Maritime Historian and Archaeologist
Dr Sam Willis is a maritime historian and archaeologist. His writing is infused with his own experience and knowledge of seafaring. Before becoming a full time author he spent eighteen months at sea on square-rigged sailing ships which included work on the Hornblower TV series and on Channel 4’s award winning film Shackleton. The Shackleton project involved building a replica of Shackleton’s ship the Endurance and sailing her into an arctic ice pack.
On his return from the arctic Sam worked in the curatorial department of the historic ship, I.K. Brunel’s ss Great Britain, as the final stages of her innovative conservation plan were implemented. To arrest the rusting of the iron hull, a glass ‘sea’ was constructed that sealed the hull from the elements. Read more...
On his return from the arctic Sam worked in the curatorial department of the historic ship, I.K. Brunel’s ss Great Britain, as the final stages of her innovative conservation plan were implemented. To arrest the rusting of the iron hull, a glass ‘sea’ was constructed that sealed the hull from the elements. Read more...
Latest Blog:
Nelson’s Caribbean Hell-Hole BBC4
Hooray! My documentary on an archaeological excavation at English Harbour in Antigua will be broadcast on BBC4 at 9pm on Wednesday. You can see a clip and get more info on the programme at the BBC website. There are a few more bits and pieces on the blog I wrote just after the dig. But [...]