The Golden days of Shipping

In this remarkable series, that as so far taken over twenty years to make, we have shown you so much of just how life used to be when the UK could boast of having the biggest shipping industry in the world. Just finding the rare film alone is a momentous task, a task that includes a global search to find film most people thought had been lost forever. Once found, the film and sounds have been professionally restored, researched and then produced into this Award Winning Series, which now consists of 42 x 65 minute programmes, programmes that cover every aspect of shipping in the 20th Century, ranging from the once great ocean liners, to cargo liners, conventional cargo ships, tankers, bulk carriers, ferries, coasters, tugs… you name it and its almost certainly to be here.

This new episode is no exception, and you know, one thing we love to try to do if humanely possible, is to recreate just what it was like to have worked or visited the nations once great ports in their heyday, when they were crammed full of ships of every type. In this programme we take you to the once great ports of South Wales including Newport, Cardiff and Swansea… It is just so good, and the variety of ships and great maritime scenes the rare film shows is, well, it really is special.

This is followed by another very special treat. We have actually managed to restore film of an operational voyage aboard the Royal Fleet Auxiliary’s magnificent ship the ‘Sir Lancelot’. She lost her sister the ‘Sir Galahad’ in the Falklands war, so this make this film even more special. We board the ship at her Solent base and then sail with her on a voyage to Malta, Suez, Aden, and Africa, and as we go, so we are privy to her tasks and life at sea with the RFA… Such film is very rare, for RFA operations were mostly of a secret nature and cine cameras were now allowed, so for me personally, it was absolutely fascinating and something I never thought I would ever be able to experience.

Then, as if all this wasn’t enough for a great DVD on its own, we take you over to the East Coast of America, to join the Cunard cruise ship the ‘Cunard Princess’. It has taken twenty years to find this film, but as is always the case with such film, the end result makes all the work we do, so worthwhile.

As we set sail on a Caribbean cruise, we are greeted on board by her Captain, who together with other senior officers give us a complete tour of the ship from top to bottom. For those of us not fortunate enough to have sailed aboard her, we get to discover what a beautiful and special ship she was, and to end the cruise, we do a complete transit of the Panama Canal, which is and probably will always be, the highlight of any cruise.

And… And there’s more, for at end of the programme we bring happiness to all those people who love cargo ships and, especially those that just love stormy weather, for more rare film takes us on a Houlder Bros bulk carrier as she battles her way across a very stormy Bay of Biscay… What a way to end.

There is so much for you to enjoy in this very special programme, so just fall into your favourite armchair, pour a drink or two and enjoy 70 minutes of great maritime joy.