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Born in [[Norfolk]] and raised in [[Great Yarmouth]] before being evacuated to [[Oxford]] during the [[Second World War]],<ref name="westernmorningnews"/> he went to a sea training school (TS. Mercury, Hamble) at the age of 14.<ref name="shipwrecksukcom">[http://www.shipwrecks.uk.com/info3.htm Larn's biography on the website of Shipwrecks UK Ltd, retrieved February 10, 2010.]</ref> Larn taught himself to dive in 1947, using a German-made [[Dräger]] [[U-boat]] [[escape set]] in the [[River Thames]]. He then joined the [[British Merchant Navy|Merchant Navy]] where he served his apprenticeship as a deck-officer with the South American Saint Line<ref name="shipwreckconference">[http://www.shipwreckconference.org/conference_bios.htm#Richard%20Larn Larn's biography on the website of the International Shipwreck Conference, retrieved February 10, 2010.]</ref> and eventually became [[Second Mate|2nd Mate]].<ref name="shipwrecksukcom"/> In 1950 he transferred to the [[Royal Navy]] where he stayed for 22 years. As a [[Chief Petty Officer Mechanician/diver]] he served in [[Korean War|Korea]] and initiated diving from Dragonfly helicopters to recover ram-jet un-manned gunnery target drone arcraft off Malta, being dropped into the sea wearing diving equipment hwith Petty Officer John Guppy, up to five miles offshore, to assist a rescue tug recover the targets intact. They were possibly the first divers in the Royal Navy to operate using diving apparatus from helicopters, long before SAR divers. Has participated in diving Expeditions all over the world.<ref name="shipwreckconference">[http://www.shipwreckconference.org/conference_bios.htm#Richard%20Larn Larn's biography on the website of the International Shipwreck Conference, retrieved February 10, 2010.]</ref> Larn then specialised in air-launched weapons, Firestreak, Redtop, Sidewinder, Bullpup, Mk.43 and 44 homing torpedoes, and the 2000lb HEMC nuclear bomb, and was Chief Petty Officer i/c the Guided Weapons Section on board HMS Hermes for three years, which required Positive Security Vetting to Top Secret - Atomic.
In 1957 he became a [[British Sub Aqua Club|BSAC]] member, and served as BSAC Deputy Diving Officer in 1961 and 1962.<ref name="shipwreckconference"/> Larn was also among the instigating members of [[Naval Air Command Sub Aqua Club|NACSAC]],the Royal Navy Sub-Aqua Club, which was established in the early 1960s with Lieutenant Roy Graham as its first chairman, and Larn as its Diving Officer.Lieut Graham was at one time the only Fleet Air Arm]officer with a naval diver qualification. See the [http://news.scillyarchive.com/2005/12/the_wreck_of_the_association__the_inside_story.html interview with Roy Graham in December 2005. Graham died in 2007 shortly before the 300th anniversary of the [[Scilly naval disaster of 1707|great naval disaster of 1707]].
divers could only get out to the [[Western Rocks, Isles of Scilly|Western Rocks]], but hardly around the Gilstone Ledge,<ref name="larn"/> where a later expedition managed to locate the wreck of ''HMS Association'' in 1967; Larn was not present in 1967 having been given a "pier-head jump" at the last minute to HMS Bulwark in Singapore. However, on his return he led NAC-SAC for its 1969, 1970 and 1971 expeditions to the islands, before leaving the Royal Navy.<ref name="bsac">[http://www.bsac.com/peopledetails.asp?itemid=91&itemTitle=1967+%2D+Dive+on+the+Association§ion=1059§ionTitle=BSAC+Pioneers. ''BSAC Pioneers'' on the British Sub-Aqua Club website.]</ref>
===After the Navy===
In 1972 Larn left the Royal Navy as a [[Chief Petty Officer/ Weapons Electrical Mechanician]] to pursue a career in private business. After two years as Works Director for Partech Electronics International Ltd, Charlestown, helping the Company to move to Cornwall from Wellyn Garden City, he then founded a commercial diving training centre Prodive Ltd. initially in the Long Store, Charlestoiwn, then in [[Falmouth Docks, Cornwall]],<ref name="shipwreckconference"/> which aimed at improving the training standard of professional commercial deep sea divers in the oil and gas offshore industry. Prodive Ltd became one of only three diver training establishments in the UK approved to operate training to HSE Standards, and train Government sponsored students. In 1976 he established the [[Charlestown Shipwreck and Heritage Centre]] which grew out of his own collection of sshipwreck artifacts which he ran until 1998 with his second wife, Bridget,.<ref name="shipwrecksukcom">[http://www.shipwrecks.uk.com/info3.htm Larn's biography on the website of his company, Shipwrecks UK Ltd, retrieved February 10, 2010.]</ref> Living in [[Charlestown, Cornwall|Charlestown]] for 31 years,<ref name="westernmorningnews"/> he was joint owner and [[curator]] of one of the largest collections of shipwreck [[Artifact (archaeology)|artefacts]] on public display in Europe.<ref name="shipwrecksukcom"/> Larn and his wife Bridget then moved to the [[Isles of Scilly]] in 1986,<ref name="westernmorningnews"/> where they lived from 1986 to 1991 during which they set up and ran the Longstone Heritage Centre.<ref name="shipwreckconference"/> on the island of St. Mary's, retaining their interest in Charlestown. Lloyd's Register then offered Larn a ten
Together with his wife he has written over 62 books and countless articles on [[maritime history]] and [[maritime archaeology|archaeology]], shipwrecks and the sea. Their 'Shipwreck Index of the British Isles'(Vol's 1-6) a monumental work with details of 45,000 ships, for [[Lloyd's Register of Shipping]], was used by the Royal Commission for Historic Monuments (now English Heritage)to establish the NMR(National Maritime Record), followed by a similar record for both the Scottish and Welsh Governments.<ref name="shipwrecksukcom">[http://www.shipwrecks.uk.com/info3.htm Larn's biography on the website of his company, Shipwrecks UK Ltd (co-owned with Alan Jones), retrieved February 10, 2010.]</ref>
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===Honours===
Besides receiving awards from diving and maritime history associations, Larn was made a Cornish Bard by the [[Gorseth Kernow|Gorsedd of Cornwall]] at [[Redruth]] in 2006, taking the Bardic name 'Gonyas an Mor' Servant of the Sea. He started a company Shipwrecks.UK.Ltd, co-owned with Alan Jones, and has a web site www.shipwreckphotographs.com, still being developed.
==Publications==
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