This year’s Diving History Conference will take place at Subsea7 HQ in Sutton, UK, on 16 November
Divers have been a vital asset for centuries, even millennia – the first recorded use of underwater breathing apparatus dates back to ancient Greece – and their role in military operations, research and salvage remains as valuable today as ever.
The Historical Diving Society (HDS) was formed in the UK in 1990 for the preservation, protection and promotion of diving heritage, and has since grown to become a worldwide organisation of affiliated national societies all with the same aims and interests.
The HDS is a registered charity that also owns and runs the internationally important Diving Museum in Gosport, UK.
The HDS conference presents an annual programme exploring the diver’s role in history. It is an informal social event that is open to everyone and anyone who has an interest in diving.
This year’s agenda spans diving history from the Middle Ages, through Tudor times and into the 20th century – an essential event for all those interested in diving history, military diving or salvage operations.
Talks and speakers for the 2024 event include:
- Eamon ‘Ginge’ Fullen QGM: former Royal Navy Clearance Diver, Adventurer and author.
Stories from the Chronicles of a Clearance Diver – A look at Royal Navy Diving throughout the ages. - Terry Powell, DCM: former Royal Navy Special Forces diver
Diving into the Shadows – My Journey as a Special Forces Diver Combat Swimmer and Royal Navy Clearance Diver - Martin Woodward, MBE: diver, author, and founder of the Shipwreck Centre on the Isle of Wight
Treasures from the Deep - Dr. Miranda Kaufmann: Oxford-educated author, journalist, historian and educator whose work focuses on Black British history and enslavement. She is the author of the 2017 book, Black Tudors: The Untold Story.
Jacques Francis, The Black Tudor Salvage Diver and the 1546 wreck of the Sancta Maria and Sanctus Edwardus
The penultimate talk will be a presentation by Kevin Casey, Director of The Diving Museum in Gosport, who will provide an insight into the current refurbishment of the museum and its continued mission to promote and preserve diving history.
The conference will conclude with Button up your Overcoat, a mildly amusing look at diving dress in the Middle Ages presented by Peter Dick, founder member of the Historical Diving Society and editor of its magazine and Journal.
The conference will be held at the Sutton headquarters of offshore energy engineering company, Subsea7. Tickets cost £40 and include lunch, refreshments and free parking (on request, subject to availability).
Tickets and full details of the conference, the speakers and the programme can be found on the Historical Diving Society’s website.
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