31st January 2024
Volunteer Roger Burns investigates the sinking and subsequent raising of a Royal Navy Cruiser, HMS Gladiator, consequent on a collision in the Solent with an American passenger liner, SS St. Paul. Raising ships, especially such a large ship, was unusual then and a considerable feat. A decade later, a bizarre sequel unfolded. HMS Gladiator [...]
18th December 2023
This year, we thought it would be illuminating to portray a combination of Christmas celebration, hardship and poignancy but with a maritime flavour spanning the late-19th and mid-20th centuries, and volunteer Roger Burns has compiled a representative selection of events and stories. Booze and mistletoe provide a good start! The Belfast Telegraph of 8 January [...]
18th December 2023
MAT volunteer Roger Burns has created another crossword to test your maritime and nautical knowledge. As before, clues are a mixture of maritime and nautical knowledge, with some “linking” words. Many of the answers feature on the MAT or Shipwreck Centre and Museum websites. Answers including associated weblinks will be posted next month. {{ vc_btn: [...]
28th November 2023
Aids for mariners are essential for safety at sea and nowadays are commonplace. Charts are now mostly accurate except where sandbank positions, for example, are transient due to tidal wave action. Satellites provide accurate locational information for ships on the open sea. But before modern technology, and still to this day, lighthouses and lightvessels play [...]
31st October 2023
As readers may know, there are two stone anchors currently on display at the Shipwreck Centre & Maritime Museum on the Isle of Wight. While they seem quite hefty and impressive when considered on their own, in comparison to the large numbers of very heavy stone anchors found all over the Mediterranean, which are generally [...]
12th October 2023
With 2023 marking 50 years since the passing of the PWA, it is timely to highlight the range of marine and maritime sites covered by this and other types of legislation. MAT volunteer, Roger Burns, has developed the latest crossword which includes examples within Marine Protected Areas in Scotland and Wales, and for England, Protected [...]
28th September 2023
Have you experienced a Train Ferry? Perhaps you think that Train Ferries are uncommon, but especially in earlier times, you would be wrong. Volunteer Roger Burns takes you through from the beginnings to the present day, and you might be surprised at how many there were worldwide, and how many are still in use. The [...]
23rd August 2023
Shipwrecks have always fascinated humankind. Even over 3000 years ago, Homer’s Odyssey figured the titular character’s shipwreck as central to its narrative arc and Virgil portrayed Aeneas’ maritime adventures to found Rome as they elicit an undeniable excitement from the audience. The mystery and grandeur of a well-built ship being overpowered by the force of [...]
7th July 2023
The Silver War Badge was awarded in specific circumstances to those serving in the military and to merchant sailors for service in the First World War. Here MAT volunteer Roger Burns explores the service men and women eligible for the award with additional information about those aboard ships featured within the Forgotten Wrecks of the [...]
30th June 2023
Volunteer Andrew Daw explores the story of the Irishman and its possible origins. One of several wrecks and hulks within the reaches of Langstone Harbour is the vessel Irishman. It lies at 5048.33N 01 01.41W (Ref: Wrecksite #19213) and it was lost on May 8‘" 1941, after having struck and detonated a magnetic mine dropped [...]