House of the Halubje Bell Ringers

30th April 2024 finally saw the opening of the House of Halubje Bell Ringers in Viškovo. I am extremely proud to have been the sole English translator in this very special project since 2019. If you know about the zvončari – bellringers, then you’ll understand how important they are to the local people of this part of Croatia – so important so that they are protected by UNESCO.

The visitor centre is full of everything related to the bell ringers’ history, customs and costumes and the local culture and traditions. There are interactive installations, models, tools, costumes and there will be workshops, concerts and cultural events.

Attending the opening ceremony were local dignatories, mayors, organisers, and Croatia’s President Zoran Milanović. Of course there was a impressive, mass performance by the Halubje Bell Ringers themselves.

Kuća Halubajskega zvončara https://khz.hr/

Kuća Halubajskega zvončara – House of the Halubje Bell Ringers Facebook

The Sails of Kvarner – catalogue translation

Jedra Kvarnera (The Sails of Kvarner) is a permanent exhibition at The Maritime and History Museum of the Croatian Littoral Rijeka (PPMHP).
The exhibition presents an historical overview of the development of the shipping industry and shipbuilding in the region of the Northern Adriatic in the period from Late Antiquity, through the Mediaeval development of the shipping industry of the Eastern Adriatic and the Modern Age, to the beginning of the 20th century.

jedra kvarnera sails of kvarnerI provided the English translation of the accompanying catalogue which features a snapshot of the exhibits on show and a description of the sections of the exhibition such as the types of vessels, navigational and ship equipment, paintings of ships, anchors and the history of the shipping industry in the Northern Adriatic, Kvarner and Rijeka areas.

You can find more info at the museum’s website: PPMHP

 

Treasures of the Adriatic Sea – book translation

This superbly written, illustrated and detailed book describes almost 60 of the most interesting wrecks of boats, ships, submarines, aircraft and all other manner of vessels which lie under the whole length of the Croatian part of the beautiful Adriatic Sea.

Treasures of the Adriatic Sea

Translated from Croatian into English – a must for all divers.

My translation of the original Croatian text into English took almost three months to complete – in total almost 350 pages!

The original book in Croatian – ‘Blago Jadrana’ written by Danijel Frka and Jasen Mešić was published by the Adamić publishing house in 2012 and was an immediate hit and so it was translated into German, Italian and now into English.

shipwreck Lina

Superbly illustrated by the author Danijel Frka

treasures of the adriatic sea

Vessels from all periods – ancient to modern day

Each wreck is extensively described, illustrated, photographed in situ, with their stories researched in detail – including one especially interesting story of one ship’s captain who stayed with his vessel until the very end only to be found still grasping the wheel on the bridge long after his ship sank.

battleship details

Battleships and submarines from both world wars have been researched in detail.

Some of the famous ships described include the Re D’Italia, the Szent Istvan and the Giuseppe Garibaldi. Along with the well-known wrecks there are also aircraft such as American B-24 Liberator bombers in the sea near the island of Vis and ancient Roman merchant boats with cargoes of amphorae and sarcophagi and Napoleonic brigs with cannons.

aircraft wrecks in the adriatic

Also detailed and researched are aircraft, submarines and ancient merchant boats.

Each site has been dived by the authors; giving precise details of the locations, the diving conditions, the currents, flora and fauna, what to look for and what to be aware of. Also important are the rules and regulations of diving and all the safety aspects required. They have also investigated the backgrounds of the vessels, the human stories, the destinies and incidents and even battle descriptions from first hand and archive sources.

shipwrecks of adriatic sea

Superb underwater photography accompanies every site.

I was very happy to be involved in the translation of this book because it opened up a new window on the place where I live and I was even more interested to read about one particular British motor torpedo boat (named MTB 655) from the Second Word War which was in fact built in my childhood town of Littlehampton in England and which sank in March 1945 near the island of Cres!

MTB 655

The British motor torpedo boat MTB 655, built in January 1943 by William Osbourne Ltd shipyard in Littlehampton. Sunk after hitting a German mine near the island of Cres 21st March 1945.

More info about MTB 655 here.

You can order the book directly from the publisher here: https://shop.naklada-val.hr/product_info.php?cPath=97&products_id=561

Full details:
“TREASURES OF THE ADRIATIC SEA –
A diver’s guide to the wrecks of the Croatian Adriatic”
by Danijel Frka and Jasen Mesić
Published by Adamić, 2013
ISBN 978-953-219-479-1
Hardback, 390 pages, size 21.5cm x 28.5cm

"Martin Mayhew, prevoditelj i dizajner iz Rijeke, a originalno momak iz Brightona u Velikoj Britaniji, sjajno je preveo Blago Jadrana na engleski. Sve čestitke!" - Dragan Ogurlić, editor at Adamić.

“Martin Mayhew, prevoditelj i dizajner iz Rijeke, a originalno momak iz Brightona u Velikoj Britaniji, sjajno je preveo Blago Jadrana na engleski. Sve čestitke!” – Dragan Ogurlić, editor at Adamić.

The Croatian Apoxyomenos… ancient Greek statue found in the sea near the island of Lošinj.