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The Shipwrecks UK Ltd Team

Shipwrecks UK Ltd was established to develop the resources of Richard and Bridget Larn's Shipwreck Index of the British Isles and Shipwreck Index of Ireland. From the outset, interactive mapping of the contents was a priority and the information began to come alive in a new way, as the team expanded and refined the data for its new purpose. See the Reviewers Comments section of this website for reactions to the Shipwrecks UK resource from some very well-qualified commentators.


Alan Jones designed and developed the new Shipwrecks UK system and is continuing its expansion as Managing Director of Shipwrecks UK Ltd. He is a former RAF wing commander who began his association with SCUBA diving in 1966.

The Shipwrecks UK system has been engineered to map shipwrecks dynamically, and this is key to presentation of the detailed information. It is eyecatching and user-friendly while being a serious and powerful research tool. The context for the wrecks and links with associated events, locations, shipbuilders, etc, etc becomes readily apparent.


Richard Larn, Chairman of Shipwrecks UK Ltd, has been diving on shipwrecks for 60 years, working not only on many of Britain's most historic sites but also all round the world. He opted to go to a sea training school at 14, going on to become 2nd Officer in the Merchant Navy, followed by 22 years in the Royal Navy, leaving as a Chief Petty Officer Mechanician/Diver. While in the RN, he pioneered the use of rescue divers operating from SAR helicopters and became actively involved in shipwreck discovery, salvage and archaeology.

Richard was one of six new Cornish Bards honoured at the Gorsedd of Cornwall at Redruth on Saturday, 2nd September 2006 and was chosen for his promotion of maritime history in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

With his wife Bridget, a Director of Shipwrecks UK Ltd, he started the Charlestown Shipwreck Heritage Centre in 1976, and they were joint owners and Curators for 22 years of the largest collection of shipwreck artefacts on public display in Europe.

Richard was managing director of Prodive Ltd, in Falmouth Docks, a Commercial Diving Training School he started on leaving the Royal Navy, and he and his wife have written some 36 books on shipwrecks and the sea. Their six volume work with Lloyd's Register of Shipping, the acclaimed 'Shipwreck Index of the British Isles', was used by the Government's Royal Commission for Historic Monuments to establish the National Maritime Record, followed by a similar record for the Scottish and Welsh Governments.

Both Richard & Bridget see Shipwrecks UK as a natural progression of their research and writing, to bring their decades of work to an ever-widening public arena.

Published work:

  • Shipwreck Index of the British Isles - Volume 1 'The West Country'. Lloyd's Register of Shipping. 1995. ISBN 0-900528-88-5
  • Shipwreck Index of the British Isles - Volume 2 'The South Coast'. Lloyd's Register of Shipping. 1996. ISBN 0-900528-99-0
  • Shipwreck Index of the British Isles - Volume 3 'The East Coast'. Lloyd's Register of Shipping. 1997. ISBN 1-900839-10-5
  • Shipwreck Index of the British Isles - Volume 4 'Scotland'. Lloyd's Register of Shipping. 1998 ISBN 1-900839-01-6 [BUY]
  • Shipwreck Index of the British Isles - Volume 5 'Wales & the West Coast' Lloyd's Register of Shipping. 2000. ISBN 1-900839-61-X [BUY]
  • Shipwreck Index of Ireland - Volume 6 of the series. Tor Mark Press. 2002. ISBN: 1900839970 [BUY]
  • Cornish Shipwrecks - the South Coast Richard Larn & Clive Carter David & Charles. 1969 & 1971 Pan paperback editions, 1973 & 1976
  • Cornish Shipwrecks - the Isles of Scilly David & Charles. 1971 & 1979 (2nd ed.)
  • Shipwrecks of the Isles of Scilly Thomas & Lochar. 1993 (3rd ed.)
  • Shipwrecks of the Isles of Scilly. Shipwreck & Marine. 1999 (4th ed.)
  • Devon Shipwrecks David & Charles. 1974 & 1977. Pan paper-back editions, 1974 & 1977
  • Shipwrecks of Devon Countryside Books. 1996 (2nd ed.)
  • Goodwin Sands Shipwrecks David & Charles, 1977 & 1979
  • Shipwrecks of the Goodwin Sands Beresford Books. 1995 (2nd ed.)
  • Shipwrecks of Great Britain & Ireland. David & Charles, 1981
  • The Diver Guide to South Cornwall. Underwater Publications. 1983, 1987 & 1996
  • The Diver Guide to the Isles of Scilly & North Cornwall. Underwater Publications. 2002
  • The Commercial Diving Manual. Richard Larn & Rex Whistler. David & Charles. 1984, 1989 & 1993 (3rd ed.)
  • Sir Clowdisley Shovell's Disaster in the Isles of Scilly Richard Larn & Peter McBride Western Litho, Plymouth. 1985
  • Admiral Shovell's Treasure and Shipwreck - in the Isles of Scilly. Peter McBride & Richard Larn Shipwreck & Marine. 1999
  • Shipwrecks at Land's End Richard Larn & Edwin Mills Clark, Doble & Brendon. 1970
  • Charlestown - the History of a Cornish Seaport Villiers Publications Ltd. 1994
  • The Cita - Scilly's own 'Whisky Galore' wreck. Shipwreck & Marine. 1997 & 1998 (2nd ed.)
  • Ships, Shipwrecks and Maritime incidents in the Isles of Scilly. Museum Pub. No. 3 (for the Isles of Scilly Museum Council. 1999
  • Tor Mark Press Series:
    • Shipwrecks around Land's End. 1989
    • Shipwrecks - St. Ives to Bude. 1990
    • Shipwrecks Around Mount's Bay. 1991
    • Shipwrecks Around the Lizard. 1992
    • Shipwrecks - Falmouth to Looe. 1993
    • Shipwrecks of North Devon. 1999
    • Shipwrecks of South Devon. 2000 Bossiney Books Ltd.
    • Charlestown - a Visitors Guide. 1994

If you wish to purchase Shipwreck Index volumes you need to be aware that these are now in very short supply, with a number of the areas completely sold out. However, you are welcome to contact Richard or Briget Larn using the online form and they will do their best to help you to find a source of supply.

We are now looking at additional means of meeting the demand for provision of compendium information, recognising that the Shipwreck Index offers unrivalled and encyclopaedic coverage of shipwrecks around Great Britain and Ireland.

See our NEWS items....