Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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2.0 out of 5 stars
Rob D-W, 23 April 2007
Interesting and unique content, but the standard of reproduction and binding is atrocious.
The "book", if I can call it that, gives the impression of being a poorly produced school project put together by a sloppy thirteen year old using a desktop publishing programme. The cover is garish and tacky, whilst the binding is extremely suspect.
I'm sure given a little effort, Lieut Rapkins could have found a publisher for this interesting volume. I had thought the previous two reviews exaggerated, but now I see they were spot on.
C- Could do better.
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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
good content poor production, 13 Feb 2004
A very interesting book full of new information and photos. The book is however poorly produced with poor quality photo reproductions and the binding on my copy failed on the first read. There are lots of blank pages and the contents pages are not very clear. A great read let down by these faults, a little more time and money on production would make this a classic book on the Falklands war. I am off to get my copy rebound!
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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Good Read, 9 Dec 2003
A unique diary by a Royal Navy Engineer, Lt. Alan Rapkins, serving on a unique support ship without which many of the battle damaged Falklands ships would have had to retire from the action. It describes the period, April 13th to July 22nd 1982, from when he was drafted to Naval Party 1801 Support Group based in HMS Seaspread, to him being flown back to the UK. The ship, taken up from trade (STUFT) by the Royal Navy, and previously named MSV Stena Seaspread, was a highly specialised, oil industry diving and support vessel and miraculously converted in 4 days at Portsmouth to become the only Heavy Repair Ship available for the war damaged Falklands Task Force. She sailed at midnight on April 16th and, via Ascension and South Georgia, arrived in the Exclusion Zone where on 25th May she treated her first casualty HMS Antrim, a County class destroyer which had been bombed and strafted by Argentine aircraft. Thereafter she lent assistance, on a 24 hour, 7 day week basis, to most of the damaged or fatigued ships, mainly at sea but also San Carlos, South Georgia, or in Port Stanley when hostilities had ceased.
Alan Rapkins’s book is well illustrated, containing dramatic photographs of war damage, many taken by the author, and some water colour paintings from his very own brush. The detailed text is a good factual account of HMS Seaspread’s considerable involvement in the conflict and damage to individual vessels, but understates what must have been at times, extraordinary; complex and inventive repair operations completed in record time. He skilfully weaves his personal comments, descriptions and thoughts into the narrative so the reader is never bored or lacking a viewpoint.
Not of great length but a very good read, and a rare first hand account from someone in the unsung back up support services at sea, very near the combat zone.
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