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Its construction in Finland was closely supervised by Iraqi military officers, and, until now, much of its history has been kept secret.

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Decorated in marble, exotic woods and silver and gold fittings, the vessel had a broad glass atrium that accommodated as many as guests for dinner. They say there were rooms for everything.


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A luxurious bathroom featured a bidet, large whirlpool bath and rows of beauty lights surrounding a large mirror, all decorated in the style of a plush Arab hotel. A surgery room featured a black leather operating table surrounded by an anesthetic machine, electronic scanners, a large cache of medicine and plastic gloves — items that would be welcome by the hospitals of Iraq, which suffer from a chronic shortage of medical supplies.

The powerful boat also featured a 12,horsepower engine and was equipped with state-of-the-art electronics, including anti-bugging devices and one of the first satellite telephone systems installed on a non-military craft.

Outside his cabin was a guard post, although it resembled an office reception desk more than a battle station. Historians say he was a merciless potentate who destroyed any threat to his rule in a vain attempt to find better protection — a resume that would certainly appeal to Saddam. Incredibly, the yacht was for a long time the largest vessel in the Iraqi Navy, despite the fact it had no weapons on board and had absolutely no military use.

Boats and ships – Ian Hoskins — Australian historian and author

It was suggested that the recalcitrant nature of Australian timber finally proved too much. Some said local wood was too hard and too expense to get. I ended up concluding that there was a cultural element as well. Australians are a people who take up modern materials and discard time consuming tradition with alacrity.

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The rapid displacement of timber homes with modern brick veneer styles through the s and s is a case in point. So it is with boats, it seems, though the tide is turning. Advanced features of this website require that you enable JavaScript in your browser. This 'butcher boat' built by the Towns Brothers in Newcastle is own of the few surviving examples of their work Now, in NSW at least, one is lucky to see small timber craft outside a museum, and even there they are rare.

The butcher boat was later restored by Jim Latham of Mayfield, who comes from a well-known Hunter River sculling family.

When Jim Latham first saw the butcher boat, lined up with several boats that had been used for flood work in the Maitland area, he found it hard to believe it still existed. When restoration was completed the butcher boat looked as it had done originally- varnished with an emerald green keel and bottom.

The butcher boat had an outing on the water in December when Tony Robinson, of the UK TV series Time Team, came to Newcastle to make a documentary about some unusual local stories.

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Vessel Details Current status: Hull material and construction: Discuss this Object Comments Please log in to add a comment. You might also like. Media 1 Title 1. Media 2 Title 2. Media 3 Title 3.