HMS Oakley 1941 : a bell saved!

Abstract

UNESCO estimates that there are over 3 million shipwrecks in the world’s oceans and seas. These range from the very famous such as the Titanic, to many other lesser known, while numerous ones that are completely unknown. One of the better known images of the sinking of the Titanic is the bell being rung by Fredrick Fleet, the sailor who first spotted the iceberg towards which the liner was heading to warn the ship of the iceberg ahead, on its ill-fated maiden voyage. At least since the late Middle Ages, a bell formed an essential part of a ship’s equipment, used on both naval and commercial vessels. Recently in Malta, a bell was retrieved from the seabed during an authorized project which was then conserved at Heritage Malta’s National Conservation Laboratories. This article provides an insight to the use of such bells, the historical background of this particular one, its retrieval and the time-consuming process for its conservation before it is exhibited to be appreciated by the general public.