Dr Helen Doe
maritime historian, author and lecturerTopics
Some recent talks
Women who built Warships
The image may conjure up women workers in WW2 but during the time of Nelson there were two large shipyards that were run by women. Mrs Ross was based in Rochester and Mrs Barnard was on the Thames. Both yards launched large warships commissioned by the Navy Board.
The Last of the Windjammers
The modern tall ships races started in 1956 and this illustrated talk gives the background to this race and the fascinating stories of the men and women who owned and sailed the original tall ships across the world. In the nineteenth century British ships were dominant in carrying trade around the world, but the last cargo carrying sail powered ship took its last commercial voyage in 1949. These beautiful ships inspired today’s tall ships. The talk looks at the last days of sail, the entrepreneurs who owned them and the men who sailed them.
Pirates and Privateers of Cornwall
Piracy has a long Cornish tradition and so does privateering. What was the difference between the two and did the Cornish know the difference? The answer can be found in this talk that describes some of the Cornishmen who had highly successful careers in attacking merchant ships of other countries and carrying off their cargoes, plus the support they had from the local communities.
Waiting for her Ship to come in: Maritime Businesswomen
Women have long been closely connected with the maritime industry but are not often heard about. While a few women did manage to go to sea, there were many more in the maritime communities who were active businesswomen. They can be found as investors in shipping, managing owners, sailmakers and ropemakers.
Searching for Spices in the Snow
In 1553 three small ships set out from the court of the young Edward VI in London to search for a route to the fabulous spice islands of the Far East. They went where no English men had ventured before heading north to find a new route to the East. This talk tells the story of the brave adventurers, why they went, what they found and of the later voyages to the Arctic to search for the North West Passage.
Jane Slade: The inspiration for Daphne du Maurier’s first novel
A love letter written in 1873 from a Cornish ship was the catalyst for Daphne du Maurier’s writing career. Her first book The Loving Spirit brought her international recognition and launched her writing career. It was a novel about three generations of seafarers and shipbuilders who were dominated by one woman. It was, however, very closely based on a real family and so here is the truth behind the fiction; the story of one remarkable woman and her ship.
The Smugglers, the Shipbuilder and a bit of Tax Evasion
At the beginning of the nineteenth century during the Napoleonic wars, smuggling between the Channel Islands and England was rife, but the smugglers left few records. However, some recently discovered papers tell the curious tale of Captain James Dunn of Mevagissey, entrepreneur, smuggler and man of religion. It is tale worthy of a novel, but this one is all true.