The spectacular French flagship France, the longest liner ever built, was the latest transatlantic supership when completed in the 1960s, and - according to most early reports - the most luxurious liner then afloat. The last of the great French Line passenger ships, on the celebrated run to and from New York she was not only the national flagship, but went on to have a most fortunate life with two noted careers and two highly recognisable names. She was one of the greatest of all twentieth-century liners. Maiden voyage passengers goggled at the luxuries aboard the $80 million floating masterpiece with her fantastic interiors, superb service and most exquisite food, yet despite her success she eventually lost out to the unsurpassable speed of jet aircraft. Laid-up, she lingered for five years before being bought by the Norwegians in 1979 and was dramatically transformed from the indoor, transatlantic France into the outdoor, tropical Norway. By May 1980, she began sailing in Caribbean waters and, for years afterward, ranked as the largest cruise ship in the world: an innovator and a great prelude to today's mega-liners. A tribute to one of the grandest and most beloved of all twentieth-century ocean liners, in this richly illustrated book by acknowledged liner expert William Miller we salute the France/Norway!

In the late 1960s, P&O established ferry services in the North Sea and English Channel. Roll-on/roll-off operations and containerisation were introduced and new ships, facilities and investment was needed to take advantage of developments. What followed was several decades of growth, buyouts and divisions. The twenty-first century saw the closure of several routes as the ferries saw increased competition from low-cost airline and the Channel Tunnel. Throughout this period, P&O attracted a loyal customer base and became one of the most recognisable names on the sea. Utilising a selection of rare and previously unpublished images, maritime historian Ian Collard delves into the story of this iconic company and its ships.

Freighters of the 1950s and '60s - with masts, booms and hatches - were the last of their generation. It was the end of an era, just before the massive transition to faster, more efficient containerised shipping on larger and larger vessels. These were 'working ships', but many would be retired prematurely and finish up under flags of convenience, for virtually unknown owners, before going off to the scrappers in the 1970s and '80s. For some ships, their life's work was cut short and their decommissioning was quick. In Handling Cargo, William H. Miller remembers the likes of Cunard, Holland America and United States Lines on the North Atlantic, Moore McCormack Lines to South America, Farrell Lines to Africa and P&O out East.

This meticulously researched and illustrated book focuses on the evolution of aircraft carriers and naval aircraft. It features chronological histories and comprehensive directories of the world's most important aviation ships and aircraft, including the first ships to launch primitive aircraft; biplanes that were catapulted from converted destroyers; modern warships capable of carrying jets and helicopters; and state-of-the-art jets that are unique for their vertical take-off ability. With more than 1100 magnificent photographs, this book provides historians and enthusiasts with key information about the world's greatest aircraft carriers and naval aircraft.

SS Nomadic was commissioned by White Star Line to serve the Olympic-class liners Olympic, Titanic and Britannic when they called in Cherbourg. Built in Belfast alongside Titanic, she was made with the same steel, built by the same workers and decorated by the same craftsmen. Because her duties were to serve first- and second-class passengers, she was fitted out far more luxuriously than other tenders of that time and she was considered by the White Star Line as a window into the sumptuous new transatlantic liners. While Titanic is commonly described as the ill-fated White Star Liner, SS Nomadic can without any doubt be qualified as the lucky tender, having survived both world wars and escaped destruction many times. She is now restored to her former glory as a tourist attraction in Belfast.

HOW THE GOLDEN AGE OF TRANSATLANTIC TRAVEL BETWEEN THE WARS TRANSFORMED WOMEN'S LIVES ACROSS ALL CLASSES - A VIVID CROSS SECTION OF LIFE ON-BOARD THE ICONIC OCEAN LINERS FROM BELOW DECKS TO THE CAPTAIN'S TABLE. 'In this riveting slice of social history, Sian Evans does a brilliant job of describing the unexpected textures of life at sea...By deep diving into the archives, Sian Evans has discovered a watery in-between world where the usual rules didn't quite apply and a spirited woman could get further than she ever would on dry land. - Mail on Sunday Migrants and millionairesses, refugees and aristocrats all looking for a way to improve their lives. After WW1 a world of opportunity was opening up for women ... Before convenient air travel, transatlantic travel was the province of the great ocean liners and never more so than in the glory days of the interwar years. It was an extraordinary undertaking made by many women. Some traveled for leisure, some for work; others to find a new life, marriage, to reinvent themselves or find new opportunities. Their stories have remained largely untold - until now. Maiden Voyages is a fascinating portrait of these women, and their lives on board magnificent ocean liners as they sailed between the old and the new worlds. The ocean liner was a microcosm of contemporary society, divided by class: from the luxury of the upper deck, playground for the rich and famous, to the cramped conditions of steerage or third class travel. These iconic liners were filled with women of all ages, classes and backgrounds: celebrities and refugees, migrants and millionairesses, aristocrats and crew members. Full of incredible gossip, stories and intrigue, Maiden Voyages has a diverse cast of inspiring women - from A-listers like Josephine Baker, a dancer from St Louis who found fame in Paris, Marlene Dietrich and Wallis Simpson, Violet 'the unsinkable' Jessop, a crew member who survived the sinking of the Titanic, and entrepreneur Sibyl Colefax, a pioneering interior designer. Whichever direction they were travelling, whatever hopes they entertained, they were all under the spell of life at sea, a spell which would only break when they went ashore. Maiden Voyages is a compelling and highly entertaining account of life on board: part dream factory, part place of work, independence and escape - always moving.

Includes the Queen Alexandra Dock, the entrance channel, the Campbell paddle-steamers and te Mountstuart Dry Docks. This title presents their history through nearly 300 comprehensively captioned illustrations.

L.T.C. Rolt's fame was born from his unique ability to produce works of literature from subject matter seemingly ill suited to such treatment - engineering, canals, railways, steam engines, agricultural machinery, vintage cars - such as in his classic biographies of Brunel, Telford, Trevithick and the Stephensons, and in his superbly written volumes of autobiography. In Landscape with Machines Rolt told the story of his youth and his subsequent training as an engineer. That book ended with the fulfilment of his dream to convert the narrow boat Cressy into a floating home in which he could travel the then neglected waterways of England and, he hoped, earn his living as a writer. Landscape with Canals takes up the story at this point. It tells of voyages through the secret green water-lanes of England and Wales, and of the beginning of his writing career with the publication of his celebrated first book, Narrow Boat. The underlying theme of Landscape with Machines was the conflict between Rolt's love for the English landscape and his life-long fascination with machines. In this sequel the same conflict is apparent yet we see how it was at least partly resolved. This is the testament of a man who has given literary shape to the history of the Industrial Revolution and who had a unique gift for imparting to others his knowledge, his enthusiasm and his love of life.

"There's money to be made on the river..." So goes a famous line quoted over one hundred years ago that marked the birth of a paddle steamer. The river? The Murray. The Steamer? The P.S. Canberra. Small, agile and something of a battler, the Canberra has been the quiet achiever amongst larger, more prominent vessels. From her humble beginnings as a fishing boat in a mosquito fleet to one of the longest serving tourist vessels, the Canberra is a boat that is loved by many. From teetotallers and soldiers to larrikins and hard workers, the Canberra has seen thousands of people cross her path during her life. With 100 years already on the water, the P.S. Canberra has made her mark on history and found her way into the memories of many. The Murray River. A paddle steamer. One hundred years of stories.

Little Ross is an attractive and unspoiled island and its lighthouse, beautifully designed by the famous Stevenson family, is officially a 'lesser' light, far away from busy sea lanes, at the summit of this remote island.The island was unknown to most people until 1960 when a murder in the lighthouse buildings brought it widespread notoriety, to the grief and consternation of all who were involved. The author was at the island on the day of the murder, and was a witness in the High Court trial that followed. Over the subsequent 57 years, he has repeatedly been asked to tell his story but the 117 years of diligent tending of the light by numerous lighthouse keepers and their families has been largely forgotten. In Life and Death on Little Ross, the author has redressed the balance by telling the story of the island, its lighthouse and its people who lived and worked there including extracts from a detailed diary that has survived from WWI. Also featured are the island's earliest inhabitants, the ships and their crews that came to grief, the case made by concerned local people for a lighthouse to be erected, the political wrangling that frustrated its approval for many years, the lighthouse design, and the eventual construction of the buildings.The story did not end with the murder. The process of automation began immediately after the event and the work of conversion, repair and maintenance, including first-hand accounts by some of the tradesmen is provided. The story of the restoration and conversion of the lighthouse keepers' derelict cottages is one of courage, patience, stamina, skill and resourcefulness which should inspire all of the many people that love wild, beautiful and unspoiled places like Little Ross Island and care about the future of buildings of distinction.

A collection of the 40 worst mercantile disasters in history--revealing that, despite popular belief, the "Titanic" tragedy was far from being the worst disaster at sea

While the victims of the "Titanic" disaster at 1,507 persons accounted for a huge loss of life, each of the ships described in this book had a greater number of casualties, in some cases more than five times as many. In total, these 27 merchant ship sinkings resulted in a staggering loss of life at sea--more than 96,000 lives in total (3,840 per ship). While the circumstances of their losses were different than those of the "Titanic," the outcome in each was no less tragic. While it is not the intention to diminish the gravity of the "Titanic" case, these lesser-known tragedies do give "the worst disaster at sea" a sobering perspective. Despite the fact that the "Titanic" disaster ranks behind so many other losses, so powerful has her name become as a representation of extreme misfortune, that it was the inevitable choice to describe some of these other events. Hence, they have come to be known as "Germany's "Titanic"" and "The "Titanic" of Japan" as just two examples. Ships include the "Lancastria," sunk by German bombers with a loss of 3,000 British lives (Britain's worst maritime disaster); the "Ryusei Maru," a Japanese "Hellship" loaded with 6,000 Allied POWs that was torpedoed by a US submarine; and the "Wilhelm Gustloff," a German liner packed with 7,800 civilians in operation "Hannibal" evacuation, sunk by a Russian submarine. There were no survivors and this tragedy was the worst maritime disaster of all time.

On 15 April 2012, 100 years will have passed since the Royal Mail Steamer Titanic hit an iceberg and foundered in the North Atlantic with the loss of 1,503 lives. Had the disaster not occurred, what is now the best-known ship in the world would have lost the title of the largest liner within just two years. She was certainly not the fastest passenger ship of the time and can be considered a technological throwback, yet Titanic captures the imagination like no other. This book seeks to explore the myths and the truth about Titanic and explores the legacy that has made the ship so well known. Why was she built? Who really owned her? Why was nobody ever proved negligent? How has today's transportation been made safer by Titanic? Have we really learned the right lessons? Perhaps not! Since 1912 there have been worse disasters yet none has replaced Titanic in the popular consciousness. Her legacy exists in procedures, building regulation, navigational practice, statues, poems, novels, movies and even a musical. This book explores why.

The "Story" treatment is given to the name that is synonymous with the most famous ocean liners in the world--a must-have addition to any maritime library The history of this iconic Atlantic passenger line is detailed, from the early days of Samuel Cunard's "Britannia," to the world's largest ocean liner, "Queen Mary 2." Following the company's 170-year history, this brightly illustrated book begins with the early days of the paddle steamer, through to Cunard's efforts in World War I ("Mauretania" and "Aquitania") as well as World War II ("Queen Mary" and "Queen Elizabeth"). No history of Cunard would be complete without detailing "QE2," the longest-serving ocean liner of all time, and her role in the Falklands campaign. The story ends with the current Queens: "QM2," "QV," and the new "QE."

Any who think that the end of the long coastal excursions by paddle steamers of yesteryear brought a halt to a trip on the briny may be surprised to learn that there are still more than eighty vessels with Maritime and Coastguard Agency passenger certificates offering cruises on the South Coast today. There are the big beasts taking passengers across the Channel or to the Channel Islands. There are their more modest cousins ferrying passengers to the Isle of Wight including the latest state of the art ferry Victoria of Wight, driven by hybrid battery technology. Then there is the plethora of smaller local vessels carrying between twelve and 350 passengers on shorter hops, often viewing some of the most spectacular South Coast scenery. Take a trip to Brownsea Island. View the Needles or the Jurassic Coast close up. Glide down Christchurch Harbour on boats with only 6 inches' draft. Sail from Weymouth to Portland, passing break-waters and forts on a boat which delivered guns, ammunition and stores to them in the Second World War. With pictures and details, this book explores all the passenger vessels operating today in an area bounded by Weymouth in the west and Newhaven in the east.

The band playing 'Nearer my God to Thee' as the ship went down is probably one of the most famous stories relating to the Titanic. The bravery of the band and their leader, Wallace Hartley, is one of the endearing stories to come out of the worst disaster to happen to a British passenger liner. Who comprised the band? Who was Wallace Hartley and where did he come from? Not much has been written about this enigmatic band leader or of his part in the tragedy, beyond a few mentions in the many books on the disaster. But he was one of the most important characters in the story of Titanic. Yvonne Speak has spent years researching the life story of Wallace Hartley and has conducted interviews with remaining members of his family. Here she tells his story and remembers this most British of heroes.