There are many ship wreck's around the United
Kingdom, each one of them with their own
unique history. Deep Sea Divers have been around for several decades, but the
exact location of many of these wrecks has only been recently discovered.
Exploring and unknown wreck has many rewards, there are certain items on a ship
wreck that are considered rare and considered a prize among the maritime
community. One such rare item would be the Ships Bell, because there is only one
per shipwreck. In the Summer of 1997, Norman Woods found and recovered the
Tuscania Bell. Nigel Martin and Normans wife were working boat cover that day,
and when the bell was raised to the surface, they pulled the bell aboard Normans
boat.
July 13, 2004, Norman Woods and two of his close friends placed the Tuscania
Bell into Normans Boat, in Ballycastle, Ireland. They past over the resting
place of the Tuscania, and soon they passed under the Tuscania monument on the
towering cliffs of the Mull of Oa, a location where many American soldiers had
lost their lives in 1918. Norman Woods, Nigel Martin, and James Jennings brought
the Tuscania Bell to Port Ellen and met with Tim Epps, and the Museum of Islay's
Curator. A short ceremony of picture taking marked the day. The Bell of the
Tuscania was raised from Norman's boat, and carried up the hillside. Then the
Bell was transported from Port Ellen to Port Charlotte by car to its new home,
the Museum of Islay and Life. The site of the Bell turned many curious heads
from area citizens in their vicinity.
Tim Epps of Port Charlotte, successfully
negotiated and coordinated a gentlemen's agreement that this artifact from the
Tuscania, this symbolic artifact, this Bell from the Tuscania belonged in the
care of a Museum for public viewing, and a center for history. Now when folks
visit Islay, they will be able to view or possibly touch this Bell that offers
physical evidence of a ship that met with tragedy off the Island of Islays
shores. It shall be a center to reminisce about Uncles or Grandfathers or even
Great Grandfathers that either survived or perished in its demise.
When Americans travel to Europe to reminisce about
the Tuscania, they travel to Islay. While many of the American Soldiers and Crew
of the Tuscania were rescued and put to shore in Ireland, the majority of people
will go to visit Islay. They visit Islay because it has a standing monument to
the memory of those men, they go to Islay because it was a scene of much of the
tragedy that occurred. They visit Islay, because the Tuscania is very much part
of the Islanders History. That is saying allot, because no where in Ireland is
there anything near similar. So, Tim Epps began negotiations with Norman Woods
to have the bell donated to the Museum of Islay and Life in Port Charlotte. It
should be noted that Tim Epps bought the Tuscania salvage rights in 1980.
