Diving the Thistlegorm is a unique in-depth look at one of the world’s best-loved shipwrecks, the World War II British Merchant Navy steamship, featuring award-winning underwater photography. In this highly visual guide, cutting edge photographic methods enable views of the famous wreck and its fascinating cargo which were previously impossible. Sitting upright in 30m of clear, inviting Red Sea waters, the ship is packed with the materials of war. Largely complete lorries, trucks, motorbikes, aircraft spares and airfield equipment are crammed into the forward holds and the remains of other vehicles lie amongst boxes of ammunition in the exploded aft holds. Often referred to as an underwater museum, the wreck fascinates visitors for dive after dive.

Reviews

‘This book lives up to its title, thanks largely to a multi-faceted survey by a team of Egyptian and British archaeologists… It goes further than any previous guidebook in detailing the current condition of the wreck and its incredible cargo of wartime artefacts, from rifles to railway engines… There’s so much to admire here – the complementary use of traditional photography alongside the large scale models and orthophotos afford the reader a way of looking at a wreck that could barely be imagined a decade ago… I recommend this superb book to anyone with an interest in the subject.’– SCUBA magazine (Jan 2021 issue).

‘A brilliant in depth guide to the wreck and all it’s facets, all illustrated by superb photos and graphics.’–Scubaverse.com

‘Other books have been written about the Thistlegorm, but as befits the wreck this one is probably the most visually arresting ever to go to print… a remarkable achievement, and clearly a labour of love by a group of professionals smitten by this wreck… stunning colour image after stunning colour image leaps out from every page’— BritishDiver.co.uk

‘A detailed, thorough book with excellent images, both stills and 3D photogrammetry. It is a really good read.’–Divelog Australia.

‘The most comprehensive guide to one of the world’s greatest shipwrecks’— Emad Khalil, Alexandria University (from the Foreword)

The book is the culmination of decades of experience, archaeological and photographic expertise, many hours underwater, months of computer processing time, and days spent researching and verifying the history of the ship and its cargo. For the first time, Diving the Thistlegorm brings the rich and complex contents of the wreck together, identifying individual items and illustrating where they can be found. As the expert team behind the underwater photography, reconstructions and explanations take you through the wreck in incredible detail, you will discover not only what has been learned but also what mysteries are still to be solved.