good bit of fantasy comedy. Don't they know theres a recession on.

 

Jon

 

Phone them up and tell them your not paying that and you will give the RAC a try:argh:.....They will put you on hold talk to the suprevisor and then offer you a much better price.... worked for me.

 

 

 

Currently reading Fred (the Fred Dibnah autobiography)

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Phone them up and tell them your not paying that and you will give the RAC a try:argh:.....They will put you on hold talk to the suprevisor and then offer you a much better price.... worked for me.

 

 

 

Currently reading Fred (the Fred Dibnah autobiography)

 

Funny that - I tried it the other way around - and that worked too!! :D

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Doing book reviews takes up a lot of time, so i was just wondering what people were reading and what they thought of them?

 

I am a member of the Book Review panel on the Army Rumour Service. This morning I put my name forward to review iirc (server is reported as down at the moment) "the definitive description of the Iranian Embassy Siege."

 

Sorry cannot give you the name right now: server down.

 

Found it:

 

For Review: Go!Go!Go! The Definitive Inside Story of the Iranian Embassy Siege

 

 

Anyone fancy it? Pse PM me with your name & address if you do.

 

P.S Clearly the review will need to be good lest your bedroom windows explode one night ......

 

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It would be interesting to compare that with "The man who bought a Navy" - the story of the raising of the German battle fleet scuttled at Scapa Flow after the First World War.

 

My copy of this arrived yesterday - one of the most intersting books I have read in a long time! Well worth a read.

 

The story, for those who don't know, is that of Ernest Cox, an eccentric but very able engineer who decided that - despite never having salvaged a vessel in his life - he would buy and salvage the German High Seas battle fleet at Scapa after the world's salvage experts had said it was an impossible task. Starting with 25 destroyers he bought for £250, he then did it! In the process he set records for the greatest number of vessels raised in a short time, and the largest vessel ever brought to the surface. A staggering achievement.

 

Mind you, I can't help but feel that if he was a member of this forum he would have restored the salvaged vessels rather than scrapping them!

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My copy of this arrived yesterday - one of the most intersting books I have read in a long time! Well worth a read.

 

The story, for those who don't know, is that of Ernest Cox, an eccentric but very able engineer who decided that - despite never having salvaged a vessel in his life - he would buy and salvage the German High Seas battle fleet at Scapa after the world's salvage experts had said it was an impossible task. Starting with 25 destroyers he bought for £250, he then did it! In the process he set records for the greatest number of vessels raised in a short time, and the largest vessel ever brought to the surface. A staggering achievement.

 

Mind you, I can't help but feel that if he was a member of this forum he would have restored the salvaged vessels rather than scrapping them!

You have to be joking! restore! Metal from that scorce is &*(^%$£"!!! expensive! It is the world's largest supply of non radioactive metal!.

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Tony B

Metal from that scorce is &*(^%$£"!!! expensive! It is the world's largest supply of non radioactive metal!.

 

Any steel smelted prior to 15-7-1945 is comparatively none radioactive sitting under scapa flow would make little difference -its all slightly radioactive, it is the processing of steel in particular by forcing huge quantities of air through it that builds up the radioactive levels, a major reason why the scapa scrap is valuable is its nickel/chrome and other alloy content.

 

Of interest one of the battlecruisers -either Von Der Tann or Derrflinger was raised just prior to WW2 and remained on the surface upside down with a fouled keel looking like a small green island for the rest of the war -every so often the salvagers pumped some air into it to stop it sinking back.

 

Steve

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Interesting to read all the comments about salvaging the Scapa Flow fleet - and Diver, thanks for those suggestions.

 

There's some moving footage on this feat here:

 

As can be seen, many of the ships were raised up-side-down, and had to be hacked about a lot before they could be lifted.

 

A while back there was also a documentary on the BBC showing "lost videos" - one showed one of the larger battleships breaking through the water surface, stunning footage. I wish it was on the net somewhere (it probably is, but I can't find it).

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  • 2 years later...

This has just arrived in the post. The first book I am aware of that has covered the RUC Reserve Force in detail (but please it has nothing to do with the USC which was an entirely different organisation)

 

Lots of photos of people & vehicles in some 386 pages that are well indexed. Many key facts have source citations.

 

It is advertised on-line by a large web based distributor, but they don't actually hold it in stock & after waiting for more than a week with no notification for delivery, I cancelled the order & a friend in NI sent a copy over.

 

If anyone wants to order it elsewhere the ISBN is 978-0-953867-4-1

 

The picture on the front cover is very familiar, as is the vehicle itself :D :D:D

 

Dsc06068_zpsb59896f1.jpg

Edited by fv1609
ISBN
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Of interest one of the battlecruisers -either Von Der Tann or Derrflinger was raised just prior to WW2 and remained on the surface upside down with a fouled keel looking like a small green island for the rest of the war -every so often the salvagers pumped some air into it to stop it sinking back.Steve

 

That was Derfflinger, they hauled it down to Rosyth in '46.

 

There are three books which cover the topic admirably - The Man who bought a Navy by Gerald Bowman, Cox's Navy by Tony Booth and also Jutland to Junkyard by S.C. George.

Jutland to Junkyard is my favourite, it along with TMWBAN, was collated from the remaining first-hand accounts. From Robertson's flat bar and screws to Cox and Danks winches and air chambers.

 

Wonderful engineering books and worth a read!!!! :thumbsup:

 

I have read them many times over the years.

 

Alec.

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  • 2 weeks later...

[h=1]Light Car Patrols 1916-19: War and Exploration in Egypt and Libya with the Model T Ford [Paperback][/h]Russell McGuirk (Author), Captain Claud H. Williams (Author)

 

WW1 predecessor of the LRDG

 

Captain Claud Williams memoir tells, first-hand, what it was like to be a Light Car Patrol commander during the First World War, while Russell McGuirk s commentary provides the historical background to the formation of the Patrols and follows their activities from the British raid on Siwa Oasis to desert exploration and survey work and the Kufra Reconnaissance Scheme. Lavishly illustrated with original photographs from Light Car officers, this combined memoir and history provides a fascinating and informative picture of an unsung hero of the desert the Model T Ford.

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MORE of a report than a book REPORT ON WAR OFFICE EXPERIMENTAL CONVOY 1932 this convoy was to be led by

major D K PARIS M.C R.A and would consist of four vehicles CROSSLEY 6 wheeled 30 cwt lorry COMMER 4 wheeled lorry

MORRIS - COMMERCIAL 15 cwt VAN RILEY 9hp car the route was to start at ALEXANDRIA and finish atsouth of LUXOR

A total of one thousand miles the vehicles where driving and maned by members of the following RE R.T.C R.A.O.C

R.A.S.C THERE WHERE nine members in all representing five arms of service

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  • 3 months later...

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