Maritime History

Scottish Fisheries Museum. The museum is housed in old domestic buildings and also in the 16th century site used by the monks from Balmerino Abbey.

Maritime Scotland (Historic Scotland S.) Maritime history has played a large part in shaping Scotland. Scots have always been close to the sea, it forms most of their boundaries, and provides food, livelihoods and transport. Two maritime themes, the oil industry and nuclear submarine bases, are still at the forefront of Scottish politics. Maritime Scotland.

Echoes of the Sea: Scotland and the Sea... From the curraghs of Celtic monks to the longships of the Vikings, the sea has been central to the Scots. Weaving poetry and prose, reportage and travel writing, the editors have tried to reflect the full range and power of the sea and its influence on Scotland. Maritime Scotland.

The Wreckers: A Story of Killing Seas,... From the bestselling author of The Lightouse Stevensons, a gripping history of the drama and danger of wrecking since the eighteenth century, and the often grisly ingenuity of Scottish and British wreckers, scavengers of the sea. A fine wreck has always represented sport, pleasure, treasure, and in many cases, the difference between living well and just getting by.

Scots and the Sea The sea has shaped Scotland and Scots have helped to shape maritime history, trade and communications. "Scots and the Sea" is an account of this continuing interaction. It takes a look at some of the personalities involved; at the courage and endurance of fishermen and their families; the individual brilliance of Admiral Cochrane, who helped establish free nations across the globe; at the self-serving activities of pirates like Captain Kidd; and the bravery of lifeboat volunteers. It visits ports, harbours and shipyards and looks at Scotland's role in ship construction and marine engineering from the galleys and longships of early history to clippers, steamships, ocean liners, hovercraft and oilrigs - and research into wave and tidal power. The book details the origins of Scotland's maritime traditions, the founding of a Scottish navy, the pressures towards Union, development of trade, ports, harbours, shipbuilding and marine engineering and acts of courage at sea. It also recounts the exploits and achievements of Scots in all these fields from Sir Andrew Wood to Sir Andrew Cunningham and takes a look into the future.

Whalehunters: Dundee and the Arctic... Few trades were so demanding and dangerous as whaling. The hunt for the whale and its precious oil, bone and ambergris took sailors to the frozen ends of the earth, on voyages that lasted years at a time. Harpoons were thrown by hand from an open boat, which at any moment the whale could reduce to matchwood with a single blow of its tail. This book is not a history of whaling, but the story of the whalehunters themselves. It tells of the experiences of men from little Scottish ports who risked everything for a tiny share in whatever their whaling ships managed to catch. Making a living in this way involved extraordinary adventures, harrowing ordeals and grinding labour: and a courage that was prepared to confront the mystery and terror of the sea.

The Lighthouse Stevensons: The...Extraordinary Story of the Building of the Scottish Lighthouses by the Ancestors of Robert Louis Stevenson. "Whenever I smell salt water, I know that I am not far from one of the works of my ancestors." Robert Louis Stevenson The 14 lighthouses dotting the Scottish coast were all built by the same family that produced Robert Louis Stevenson, Scotland's most famous novelist. Surprised? Bella Bathurst throws a powerful, revolving light into the darkness of this historical tradition. I highly recommend this book.

The Voyage of the "Scotia": The Story of... Scotland's Forgotten Polar Heroes. In 1902 the Scottish National Antarctic Expedition set out under the command of William Speirs Bruce to explore the southern polar regions. Their ship was the `Scotia' and its voyage through uncharted waters was to last two years, with a winter camp being established in the remote South Orkney Islands. Surrounded by a wilderness of pack ice, and utterly cut off from contact with the outside world, Bruce and his team carried out pioneering research into Antarctic botany, biology, geology and meteorology. They lived on a diet of seal and penguin, and survived unimaginably harsh weather conditions. After two gruelling years, they returned to a heroes' welcome in the Clyde. The specimens, maps and information they brought back with them made a major contribution to the progress of polar exploration which later culminated in the expeditions of Scott and Amundsen to the South Pole. The fact that the Scottish expedition was so successful, compared to the dramatic tragedy of Captain Scott's doomed trek, has ironically meant that its achievement has been neglected in recent years. This timely re-issue of the story of the expedition, on the centenary of the `Scotia's' voyage, makes enthralling reading, and will restore Scotland's polar heroes to their rightful place in history. Maritime Scotland.

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