David L. Williams

At a time before budget air travel, when the ocean liner ruled the seas, the demand for speed, regularity and luxury on the transatlantic route launched a glorious era of ocean super-liners. They truly were spectacular design icons: stylish, elegant and massive in size, but beautiful to behold. They stirred the imagination; their achievements and exploits were legendary; and they were unique, both as a group and individually, each having a distinctive character and ‘look’ of its own. Unquestionably, they were veritable floating cities, the like of which had never been seen before and, with a solitary exception, have not been seen since.Only thirteen ships were entitled to the ‘super-liner’ accolade: Imperator (later Berengaria), Vaterland (later Leviathan), Bismarck (later Majestic), Bremen, Europa (later Liberté), Rex, Normandie, Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth, United States, France (later Norway), Queen Elizabeth 2 and Queen Mary 2. In The True Transatlantic Super-liners, maritime authors David L. Williams and Richard P. de Kerbrech tell each ship’s equally singular story in fascinating detail and supplement the tales with stunning photographs of a bygone era.

Many people are familiar with the term ‘dazzle design’, but what of its origins and objectives as a defensive practice at sea? And was it the only approach to the painted protection of merchant and naval vessels during the two world wars? David L. Williams examines the origins of maritime camouflage, how it was originally influenced by natural concealment as seen in living creatures and plants and was followed by the emergence of two fundamentally opposed schools of thought: reduced visibility and disruption to visual perception.Dazzle, Disruption & Concealment explores the objectives and design features of each of the various strategies advocated as forms of painted protection by looking at the scientific and artistic principles involved (the behaviour of light and the process of vision). It considers their effectiveness as a means of reducing visibility or in disturbing the comprehension of crucial target attributes (ship’s speed, distance and bearing). It also identifies the key individuals engaged in maritime camouflage development as well as the institutions set up to conduct in depth research into these practices.

Indianapolis has long been steeped in important moments in African American history, from businesswoman Madame C. J. Walker's success to the rise of the Ku Klux Klan to the founding of Crispus Attucks High School, which remained segregated through the 1960s. In African Americans in Indianapolis, author and historian David Leander Williams explores this history by examining the daunting and horrendous historical events African Americans living in Indianapolis encountered between 1820 and 1970, as well as the community's determination to overcome these challenges. Revealing many events that have yet to be recorded in history books, textbooks, or literature, Williams chronicles the lives and careers of many influential individuals and the organizations that worked tirelessly to open doors of opportunity to the entire African American community. African Americans in Indianapolis serves as a reminder of the advancements that Black midwestern ancestors made toward freedom and equality, as well as the continual struggle against inequalities that must be overcome.

Indianapolis has long been steeped in important moments in African American history, from businesswoman Madame C. J. Walker's success to the rise of the Ku Klux Klan to the founding of Crispus Attucks High School, which remained segregated through the 1960s. In African Americans in Indianapolis, author and historian David Leander Williams explores this history by examining the daunting and horrendous historical events African Americans living in Indianapolis encountered between 1820 and 1970, as well as the community's determination to overcome these challenges. Revealing many events that have yet to be recorded in history books, textbooks, or literature, Williams chronicles the lives and careers of many influential individuals and the organizations that worked tirelessly to open doors of opportunity to the entire African American community. African Americans in Indianapolis serves as a reminder of the advancements that Black midwestern ancestors made toward freedom and equality, as well as the continual struggle against inequalities that must be overcome.

Once, the output of such yards as Harland & Wolff and Workman, Clark was vital business of national and international importance. The Harland & Wolff yard had a long association of building ships for the White Star Line, culminating in the three largest passenger vessels of the Edwardian era, Olympic, Titanic and Britannic, as well as others for the International Mercantile Marine Co.This beautifully illustrated volume from Richard P. de Kerbrech and David L. Williams covers aspects of the construction and the skilled craftsmen that worked on these ships, and many others, from the Edwardian era to the 1920s, revelling in atmospheric views of the boiler shop, foundry, machine shop and slipways, as well as many successful launchings. The rich array of images showcases the labour-intensive heavy engineering and shipyard practices that were once part of Belfast’s major industry, now sadly no more.

A collection of fantasy, horror, and science-fiction plays about the little interruptions that change everything. "In these gripping plays time is slippery and settings, even when they appear normal, never really are. Characters must confront and sometimes do battle with ghosts, aliens, AIs and monsters (of every sort), while reconciling themselves with past and present losses. The plots are wonderfully compelling, but the moral dilemmas the characters face are even more so and it's in that space of reckoning that David L. Williams' vast talents are most profoundly felt." - Teri Youmans, author of Becoming Lyla Dore "With each of David L. Williams' Disruptions, he skillfully crafts moments that grab the heart, and the throat, beckoning readers and audiences into the recesses of our minds, particularly those places we don't want to admit, most especially to ourselves, that we long to embrace." - Charlene Donaghy, Playwright, Producer, Educator "In David L. Williams' new play collection, Disruptions, there's a multitude of worlds to explore - each highlighted with Williams' fearless approach and impressive craft towards stories both outrageous and everyday. ... Throughout the collection, Williams' shows a dexterity as he navigates through worlds of alien abduction, time travel, and encounters withdeath - executing them with the precision of a writer who has taken theten minute play to the next level." - Michael Weems, author of Five Fears of Fatherhood "These are heady days. And the times call for smart original voices that cannot be easily categorized or contained. Enter David L. Williams. With the ferocity of a flame thrower, his writing has emerged onto the literary landscape just in the nick of time. In Disruptions, David L. Williams seamlessly melds the absurd with the profound, using sharp, witty dialog to re-define loss and human longing. ... short powerful stories that speak to the heart of what makes theater great." - Michael Oatman, author of The King of Cage Street

Great passenger ships that never were is a completely revised and updated version of Damned by Destiny (Teredo Books, 1982), a comprehensive account of the large passenger ships that, for one reason or another, never entered commercial service. Some never made it off the drawing board or out of the model shop, some met with disaster after launch and some were diverted to wartime service but didn’t survive, never used for their original purpose. They were all the victims of circumstance, whether due to financial crises, timing or changing technology. Some of these liners and cruise vessels may have become the greatest passenger ships ever achieved. They would have surpassed the most famous, not only in speed and splendour but in size and appearance, besides setting trends that were subsequently adopted for ships that did enter service. With beautiful pictures and detailed diagrams this book is a true insight into what might have been.

Made on the Isle of Wight is a pictorial celebration of the immense contribution to the aviation, automotive and marine industries that this tiny island has given, from the first hovercraft to boats that held the world water speed record and even the only all-British rocket and satellite into space. With a focus on invention, innovation and record-breaking, local author David L. Williams explores the many products of the island’s industry, along with designers and engineers, and the workforce that created these fascinating inventions.

"Why would a woman stay with an abusive man?"You could as easily ask, "Why does a soldier run in panic as the enemy charges?" The response is that human beings don't always live up to the ideal of the simple question or easy answer. Most of us see ourselves as the hero in any given story, which makes it more difficult to watch a friend or loved one making decisions based in fear and secrecy. The truth is that leaving an abusive partner is hard and dangerous, and tough words from well-meaning family, colleagues, or friends, such as "I'd never let a man put his hands on me," are little more than bluster if not supported by action and deed. Brave words merely spoken mean next to nothing; courage actually lived is the stuff of legend.In this book you will read of failures and why, of successes and why. The theme of this book is hope . . . and taking those first terrifying steps to live life safely. This is where you come in because taking decisive action to escape enforced bondage has always been bestaccomplished with help. Getting involved means placing less emphasis on "Why would she staywith someone who abuses her?" and more energy into the question "What are WE going to do to make sure this never happens again?" The answer involves courage, commitment . . . and you. If you've ever uttered phrases, such as "I'd do anything to help" or "that man better never lay a hand on you," I'm offering a challenge to turn your words into courageous action that will makea difference in a way mere words can never do alone.This book is written for the sisters, brothers, daughters, and parents of intimate partner violence victims; the co-workers and supervisors, hair stylists, physicians, fellow PTA members, and dental hygienists who might just spot telltale clues of secret injuries or spirits being crushed; and maybe at some point this book could be for the victims themselves when they finally get to a place in their lives where reading a self-help book isn't a cruel irony anymore.Consider this a call to arms that we take on this monster as an educated, determined group that won't rest until every man, woman, and child can live in their own home in safety and surrounded by love. The strategy is to form a shield wall to protect them, and then we fill those solid walls withpatience and persistence, information and empathy, love and forgiveness. We make sure they have access to any services they might need, including legal advice, transportation assistance, job-hunting skills, safe living accommodations, medical and mental healthcare, education, andchild support. And certainly, that shield wall includes my brethren, the good men and women serving in law enforcement across the country, who have a sworn duty to protect them from harm. It begins with us. It begins today.

The safe exchange of wounded or gravely ill prisoners of war, ‘protected personnel’ – medical staff and clergy – and diplomats, civilians and alien internees is a little known dimension of the Second World War, yet it was highly dangerous work. Here, David L. Williams tells the gripping story of some fifty mercy ships engaged in these repatriation voyages, each of the exchanges arranged individually between Allied nations and the Axis belligerents, through neutral intermediaries, and often conducted under the supervision of the International Red Cross. Sailing alone and undefended through hostile waters, and conspicuously illuminated at night, the ships were constantly in danger from submarine and aircraft, their safety depending totally on the transmission and receipt of ‘safe passage’ commands to the armed units in their paths. However, despite the risk of attack and severe loss of life, these exchange operations were essential for providing a lifeline to thousands of people caught up in a cruel and brutal war.

During the late 1920s and early 1930s three pairs of unique and innovative passenger liners emerged from France, the UK and the US designated as cabin-class liners: the Lafayette and Champlain, Britannic and Georgic and the Manhattan and Washington – three steamships and three motorships. Born at the height of the Great Depression and constructed at a time when there was much work needed in the shipbuilding and allied trades, they were overshadowed by the larger, more luxurious express liners on the prestigious North Atlantic route. Their introduction made incursions into the Atlantic passenger traffic, with spacious accommodation and sumptuous public rooms, in effect offering first-class travel in relative luxury at much lower fares and at a longer, slower crossing time. Much overlooked by historians, their impact on the style and standards for Atlantic travel were trendsetting and challenged the major passenger liner companies to re-think their strategies. Here, David L. Williams and Richard P. de Kerbrech have examined the part played by these cabin-class rivals and highlight their rightful place in the history and development of North Atlantic steam – and motor – navigation.

Drama. A play by David Williams, adapted from the novel by A.A. Garrison. What if you had to spend the end of the world with a psychopath? After a virus takes out most of the population, recovering addict Jack "Colonel" Jones survives this new plague by relapsing. Only the hard drugs he's been avoiding can save him. On a trip to a hospital for supplies, he meets up with the brilliant and hulking Jack Cruz. Cruz has set himself up in a fully stocked warehouse where he plans to find a cure for the virus and he'd like Colonel to be his right-hand man. As their lonely time together creeps along from one fix to the next, Colonel begins to suspect Cruz is more interested in death than life, and when Macy, a guest to the warehouse, comes to a strange end, Colonel believes that his roommate is even more monstrous than the virus. When a new visitor, Gwen Landers, comes into their lives, Colonel must decide if his suspicions are right and just how he and Gwen can escape Jack Cruz's grip on them. THE END OF JACK CRUZ: A PLAY is an intense story of paranoia and survival where the end of the world isn't the worst thing that can happen to you Jack Cruz is."

While the near 1,500 victims of Titanic accounted for a huge loss of life, each of the ships here had a greater number of casualties, in some cases more than five times as many. In total, these 27 merchant ship sinkings resulted in a staggering loss of life at sea – more than 96,000 in total, 3,840 per ship. While the circumstances were different to Titanic, the outcome in each case was no less tragic. Yet, despite the fact that Titanic ranks behind so many other losses, so powerful has her name become that it was the inevitable choice to describe some of these other events, ‘Germany’s Titanic’ and ‘The Titanic of Japan’ being two examples. Ships include the Lancastria, Britain’s worst maritime disaster with 3,000 lost; the Ryusei Maru, a Japanese ‘Hellship’ loaded with 6,000 Allied POWs, torpedoed by a US submarine; and the Wilhelm Gustloff, a German liner packed with 7,800 civilians, sunk by a Russian submarine. There were no survivors and this tragedy was the worst maritime disaster of all time.

J. Samuel White & Company was the oldest firm on the Admiralty List and built 252 ships for the Royal Navy alone. The yard’s closure in 1966 ended 300 years of shipbuilding during which time the company had gained acclaim from mercantile and naval customers alike. Famed early on for fast Revenue cutters and naval brigs, in its final years Royal Navy destroyers earned it great distinction. Highly innovative, it developed and patented many pioneering products while other innovations included semi-diesel engines, heat exchangers, air conditioners and compressors, besides a range of marine thruster units. Not only did the company build ships and boats but it also constructed a range of marine aircraft. During the First World War, White’s production accounted for 100 ships, including twenty-seven destroyers, and 201 seaplanes. Production during the Second World War added up to 317 ships, among them twenty-six destroyers and a large minelayer. Illustrated with photographs of these and many of the company’s other products, this book tells the story of J. Samuel White and its subsidiary concerns, a business built on a reputation of quality which earned it the slogan: “White’s-built – well-built!”.

This quick reference handbook covers the diagnosis and treatment of eye disease in a range of exotic companion animal species, including rabbits, rodents, reptiles, birds, amphibians and fish. It clarifies when extrapolation from cat or dog eyes is appropriate, or when new information is needed to ensure that diagnoses and treatments are appropriate for the particular species. Writing in an accessible and down to earth style, the author brings a wealth of personal experience to this specialised subject area. The book contains many ophthalmic photographs of both anatomy in normal eyes and pathology in abnormal cases. It also includes a separate chapter on the common ophthalmic features of exotic pets, discussing what can be learnt from cross-species comparison and another chapter giving a brief history of comparative ophthalmology. Ophthalmology of Exotic Pets is an invaluable aid for veterinary practitioners and students with an interest in exotic pet species, as well as for veterinary ophthalmologists. KEY FEATURES Covers lagomorphs, rodents, reptiles, birds, amphibians and fish Offers clear guidance for species-specific treatment Facilitates extrapolations from the cat or dog to the exotic eye Written in a concise quick reference format Highly illustrated with colour photographs