Arthur Nicholson

Born in Dallas, Texas in 1957, Arthur Nicholson has been interested in warships, naval history, and ship modeling since he was a boy, when he watched “Sink the Bismarck!” and devoured naval books given to him by his godfather. His father served in the U.S. Army in North Africa and Italy in World War II, and his stepmother came from a Royal Navy family, her father and stepfather being serving officers in World War II.

Arthur attended primary and secondary schools in Texas, California, and Alabama, and then graduated with a B.S. from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University and a J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law. He currently practices law and resides in San Antonio, Texas. Arthur is married to Sandy Nicholson nee Price, and they have two children, James and Audrey, and an assortment of pets. An avid ship modeler, Arthur has built a scale model of the fast minelayer Welshman.

Arthur’s “Very Special Ships,” a uniquely British success story, had its origins when he bought and read the Warship Profile on the Abdiels while still in high school. Years later, he and Dan Jones, publisher of Plastic Ship Modeler magazine, discussed a feature on the Abdiels. The magazine ceased publication before the feature could be completed, but by then the seed had been planted and Arthur had purchased his first photograph of the Abdiels and contacted a member of the Fast Minelayer Association via a notice in the Navy News.

Shortly after his “Hostages to Fortune” was published in 2005, Arthur continued his research on the Abdiels, assisted by his wife’s relations in the UK, who provided detective work. He learned that his stepmother was related to Captain John S. Cowie, RN, an expert on mines and minelayers in World War II. Arthur met families of crewmen and some crewmen themselves, such as Norman Goodwin of the Abdiel, who encouraged the author to persevere. While Mr. Goodwin did not live to see the book, it is dedicated to him.