Ben Carlin

rdf:langString Ben Carlin

rdf:langString Ben Carlin

rdf:langString Northam, Western Australia, Australia

rdf:langString right

rdf:langString Carlin seated

rdf:langString Frederick Benjamin Carlin

rdf:langString Carlin in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1948

rdf:langString Deirdre Scott Carlin

rdf:langString Engineer, soldier

rdf:langString When they struck a hurricane between the Azores and Madeira, and the superstructure looked like caving in, he got Elinore to recite the escape drill out loud in the tumult: "You shout 'OUT' – I get out and wait. You follow and grab the gear. I follow you – KEEP IN CONTACT!" They couldn't inflate and board the raft in that sea, and provided that the equipment wasn't wrenched from their grip they should be able to go on living, even though they carried no life jackets, for both were strong swimmers. He warned her: "Keep your face down and away from the spray – it hurts."

rdf:langString Frederick Benjamin Carlin (27 July 1912 – 7 March 1981) was an Australian adventurer who was the first person to circumnavigate the world in an amphibious vehicle. Born in Northam, Western Australia, Carlin attended Guildford Grammar School in Perth, and later studied mining engineering at the Kalgoorlie School of Mines. After qualifying as an engineer, he worked on the Goldfields before emigrating to China in 1939 to work in a British coal mine. In the Second World War, Carlin was posted to the Indian Army Corps of Engineers, serving in India, Italy, and throughout the Middle East. After his discharge from service in 1946, he emigrated to the United States with his American wife, Elinore (née Arone). Sparked by an idea he had had whilst in the military, Carlin proposed that the couple honeymoon by crossing the Atlantic Ocean in a modified Ford GPA (an amphibious version of the Ford GPW Jeep), which they named the Half-Safe. Beginning their trip in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, the Carlins finally completed the transatlantic crossing in 1951, after unsuccessful attempts. From there, they travelled to Europe, temporarily settling in Birmingham to raise more money. They resumed their journey in 1954, travelling overland through the Middle East before arriving in Calcutta. After a short fundraising trip to Australia, Carlin's wife left to return to the United States. He resumed the journey with new partners, travelling through South-East Asia and the Far East to the northern tip of Japan, and then to Alaska. After an extended tour through the United States and Canada, he and Half-Safe finally returned to Montreal, having travelled over 17,000 kilometres (11,000 mi) by sea and 62,000 kilometres (39,000 mi) by land during a ten-year journey. Following Carlin's death in 1981, Half-Safe was acquired by Guildford Grammar, his old school, where it remains on display.