Frank Pope
Encyclopedia
Frank Pope is the Ocean Correspondent for The Times
newspaper, author and television presenter. He is the world's only Ocean Correspondent working for a national newspaper.
, where his father taught Classics at the university. Educated at Winchester College and graduated with a degree in zoology
from the University of Edinburgh
. Pope began working with Coral Cay Conservation in Belize
, Central America, but soon became absorbed by the world of shipwreck investigation. It was a fascination sparked by his father Maurice Pope, a classicist and decipherer of ancient texts, who had taken part in the first ever academic underwater investigation in 1953 off Chios
(reported by Richard Garnett and John Boardman (archaeologist)
in "The Annual of the British School at Athens" in 1956).
From 1992 onwards, Pope worked under the auspices of Oxford University's MARE (Maritime Archeological Research and Excavation). MARE was founded in 1982 by Mensun Bound
in order to undertake the excavation of the then-oldest shipwreck ever to have been discovered, the Giglio Island
shipwreck.
He subsequently worked on maritime archaeological projects in Uruguay
, the Cape Verde Islands, Greece
, Italy
, Vietnam
and Mozambique
on wrecks including the San Salvador, Graf Spee off Montevideo
and Lord Nelson's flagship HMS Agamemnon
in Uruguay, Princess Louisa in Cabo Verde and the San Sebastian Wreck in Mozambique.
In 2007 Pope published a book on the excavation of the Hoi An Wreck
off Vietnam called Dragon Sea: A True Tale of Adventure, Archeology & Greed Off The Coast of Vietnam.
In 2008 Pope presented the BBC2 Series 'Thames Wrecks: A Race Against Time', revealing the work of Wessex Archaeology
in the investigation of seven shipwrecks that lay in the path of a new deep-water channel in the Thames Estuary. Among them were HMS London
wreck in the River Thames
, accidentally blown up in 1665, the Dovenby (1914), HMS Aisha (1940), and the Letchworth (1944).
In 2008 he began as Ocean Correspondent for The Times
, with a brief to cover stories arising from the increasing conflict between the different demands being made upon the ocean by mining, energy, and food security. There is ever-increasing scientific evidence of the crucial role that the ocean plays in regulating the global ecosystem, from nutrient cycling to heat distribution, making ocean policy a vital new arena.
In 2010 he co-presented Britain's Secret Seas, a four-part series for BBC2 exploring the hidden wildlife and untapped potential of the UK's coastal waters with explorer Paul Rose
and marine biologist Tooni Maahto.
In early 2011 Orion will publish his second book, 72 Hours, an account of the British Submarine Rescue Service and their heroic mission to save the lives of seven Russian submariners in 2005.
He is married to wildlife film-maker Saba Douglas-Hamilton
. They have three daughters.
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
newspaper, author and television presenter. He is the world's only Ocean Correspondent working for a national newspaper.
Biography
Born in OxfordOxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, where his father taught Classics at the university. Educated at Winchester College and graduated with a degree in zoology
Zoology
Zoology |zoölogy]]), is the branch of biology that relates to the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct...
from the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
. Pope began working with Coral Cay Conservation in Belize
Belize
Belize is a constitutional monarchy and the northernmost country in Central America. Belize has a diverse society, comprising many cultures and languages. Even though Kriol and Spanish are spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official...
, Central America, but soon became absorbed by the world of shipwreck investigation. It was a fascination sparked by his father Maurice Pope, a classicist and decipherer of ancient texts, who had taken part in the first ever academic underwater investigation in 1953 off Chios
Chios
Chios is the fifth largest of the Greek islands, situated in the Aegean Sea, seven kilometres off the Asia Minor coast. The island is separated from Turkey by the Chios Strait. The island is noted for its strong merchant shipping community, its unique mastic gum and its medieval villages...
(reported by Richard Garnett and John Boardman (archaeologist)
John Boardman (archaeologist)
Professor Sir John Boardman FBA is a classical art historian and archaeologist, "Britain's most distinguished historian of ancient Greek art." -Biography:...
in "The Annual of the British School at Athens" in 1956).
From 1992 onwards, Pope worked under the auspices of Oxford University's MARE (Maritime Archeological Research and Excavation). MARE was founded in 1982 by Mensun Bound
Mensun Bound
Mensun Bound is a British marine archaeologist, based in Oxford. He is Triton Senior Research Fellow in Marine Archaeology at Oxford University and a Fellow of St Peter's College, Oxford....
in order to undertake the excavation of the then-oldest shipwreck ever to have been discovered, the Giglio Island
Giglio Island
Isola del Giglio is an island and Italian comune situated in the Tyrrhenian Sea, off the coast of Tuscany, part of the Province of Grosseto.-Geography:...
shipwreck.
He subsequently worked on maritime archaeological projects in Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
, the Cape Verde Islands, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
and Mozambique
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
on wrecks including the San Salvador, Graf Spee off Montevideo
Montevideo
Montevideo is the largest city, the capital, and the chief port of Uruguay. The settlement was established in 1726 by Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, as a strategic move amidst a Spanish-Portuguese dispute over the platine region, and as a counter to the Portuguese colony at Colonia del Sacramento...
and Lord Nelson's flagship HMS Agamemnon
HMS Agamemnon (1781)
HMS Agamemnon was a 64-gun third-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy. She saw service in the American Revolutionary, French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, and fought in many of the major naval battles of those conflicts...
in Uruguay, Princess Louisa in Cabo Verde and the San Sebastian Wreck in Mozambique.
In 2007 Pope published a book on the excavation of the Hoi An Wreck
Hoi An Wreck
The Hội An Wreck lies 22 miles off the coast of central Vietnam in the South China Sea. Discovered by fishermen in the early 1990s, the Vietnamese government made several attempts to organise an investigation of the site but were confounded by the water depth - 230 feet.The ship was carrying a...
off Vietnam called Dragon Sea: A True Tale of Adventure, Archeology & Greed Off The Coast of Vietnam.
In 2008 Pope presented the BBC2 Series 'Thames Wrecks: A Race Against Time', revealing the work of Wessex Archaeology
Wessex Archaeology
Wessex Archaeology is one of the largest private archaeological organisations operating in the United Kingdom, based near Salisbury in Wiltshire.-Background:...
in the investigation of seven shipwrecks that lay in the path of a new deep-water channel in the Thames Estuary. Among them were HMS London
HMS London (1654)
HMS London was a 64-gun second-rate ship of the line of the English Royal Navy, originally built for the navy of the Commonwealth of England at Chatham by Captain John Taylor, and launched in June 1656...
wreck in the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
, accidentally blown up in 1665, the Dovenby (1914), HMS Aisha (1940), and the Letchworth (1944).
In 2008 he began as Ocean Correspondent for The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, with a brief to cover stories arising from the increasing conflict between the different demands being made upon the ocean by mining, energy, and food security. There is ever-increasing scientific evidence of the crucial role that the ocean plays in regulating the global ecosystem, from nutrient cycling to heat distribution, making ocean policy a vital new arena.
In 2010 he co-presented Britain's Secret Seas, a four-part series for BBC2 exploring the hidden wildlife and untapped potential of the UK's coastal waters with explorer Paul Rose
Paul Rose
Paul Rose, born October 16, 1943, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, is a Quebec sovereigntist terrorist who was convicted of murder and kidnapping of Quebec cabinet minister Pierre Laporte in 1970...
and marine biologist Tooni Maahto.
In early 2011 Orion will publish his second book, 72 Hours, an account of the British Submarine Rescue Service and their heroic mission to save the lives of seven Russian submariners in 2005.
He is married to wildlife film-maker Saba Douglas-Hamilton
Saba Douglas-Hamilton
Saba Iassa Douglas-Hamilton is a Kenyan wildlife conservationist and television presenter.-Early life:Born on a farm near Naivasha in the Great Rift Valley in Kenya, she is the daughter of zoologist, Iain Douglas-Hamilton and Oria Douglas-Hamilton née Rocco. Saba means "seven" in Swahili...
. They have three daughters.