DAVID L WILLIAM's background is in commercial & industrial photography and technical publications, working initially for the GPO engineering Department (now British Telecom). he went on to be responsible for the entire aircraft and hovercraft in-service support operation of Westland Aerospace, later GKN Aerospace. He has written over thirty books on shipping and related subjects/ He lives on the Isle of Wight and is an Associate of the British Institute of Professional Photographers (Photographic Science & Technology) and a long-standing member of the World Ship Society.RICHARD DE KERBRECH served his marine engineering apprenticeship with the Shaw Savill & Albion shipping company. Later he was an inspector with the Naval Overseeing Service at the Admiralty Marine Engineering Establishment at Haslar and studied Naval Architecture & Shipbuilding at Portsmouth Polytechnic. He later went on to become a lecturer in Mechanical and Production Engineering at Fareham College. He is the author/co-author of some seventeen books on maritime subjects and lives on the Isle of Wight. He is a life member of the World Ship Society and a member of The Royal Institution of Naval Architects.