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Ian Clark is one of Britain's top restoration and conservation engineers. A meticulous professional who relishes a challenge, he previously worked with Salvage Squad on the restoration of Waltham Chase Mill in the second series.
Over the last 25 years, Ian has worked on restoration projects all over the world, ranging from windmills and watermills to steamboats, steam engines and even a brick-making machine.
He was awarded last year's Pilgrim Trust Award for Conservation – the Oscar of the restoration world – for his work on the preservation of Holland I, the Royal Navy's first submarine.
When Salvage Squad took on the challenge of restoring a 1944 German Biber midget submarine for the Royal Navy Submarine Museum, Claire suggested that the Squad should ask Ian to be the expert.
It was one of the most ambitious projects Ian has ever been involved with. Though he had restored Holland I, that was for display. Claire and Suggs wanted to take the Biber back beneath the waves.
Having taken on the challenge, Ian and Claire enlisted the help of Fleet Support Limited (FSL) in Portsmouth – the organisation that maintains ships for the Royal Navy. FSL allowed Salvage Squad to use their workshops in the Portsmouth dockyard.
Even with the help of FSL's facilities and skilled craftsmen, Ian's ingenuity, patience and technical skills were fully tested by the problems he encountered during the submarine restoration.
It was essential that every part of the submarine worked perfectly, from the pressure-tight hull to the electric motor, ballast tanks and steering controls. Once the sub was under the water there would be no margin for error.
When he watched the finished Biber dive with submariner Tom Heron at the helm, Ian knew that his engineering skills had passed the ultimate test.
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