Innes McCartney

The expedition leader, Innes began diving in 1989 and whilst working in America in the mid-nineties became hooked on diving submarines. He has subsequently spent significant amounts of time discovering, researching and identifying lost submarines in the English Channel. He regards his discovery in 1999 of the M1, a lost British submarine, as his greatest achievement to date. Innes was the first person to dive all three of the famous diveable liners: the Andrea Doria in '95 and '96, the Lusitania in'95 and the Britannic in '98. Other expeditions in which he has taken part include U-Who?, Norness and HMS Affray, and, of course, Operation Deadlight 2001. He has also explored the Battle of Jutland wrecks.

In 1999 Innes formed Periscope Publishing Ltd which sells videos and books about his expeditions. Innes has also written several articles in the diving press and given numerous talks on his diving experiences.

Chris Allen  

Chris has been diving since 1974 and has been trimix qualified since 1991. He is a BSAC National Instructor and holds IANTD Trimix, Cave and Rebreather diver qualifications. A former Chairman of the British Sub-Aqua Club, Chris has always enjoyed wreck diving. He was a volunteer diver on the Mary Rose project and is a member of the Government's Advisory Committee on Historic Wreck Sites. Working in the oil and gas industry he lives in Aberdeen and most of his diving takes place on local wrecks, with excursions elsewhere whenever the opportunity arises. Notable wreck dives outside the UK include the Umbria, the Wilkes Barre, the Andrea Doria and HMS Repulse and HMS Prince of Wales in the South China Sea. Last year, as well as the first phase of Operation Deadlight, he also dived on the submarine M1. Aside from wrecks, Chris's main interests have been diving safety and technical developments in equipment and decompression techniques. Three years ago he bought an Inspiration closed circuit rebreather, which he now uses for all his diving.

Greg Marshall

Greg has been diving for over ten years, the last seven years as a mixed gas diver. His main interests are deep wrecks, particularly German submarines. He dives an extensive season in the UK, which has included over the last 10 years trips to Normandy, many mid-Channel wrecks, the Channel Islands and diving outside of Scapa Flow. He was on John Thornton's first expedition to dive HMS Repulse and HMS Prince of Wales. He has spent much time in last three years exploring Jutland, diving ships such as the German flagship Lutzow, and also diving the waters in Norway from Kristianstad to Flora, including the Seattle and several others which have still to be identified. Greg enjoyed Operation Deadlight so much last year that he's coming back for more. His future diving plans include hunting deep undived targets both in the Red Sea and in UK waters, and a jolly to the wreck divers' paradise of Truk Lagoon.

Mike Rosie

Mike has been diving since '89 and his main interest in wrecks led to him getting trimix qualified in '99 after several years of doing nitrox extended range diving. Having start the deeper gas dives it confirmed to him that the way forward was a closed circuit rebreather, so he got an Inspiration in 2000 and has never looked back.

Patricia McCartney

Patricia McCartney (née Hornabrook) is the co-director of Periscope Publishing Ltd. She started diving in 1992 and has been an instructor since 1994. After having been attracted to explorative wreck diving she became a mixed gas diver in 1998. She dives mainly in the UK, which has included over the last ten years mid-Channel wreck diving, the Scilly Isles, the Outer Hebrides and the Channel Isles. She took part in the expedition that discovered HMS M1 in 1999, the Jutland 2000 expedition and was the in-water stills photographer on the Hallanyat '99 expedition in Oman and Operation Deadlight 2001.

Mark Callaghan

Mark has been diving for thirty years and three years ago began using mixed gas. With a group of like-minded friends he has since explored many mid-Channel wrecks and is pleased that technical diving has allowed him to re-indulge a passion for diving unexplored wrecks - a passion that was ignited years ago when as a more 'foolhardy' youngster he participated in deep air dives on wrecks off the south coasts of England and France. Two years ago Mark purchased a Buddy Inspiration rebreather, became a devout convert to closed circuit diving, and is planning to use the Inspiration during the expedition. Throughout his diving career he has practised underwater photography and more recently has experimented with underwater video. He is also a very active Advanced Instructor with the BS-AC.

Mark is responsible for the design and maintenance of this website and is a veteran of the 2001 Operation Deadlight expedition.

Simon Lymn

Simon is a Physical Training Instructor in the British Army, specialising in outdoor activities. He started diving whilst serving as the Chief Instructor at the Adventurous Training Centre in Belize and since then has held the Army's diving appointment at the Joint Services Sub Aqua Diving Centre and been the Chief Instructor at the Cyprus Joint Services Adventurous Training Centre until his return to UK in February 2001. His interests have lead to numerous multi discipline expeditions throughout the world. However, since discovering diving he has found an outlet for exploration into the undiscovered and unknown that could never be fulfilled from mountaineering or climbing. He now uses technical and advanced diving techniques to gain access to this undiscovered country and was a member of the first Operation Deadlight expedition team.

Richard Colliar

Richard started diving in Feb '93 and has been trimix qualified since March '99. He usually dives with a group of experienced trimix divers who search for and dive previously undiscovered wrecks around Stonehaven and Peterhead off the east coast of Scotland. In the past he had a bit of a reputation for diving the seabed next to wrecks, but has since learnt to dive with the second group. He still has a reputation for being last to leave the bar, but prides himself that although this may not always be at his own request, it is always under his own steam!

Richard lives in South Queensferry and works at Grangemouth Refinery. When not diving he enjoys sailing, mountain biking and motorcycling.

Dave Allen

Dave, also know as BMAX, is basically a dive fanatic. An ex yachtie, he is now firmly focused on getting underwater into the blue (or perhaps that should read green, murky, brown, black in the UK) and in taking some decent video footage. Dave is qualified with PADI, IANTD, TDI and Gordon's Gin.

Gareth Jones

Gareth has been diving since 1974 and is interested in exploring some of the UK's more inaccessible wrecks.

John Hall

Having started diving in 1962(!), John has been a member of Salford BSAC branch since 1973. He only recently came to mised gas diving using an Inspiration rebreather. His interest in submarines was started by several visits to U260 in south-west Ireland and the fact that his father's ship was torpedoed by U435. He has visited the M1 and M2 and spent time on U534.

Al Wright (Skipper)

Al has been diving since 83, started technical diving in 1992 trained and worked in the winter at Billy Dean's Key West Diver Inc. Al was a diver and team member of the first Britannic 97 Expedition. He is an IANTD trimix and rebreather instructor and has been operating the MV Salutay since 1989.

Freda Gale (Cook)

Freda has been diving since 1991 and technical diving since 1999. She has been the cook aboard MV Salutay for four years and fits in dives between cooking.

Neill Hogg (First Mate) 

Neill has been part of the Salutay team for two years. He has a skipper's ticket and will be in charge of the boat whenever Al is diving.

Dan Burton

World renowned underwater photographer and long time friend of Al Wright, Dan crewed and dived on phase II of the expedition.

For more details about Dan and his work, visit his website, Dan Burton Photography.

David Blenkarn  

David has been diving for many years and has participated in many classics: Stoney Cove Quarry Sunday Morning 0700, Bournemouth Aquarium 2000, taking the kids round ...and many others too heroic to mention. His specialist skills include keeping a low profile and writing spoof resumés.

PS: The photo is not David ...its far too good looking!