Salvage of the Birkenhead (1990)

First edition, first impression.

The wreck of the H M S Birkenhead and the story of the survivors and those who lost their lives - apparently the origin of "Women and Children First!" - is told in vivid, real-time prose, with the author then going on to describe the three expeditions he led to salvage this once proud troopship, which, through a navigation error, had hit a rock and sunk on 26 February 1952 off Danger Point, on the southern Cape coast, with only 83 survivors of its complement of 638 seamen, soldiers and women and children.

Colour dustjacket, grey-blue paper-boards, white to the spine, endpaper maps, [viii] + 151 pp of b/w-illustrated text and an appendix listing recovered artefacts + 24 pp of inserted colour plates on art paper.

CONDITION. The corners of the upper board are very slightly rubbed, while the barest of shelf wear to the boards is visible. Apart from an ownership signature to the front free endpaper, the book is unmarked and has no other defects, making it a fine copy.