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Revision as of 14:48, 3 May 2009 view sourceNil Einne (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers73,019 edits →Personal history: This shouldn't be solely sourced to a primary source← Previous edit Revision as of 14:49, 3 May 2009 view source Nil Einne (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers73,019 editsNo edit summaryNext edit →
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Menzies was born in London, England, though in his book he claims to have been born in China, which he has admitted is false. This has since been rectified in recent editions.<ref name=4corners>{{cite web |title = Interview with Gavin Menzies| url = http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/content/2006/s1702333.htm | accessdate = 2007-03-22}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title = Interview with Gavin Menzies| url = http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/content/2006/s1702333.htm | accessdate = 2007-03-22}}</ref> Menzies joined the ] in 1953 and served in submarines from 1959 to 1970. Menzies claims he sailed the routes sailed by ] and Captain ], while he was commander of the ] ] between 1968 and 1970, a contention questioned by some of his critics.<ref>{{cite web | title = Challenges to Menzies' nautical experience | url = http://www.1421exposed.com/html/library_of_congress.html | accessdate = 2007-03-22}}; see particularly note five of the Appendix.</ref> Menzies was born in London, England, though in his book he claims to have been born in China, which he has admitted is false. This has since been rectified in recent editions.<ref name=4corners>{{cite web |title = Interview with Gavin Menzies| url = http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/content/2006/s1702333.htm | accessdate = 2007-03-22}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title = Interview with Gavin Menzies| url = http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/content/2006/s1702333.htm | accessdate = 2007-03-22}}</ref> Menzies joined the ] in 1953 and served in submarines from 1959 to 1970. Menzies claims he sailed the routes sailed by ] and Captain ], while he was commander of the ] ] between 1968 and 1970, a contention questioned by some of his critics.<ref>{{cite web | title = Challenges to Menzies' nautical experience | url = http://www.1421exposed.com/html/library_of_congress.html | accessdate = 2007-03-22}}; see particularly note five of the Appendix.</ref>


In 1969 in the Philippines, HMS ''Rorqual'' rammed a ] ], the ] which was moored at a pier. This collision punched a hole in USS ''Endurance'' but did not damage HMS ''Rorqual''. The ensuing enquiry found Menzies and one of his subordinates responsible for a combination of factors that led to the accident, including the absence of the coxswain (who usually takes the helm in port) who had been replaced by a less experienced crew member, and technical issues with the boat's telegraph.<ref name=4corners></ref> After the incident, Menzies retired the following year. In 1969 in the Philippines, HMS ''Rorqual'' rammed a ] ], the ] which was moored at a pier. This collision punched a hole in USS ''Endurance'' but did not damage HMS ''Rorqual''. The ensuing enquiry found Menzies and one of his subordinates responsible for a combination of factors that led to the accident, including the absence of the coxswain (who usually takes the helm in port) who had been replaced by a less experienced crew member, and technical issues with the boat's telegraph.<ref>{{cite web | title = Enquiry regarding the collision of the USS ''Endurance'' and ''Rorqual'' | url = http://www.ussendurance.org/Rorqurl%20incident.htm | accessdate = 2007-03-22}}</ref><ref name=4corners></ref> After the incident, Menzies retired the following year.


Menzies currently resides in North London with his wife Marcella. He has been considered a ] since 2 August 1996 on the order of a ] judge, and so is forbidden from initiating civil cases without permission from the court (in England and Wales).<ref> Her Majesty's Courts Service.</ref> Menzies currently resides in North London with his wife Marcella. He has been considered a ] since 2 August 1996 on the order of a ] judge, and so is forbidden from initiating civil cases without permission from the court (in England and Wales).<ref> Her Majesty's Courts Service.</ref>

Revision as of 14:49, 3 May 2009

Gavin Menzies
OccupationRetired Royal Navy Submarine Commander, author
NationalityBritish
CitizenshipBritish
Notable works1421: The Year China Discovered the World

Rowan Gavin Paton Menzies (born 1937) is a retired British submarine commander and amateur historian best known as the author of the controversial book 1421: The Year China Discovered the World, which asserts that ships from the Chinese fleet of admiral Zheng He traveled to the Americas prior to Christopher Columbus' arrival in 1492 and circumnavigated the globe a century before Ferdinand Magellan as part of the era of Chinese exploration. This thesis has been discounted "as nonsense" by professional historians.

Personal history

Menzies was born in London, England, though in his book he claims to have been born in China, which he has admitted is false. This has since been rectified in recent editions. Menzies joined the Royal Navy in 1953 and served in submarines from 1959 to 1970. Menzies claims he sailed the routes sailed by Ferdinand Magellan and Captain James Cook, while he was commander of the diesel submarine HMS Rorqual between 1968 and 1970, a contention questioned by some of his critics.

In 1969 in the Philippines, HMS Rorqual rammed a U.S. Navy minesweeper, the USS Endurance, which was moored at a pier. This collision punched a hole in USS Endurance but did not damage HMS Rorqual. The ensuing enquiry found Menzies and one of his subordinates responsible for a combination of factors that led to the accident, including the absence of the coxswain (who usually takes the helm in port) who had been replaced by a less experienced crew member, and technical issues with the boat's telegraph. After the incident, Menzies retired the following year.

Menzies currently resides in North London with his wife Marcella. He has been considered a vexatious litigant since 2 August 1996 on the order of a High Court of Justice judge, and so is forbidden from initiating civil cases without permission from the court (in England and Wales).

Books

Footnotes

  1. Reuters UK. "Columbus debunker sets sights on Leonardo da Vinci." Tue Jul 29, 2008.
  2. "The 1421 myth exposed". Retrieved 2007-03-22.
  3. "Zheng He in the Americas and Other Unlikely Tales of Exploration and Discovery". Retrieved 2007-03-22.
  4. "1421: The Year China Discovered the World by Gavin Menzies". Retrieved 2007-03-22.
  5. Finlay, Robert (2004). "How Not to (Re)Write World History: Gavin Menzies and the Chinese Discovery of America". Journal of World History. 15 (2). {{cite journal}}: External link in |title= (help)
  6. ^ "Interview with Gavin Menzies". Retrieved 2007-03-22.
  7. "Interview with Gavin Menzies". Retrieved 2007-03-22.
  8. "Challenges to Menzies' nautical experience". Retrieved 2007-03-22.; see particularly note five of the Appendix.
  9. "Enquiry regarding the collision of the USS Endurance and Rorqual". Retrieved 2007-03-22.
  10. "Vexatious litigants." Her Majesty's Courts Service.

External links

Critics

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