Prolific Bridlington author Richard M Jones celebrates launch of his 22nd book

The publication, entitled Shipwrecks of the Solent, comes hot on the heels of his A-Z of Bridlington work.

Mr Jones has written many books covering shipwrecks around the UK and beyond.

He said: “Shipwrecks of the Solent is the 22nd book I have written and published, which concentrates on ships lost in the surrounding areas of Portsmouth, Southampton and the Isle of Wight going back hundreds of years.

"In such a small body of water, there are a surprisingly large number of historic ships that have come to grief so close to the shore that in many cases you could almost walk to them.

"From the well-known disasters of the Mary Rose, Royal George and HMS Gladiator to the demise of HMS Boyne, the submarine A1 and the tanker Claude, this book charts a timeline of events that shows how history has recorded the loss of these ships and in some cases the high profile salvage operations that followed.

"As well as the sunken wrecks, the book also looks at some of the near-disasters that made the headlines in recent years like the Hoegh Osaka and the Dole America, two ships that could so easily have joined the others on the seabed.

“Many of these shipwrecks are remembered with various memorials and commemorations, but some are still forgotten by many to this day.”