Obituary: Simon Martin, journalist, businessman and wreck salvor

Simon Martin: Journalist whose quest for adventure led to a precarious but rewarding life diving shipwrecks for salvage bounty

Simon Martin trained as a journalist with the Sunderland Echo before moving into public relations in Edinburgh. In 1970 a thirst for adventure took him to Fair Isle where he learned to dive as part of an underwater archaeological expedition working on a Spanish Armada shipwreck.

He then teamed up with like-minded colleagues to earn a precarious living for some years, salvaging non-ferrous metals from modern wrecks in Scottish and Irish waters.

His big break came in 1973 when, with his diving partner Alec Crawford, he discovered the wreck of the White Star liner Oceanic, lost in mysterious circumstances on the notorious Shaalds reef off the Shetland island of Foula at the beginning of the First World War.

Remarkably, no serious salvage had been attempted following her loss, and the remains of the 17,000-tonne ship were scattered across the reef in a cornucopia of valuable copper and bronze.

Over the next six years the two divers, with only wet-suits and basic Scuba gear, and initially working from a small inflatable dinghy (latterly, from salvage proceeds, they bought a larger vessel), recovered more than 200 tonnes of top-grade non-ferrous metal.

They were probably the smallest team ever to complete so large a salvage operation, and Martin has told the epic story in his best-selling book, The Other Titanic.

Martin was born shortly after his soldier father returned from the war, and the family joined him on military postings to Germany, in 1946, and Singapore, in 1949. On retirement his father ran a smallholding in Stonehaven before becoming Church of Scotland Minister at Roxburgh. Martin was educated at Drumtochty and Loretto, and became head boy at both schools.

He was a lifelong football fan, supporting the local team of wherever he happened to be at the time – Aberdeen, Sunderland and finally Dundee United.

In 1980 he married Alison McLeay, the author and broadcaster, and the couple became business partners, establishing and running a popular wine bar and a cookware shop in St Andrews.

Martin was a gregarious character and bon viveur who liked to keep in touch with a wide circle of friends from the Borders, Loretto, Sunderland, Shetland and Fife. His wife Alison predeceased him in 1998, and they are survived by their son, Richard.