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Books > Sport & Leisure > Transport: general interest > Ships & shipping: general interest
When Royal Princess was named in Southampton by HRH The Princess of
Wales in November 1984, she was the most advanced purpose-built
luxury cruise ship ever conceived and constructed. Built at the
beginning of the modern commercial age of cruising, she was the
trend-setter of the cruise ship world and continues to hold a
number of records, among them, the first contemporary cruise ship
to have all outside cabins, and in 2010 as Artemis, the first
British passenger ship to be commanded by a female captain, Sarah
Breton. In the following years of service, she has taken passengers
all over the globe in luxury and style, and it is hoped she has
many more years of cruising ahead of her. At 45,000 gross tons she
is small in comparison with the super-liners of today, but when
launched she was one of the largest cruise ships afloat. Her
traditional ambiance and service standards have attracted a loyal
following, not only among passengers, but also among her crew. This
book, written by Andrew Sassoli-Walker and Sharon Poole, celebrates
the innovation in cruise ship design that Royal Princess / Artemis
represented, and highlights her career with both Princess and
P&O Cruises in the words of both passengers and crew. Fully
illustrated throughout with many never-before-seen colour images,
it is a tribute to a unique and much-loved vessel.
The Great Western is the least known of Isambard Kingdom Brunel's
three ships, being overshadowed by the later careers of the Great
Britain and the Great Eastern. However, the Great Western was the
first great success, confounding the critics in becoming the
fastest ship to steam continuously across the Atlantic, and began
the era of luxury transatlantic liners. It was a bold venture by
Brunel and his colleagues, who were testing the limits of known
technology. This book examines the businessmen, the shipbuilding
committee and Brunel and looks at life on board for the crew and
the passengers using diaries from the United States and England.
The ship's first voyage made headline news in New York and London
and involved a race with the small steamship Sirius. The Great
Western's maiden voyage was a triumph, and this wooden paddle
steamer became the wonder of her age. She linked antebellum New
York with the London of Charles Dickens and the youthful Queen
Victoria. The ship continued to carry the rich and the famous
across the Atlantic for eighteen years.
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