Death of Cdr John Grattan OBE RN

31 Jul 2024 - I have only recently been informed that MCDOA member John Grattan crossed the bar on 1 March 2024 at the age of 89. He had been suffering from cancer of the oesophagus.

John’s daughter Annabelle has kindly provided this impressive CV:

JOHN GRATTAN

1. Born at Murree, India, son of Colonel H. Grattan CBE, on 25 September 1934. Educated in India, English preparatory school, then Sherborne. Swam, shot and boxed for school; matriculated in School Certificate, joined Royal Navy as a Special entry Cadet in September 1952; Davis Prize for top Service Entry.

2. Top of Term from Dartmouth, lst Class pass from Training Cruiser, standard Executive Officer training until first job as Lieutenant - Navigator of HMS REGGIO. Broke spine during Inter-Services Skiing Championship 1954, thus debarred from aviation duties, therefore took up diving in 1955. Qualified Ships’ Diver 1957; Clearance Diver (CDO) 1958 - top of both courses.

1959 CO of Experimental Clearance Diving Unit - underwater ejector sea trials, experimental evaluations, decompression research and bomb and mine disposal.

1958 - CDOs' Bomb & MIne Disposal Course at JSBDS Horsham.
Sitting: PO(D1) Geordie Witherall, Lt Mike Hodgeson, Lt John Grattan OBE, Maj Arthur Hartley GM MBE RE (Course Officer and author of ‘Unexploded Bomb – A History of Bomb Disposal’), S/Lt Ewan Graham RAN, Lt Tony Johnson-Newall, LS George Alderton BEM.

1959 - RN Divers' Dinner at Kimbell's Corner House, Portsmouth.
Left to right: John Grattan, George Wookey, ‘Sarge' Sarginson and Stuart 'Jazz' Honour.

1959/60 Home Station CD Team and Commanding Officer HMS DINGLEY. DINGLEY mainly sea-trials and frogman attack training for the Fleet. Youngest Commanding Officer since World War II.

1961 Long Torpedo and Anti-Submarine (TAS) Course: therefore acquired double technical specialisation.

1962/3 Officers Courses Section, HMS VERNON, training Special Duties List Officers from selection through to Wardroom rank. Also training Officers' Courses in equipment, techniques and tactics of mine warfare, anti-submarine operations and convoy work.

1963/5 Squadron TAS Officer to 3rd Destroyer Squadron in HMS AJAX. Indonesian confrontation included capturing largest ever sea-born raid across Malacca Straits. In addition to TAS duties, invented and developed the drag-line anti-limpet mine search system, was boarding officer in over 600 "live" incidents. Promoted Lieutenant Commander.

1965/8 CO Mediterranean Fleet Clearance Diving Team - sea-bed area searching, bomb and mine disposal, equipment and decompression table trials.

Mediterranean Fleet Clearance Diving Team on Manoel Island, Malta in 1966.
Back row: Neil Primrose BEM and Dudley North
Middle row: Harry Neave, John Grattan OBE, Mike Stewart, Alf Slingsby BEM and Tug Wilson
Front row: George ‘Gabby’ Haines, Wiggy Bennett, Nick Curtin, George Alderton and Ian Duxbury
Plus 'Deeps' the Dog

1968 Appointed OBE for bomb disposal.

1968/70 CO HMS RECLAIM - The Royal Navy's deep diving vessel.

a) "1968 Schedule" diving decompression table trials.

b) Successful search for lost experimental Mk 24 torpedo in over 400 feet (125 meters) - world record search.

c) Recovered crashed helicopters and aircraft for air accident investigation specialists.

d) Explosive Ordnance disposal, C-in-C's Commendation.

1970 Promoted Commander - first member of Term. Appointed to HMS CENTURION as Drafting Commander responsible for 27,000 men; considering welfare, career planning, promotion, etc.

1972/4 Commander HMS FIFE. Mediterranean, Scandinavian and Far East Deployments

1974/6 Staff Officer Operations to Admiral Commanding Reserves. Operating 11 x MCMVs and entire seamanship and specialisation aspects of the RN Reserve.

1976 Resigned from RN at behest of Strongwork Diving (International) because of deep helium experience and Master Mariners ticket. Also the prospect of being a 'Whitehall warrior' for the foreseeable future was not enticing.

1979 Hired by the late Jimmy Goldsmith and The Seawise and Titanic Salvage Company to undertake a feasibility study into the finding and photographing of the wreck of the TITANIC. Feasibility study was passed on to Bob Ballard and everyone now knows that he was brilliantly successful - was less than ¾ mile out in JG’s calculation.

Civilian Employment

1976/7 Administration and Safety Manager of Strongwork, including factory floor/offices, Trade Unions and Employment legislation. Worked up "Star Pisces" and "Seaforth Cape" for North Sea contracts. Wrote Company Life Support Technicians Manual. Member of CIRIA U/W Group 1, dealing with Codes of Safe Practice, legislation etc. Secretary of AODC Safety Committee.

1978 Founder and Operations Director of Fathom-Line Ltd, concentrating on litigation, explosive and insurance.

1988 Consultancy, salvage, foreign Government negotiations and expeditions. Fathom-Line won tender for design, build and setting to work the Shell/Esso MSV £70 million project.

Subsidiary company Fathom-Line (Exploration) engaged in negotiations for and running of ancient shipwreck projects.

1989/9 Security Consultant to ADAM and Abbey Security dealing with High-Tec security at major establishments. e.g. Coulport

1989 Tempted back to sea as Master of "COMMODORE THERESE" and Operations Director of Somali project by Divebetter Ltd.

1990 Managing Director Mareco (UK) Ltd. Concentrating on the licence and contract to search for ancient shipwrecks on the entire coast of Mozambique.

1993 Managing and Operations Director of Mareco (Holdings) Ltd.

1994-6 Operations Director of Arqueonautas, SA.

1995/6 Chief Executive and Operations Director of Arqueonautas East Atlantic.

1997/9 Financial/Operations consultant to North Carribean Research.

1998/9 Crisis Management lecturer for OCTO.

2000 Consultant to ROMAN project.

2000/1 Consultant to Fathoms Limited.

Qualifications/Associations

Invented the Swim-line Search System for military purposes, now used throughout NATO. and adapted it for archaeological purposes.

Led the "Spanish Armada Marine Archaeological Expedition" in 1968/9 whose entry won the Duke of Edinburgh's Prize for Nautical Archaeology.

Appointed OBE for bomb and mine disposal: holds two C-in-C's Commendations.

Elected a Fellow of The Royal Geographical Society, Jan 1977, as the result of leading expeditions: particularly the "GENERAL GRANT".

1969 Associate Member of the British Institute of Management.

Holds Master Mariner's foreign-going Certificate No 79274 dated 27 August 1969, re-validated 13 February 1996, as well as having passed the Royal Naval Destroyer Command Examination.

Founder of the RN and RM Sub-Aqua Club and Past President of Brighton Branch, BSAC.

Jubilee lecture to Royal Geographical Society, the National Maritime Museum, Institute of Applied Medicine and many other public bodies.

Elected Member of Sociedade de Geografia de Lisboa.

Shipwreck experience (Naval/military and modern wrecks not included.)

1965/8 Found and salvaged remains from Greco-Roman and Roman wrecks off Malta, Greece, Cyprus and Turkey.

1966 Found and salvaged entire cargo and ships artefacts of 13th Century Arab pottery wreck in 216 ft (65m) lying off Sabratha, Libya. Preserved finds presented to King Idris, Tripoli, British, National Maritime and Malta museums.

1968/9 Found "SANTA MARIA DE LA ROSA", first ever Spanish Armada vessel discovered, in Blasket Sound, County Kerry. Achieved world record u/w search of 15 million sq yds; considerable survey and salvage end of '68 and whole of '69 seasons.

1970 Planned search for "EL GRAN GRIFFON", Spanish Armada, wrecked in Fair Isle, so as to resolve the Armada gun controversy.

1972 Led the British Underwater Archaeological Society expedition to the Azores (Terceira) - 11 ancient wrecks found. No salvage permitted following the Portuguese revolution.

1974/5 Led joint British/New Zealand expedition to find the wreck of "GENERAL GRANT"; Auckland Isles, Southern Ocean. This was the 18th attempt to find this famous 1866 gold wreck which had cost a further 29 lives during previous searches. Success achieved after three days of searching.

1975 Found the famed "Tobermory Galleon" for the Duke of Argyll. There had been 56 unsuccessful attempts on this 1588 wreck.

1976 Returned to salvage the gold of the "GENERAL GRANT". All artefacts presented to the New Zealand Government plus those from the "DUNDONALD", which was also found.

1979 Undertook and published the feasibility study for finding "TITANIC" funded by Sir James Goldsmith and Seawise and Titanic Salvage Co Ltd. Company did not follow through.

1982 Organised and led Fathom-Line's "CORDOBA" expedition to the Caribbean. Searched 142 miles (228 Km) of Colombian reefs plus 20 miles (32 km) of heads and patches finding 71 shipwrecks. New world record search and doubled number of known ancient shipwreck sites.

1985 Consultant to "DE BRAAK" project off Cape Henlopen, Delaware.

1990-3 Negotiations concentrated on Mozambique. Authorisation granted by the Government on 15 March 1991.

1993 Founding partner of Arqueonautas to undertake projects under the terms of Law No 289/93 in the Azores and Portugal.

1994 Operations Director of Arqueonautas, SA. Negotiations extended to include Cabo Verde.

1995/6 Chief Executive and Operations Director of Arqueonautas East Atlantic for project in the Cabo Verdean archipelago. The team searched 442 km of coast, finding 96 shipwrecks including the 1762 "DROMEDAIRE" - first French East Indiaman.

1997/9 Financial/Operations consultant to North Caribbean Research.

2000 Consultant to ROMAN project.

2000/2 Consultant to Fathoms Limited.

John is survived by his wife of 65 years, Marjorie, his son, Henry, and daughter, Annabelle. He and Marjorie were married in 1959 in Worcester Park. I am sure all members of our community will join me in extending them our sincere condolences.