Dive Scotland's Greatest Wrecks [Hardcover]

Rod Macdonald has put together a very professional diving guide book to Scotland's Greatest Wrecks. I always have problems with any title that includes words such as the "best," "top" or "greatest" simply because any such claim is always subjective. As I have said before, my list will always be different from your list and neither of us is either right or wrong, it's just the way it is. That said, each of the shipwrecks in this selection of ten taken from around the Scottish coastline appears to have an excellent pedigree. Eight are found in "Diver" magazine's list of the best 100 British Wrecks and 4 are even in the top 10.

Personally, I have used another of Rod Macdonald's books on a number of professional assignments to Scapa Flow and I have yet to find that book lacking in any way. This book is very similar in appearance and is clearly just as thoroughly researched and prepared.

"Dive Scotland's Greatest Wrecks" measures a little under 10" x 7" with a hard cover and comes from "Mainstream Publishing" of Edinburgh. There are 176 pages of narrative - all well supported by a large number of black and white photographs (many of which are historic), diagrams and maps plus a further eight pages of colour photographs in the middle. The book is well laid out - beginning with that all-important acknowledgement of the many people who helped make the book possible and an informative introduction. Overall, the style is easy to read and the information imparted in this first chapter provides an excellent background for what is to follow.

This is the 10 featured wrecks; Hispania, Rondo, Breda, HMS Port Napier, Wallachia, Akka, San Tiburco, Fram, Köln and Kronprinz Wilhelm. Each of these wrecks is fully described in excellent detail to which there are 6 elements; An historic narrative showing how the vessel was lost and her technical data, a photograph or other historic document regarding the ship - in some cases a newspaper cutting about the sinking, a sketch showing the vessel's attitude underwater, a painting which shows the entire vessel as she lies on the seabed, a further narrative which describes the specific diving conditions and, finally, such relevant factors as launch site, tides, depth, air and other local information. The book is then neatly rounded off with bibliography and index.

As someone who spends countless hours researching shipwrecks, I know from experience how the production of this book will have involved considerable research. It is always interesting to see, therefore, how much of that research is acknowledged by any author. Some authors prefer not to credit the work of other people, but it is heartening to see that, in this instance, Rod Macdonald gives due credit to sixty sources.

I do, however, have one criticism for which this otherwise excellent book loses one star. For me, the book is spoilt because of the overt display of artefacts taken from wrecks (12 photographs in all). It matters not whether these were or were not taken by Mr Macdonald, the book would have been much better had those photographs been omitted. Hopefully, one day the removal of artefacts will be treated in the same way as we now treat collecting live corals and shells - in that they will be left strictly where they are found. Only then will all Divers be able to enjoy the sight of those attractive brass and other items still in their rightful place - and not just those who were first on the scene...

NM