Three Miles Down: A Hunt for Sunken Treasure

by James Hamilton-Paterson

James Hamilton-Paterson describes Three Miles Down (first published in 1998) as 'the account of a treasure hunt in 1995 which I joined as the expedition's chronicler. A group of Britons had chartered the Russian oceanographic ship, the Mstislav Keldysh, to look for the wrecks of two vessels sunk in the Atlantic in the Second World War... Both were alleged to be carrying cargoes of gold.' For the author the experience was to bring home all 'the emotions and practical technicalities of the search phase of marine salvage.'
'[Hamilton-Paterson's] unfolding of the story and his deft sketching of some unusual personalities grips like the skinny hand of the Ancient Mariner.' Scotsman
'He proves to be a chronicler of the intrigue among a crew of strangers, a fount of lore about wrecks and deep-sea exploration, and a marvellous witness to the lightless wonders of profound depths.' Outside

Genres: History, Nonfiction

314 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 9, 1998

About the author

James Hamilton-Paterson is a British poet, novelist, and one of the most private literary figures of his generation. Educated at Exeter College, Oxford, he began his career as a journalist before emerging as a novelist with a distinctive lyrical style. He gained early recognition for Gerontius, a Whitbread Award-winning novel, and went on to write Ghosts of Manila and America’s Boy, incisive works reflecting his deep engagement with the Philippines. His interests range widely, from history and science to aviation, as seen in Seven-Tenths and Empire of the Clouds. He also received praise for his darkly comic Gerald Samper trilogy. Hamilton-Paterson divides his time between Austria, Italy, and the Philippines and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2023.

Reviews

[Marsha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes, it took a long time for me to finish this book, but that is on me as I was reading several books simultaneously. Not my usual but that and some other things turned it into a slower read for me. It was easy to pick up when I could and gather myself back into the fascinating story. The writing is beautiful. I loved the prose and vocabulary. James used words- sometimes a word or two I needed look up- with wonderful depiction of sights and sound, personalities, scientific underpinnings ( of which I knew little), and was able to pull the story along. Just a fascinating read.

[John Garren]

Author has a very dramatic writing style which I enjoyed to tell the true story of the deep see divers events of uncovering 2 ship wrecks lost to the deep blue sea.

[Alexis · Rating 4 out of 5]

James Hamilton-Paterson is an amazing writer (in the sense that you may not notice how good the writing is) and I would recommend anything he does. This concentrates both on the technical details of going three miles under the ocean (wow) and, mostly, on the personalities involved. It's a journal of this particular trip rather than a treatise on the subject.

[Clare · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewed here: http://www.learntodivetoday.co.za/blo...

[Ross Mckinney · Rating 1 out of 5]

Utterly pointless. I can't say more without giving away the ending, but not worth the journey.