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"Joe's length of service in submarines and the breadth of his experience puts him in a special and rare category, and the account that he has written is a unique record, in peace and war, of submarine life...."
Vice Admiral Sir Ian McIntosh KBE. DSO. MBE. DSC
After six years in the Royal Navy, Joel Blamey was conscripted into Britain's submarine service in 1926, aged 22. He went on to serve an unprecedented twenty-eight years as a submariner, surviving both peacetime accidents and World War Two. At the age of fifty, Joe returned to general service.
He served on several submarines, surviving many hair-raising accidents, such as hitting an underwater pinnacle in Sidon and a collision in Seahorse, from which he was transferred before it was lost to enemy action. While Joel served in Porpoise, it supplied Malta with fuel and ammunition and sank several supply ships. The captured U570 was shortly under his jurisdiction.. He also later survived almost certain destruction in Strongbow. In all Joel survived more than two hundred depth charges. These are but a few of the extraordinary tales related in this book.
Joel's matter-of-fact engineer's way of relating a remarkable career makes this book not only an engaging read, but also a major contribution to the written history of H.M. Submarines.
As this book is published, Joel Blamey is in his ninety-eighth year. He is Britain's oldest surviving submariner.
Joel originally completed his memoirs in 1971, solely for his family to read. Recently, after much interest from friends and ex-comrades, he has agreed to see them published.
After such a memorable career, Joel now lives quietly in Newton Abbot. His daughter and son in law live nearby.
By Joel Blamey DSC DSM ISBN No 1904381022
16x23cm 278 pages paperback with 14 b&w photos
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