VALERIE'S UK VIDEOS & DVDsSHIPPING HISTORY TITLESHome Page | Intro & Catalogue
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THE BRITISH MERCHANT NAVYWe think that these shipping titles are the Bee's Knees . .have a good browse . . Many of them will be new to you. All on this page are either Merchant Navy or deep sea fishing.
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SA099D |
OLYMPIC TITANIC BRITANNIC
When the RMS Olympic was launched in October 1910, she was famously the world's largest ship. A year later that fame had been eclipsed by that of her younger sister Titanic. |
52 mins |
![]() £10.95 + £1.50 for UK p&p |
VP103D |
QUEEN MARY - LEGEND OF THE ATLANTIC
The RMS Queen Mary now lies as a major tourist attraction at Long Beach in California. Her swift crossings of the Atlantic, in peace and war, is the stuff legends are made of. |
55 mins |
![]() £14.95 + £1.50 for UK p&p |
| OV954D |
LINERS & LAUNCHES
A selection of films reviving the days when Liverpool was home to some of the world's greatest liners & Birkenhead was birthplace for hundreds of vessels launched from Cammell Laird's shipyard. |
53 mins |
![]() £14.95 + £1.50 for UK p&p |
| VP113D |
QUEEN ELIZABETH - The World's Largest Liner This documentary follows the story of the Queen Mary's sister ship, from her inception and wartime troopship service, to her tragic destruction by fire in Hong Kong harbour in 1972. |
55 mins |
![]() £14.95 + £1.50 for UK p&p |
| VP130D |
NELSON'S VICTORY Re-released on DVD to celebrate the bicentenary of Trafalgar in 2005, this programme tells the story of Britain's greatest naval hero & the most famous wooden man o' war in the world. |
40 mins |
![]() £8.95 + £1.50 for UK p&p |
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JC00 DVD-R |
SAILING EAST In 1959, P&O acquired most of the remaining shares of the Orient Line. The shipping line was then retitled the P&O - Orient Line and this title remained until 1966 when it reverted to P&O. This programme covers the period of that merger using amateur film, most of which has never been seen before. Sailing East features footage of the following ships: Orcades, Oronsay, Orsova, Oriana, Chitral, Cathay, Chusan, Arcadia, Iberia and Canberra.
. . . this new programme on Ocean Liners is a unique assembly of amateur cine footage edited by Joe Clark. |
57 mins |
![]() P&O LINES Orcades; Oronsay; Orsova; Oriana; Chitral; Cathay; Chusan; Arcadia; Iberia; Canberra. PRICE £15.50 DVD-R (PAL only) + £1.50 for UK p&p |
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JC1 DVD-R |
CRUISING IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY - PART ONE A series of films recording the changing face of cruising in the twentieth century, using previously unseen amateur cine footage taken by crew and passengers on their various voyages. Part One features the following ships: Baltonia, Brandenberg, Mongolia, Jamaique, Rotterdam (1903), Atlantis, Chusan, Orontes, Oronsay, Aorangi, Gothic and many other vessels, including tankers, trawlers and sailing barges. Ports of call and places of interest featured include Memmel, Tallin, the Kiel Canal, Barcelona, Tangier, Nice, Lisbon, Ceuta, Malta, Palermo, Sydney, Auckland, Rotorua, Wellington, Suva and Port Morseby. |
59 mins |
![]() P&O LINES Baltonia; Brandenberg; Mongolia; Jamaique; Rotterdam (1903); Atlantis; Chusan; Orontes; Oronsay; Aorangi; Gothic. PRICE £15.50 DVD-R (PAL only) + £1.50 for UK p&p |
JC1 DVD-R |
CRUISING IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY - PART TWO Part Two features the following ships: Andes, Arcadia and Oronsay and various passing shipping. Ports of Call and places of interest featured are: Sydney, Singapore, Manilla, Hong Kong, Yokohama, Kyoto, Vancouver, San Francisco. Long Beach (including Anaheim Disney and the Colombia studios) Honolulu, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Malmo, Valetta, Port Said, Cairo and the Pyramids, the transit of the Suez Canal, Colombo and Mount Lavinia. |
58 mins |
![]() P&O LINES Andes; Arcadia; Oronsay PRICE £15.50 DVD-R (PAL only) + £1.50 for UK p&p |
JC1 DVD-R |
CRUISING IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY - PART THREE;
This time we have chosen the P&O liner "Iberia" as our host vessel, but in truth the footage was shot by a number of people on various ships in the 1960's. We will visit eight Mediterranean ports, Gibraltar, Naples, Rhodes, Piraeus, Venice, Cannes, Monte Carlo and Lisbon before returning to Southampton. During the voyage we will see various other liners and cargo vessels, notably Canberra, Oriana, Cristoforo Colombo, Giulio Cesare, Leonardo da Vinci, Conte Biancamano, Independence, Australis, Queen Anna Maria, Mount Olympus, Angola, Santa Maria and others. |
59 mins |
![]() VARIOUS LINES Iberia; Canberra; Oriana; Cristoforo; Colombo; Giulio Cesare; Leonardo da Vinci; Conte Biancamano; Independence; Australis; Queen Anna Maria; Mount Olympus; Angola; Santa Maria. PRICE £15.50 DVD-R (PAL only) + £1.50 for UK p&p |
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NN1 VHS or DVD-R |
CROSSING THE OCEANS ... Part 1
. . . this new programme on Ocean Liners is a unique assembly of amateur cine footage edited by Joe Clark. |
65 mins |
![]() ORIENT LINES Otranto ; Orontes ; Orion ; Orcades ; Oronsay ; Orsova ; Oriana P&O LINES Maloja ; Carthage ; Canton ; Strathnaver ; Strathmore ; Stratheden ; Chusan ; Himalaya ; Arcadia ; Iberia ; Canberra ; Chitral BRITISH INDIA LINES Nevasa ; Uganda NZ SHIPPING Co Rangitata ; Ruahine PRICE £12.99 VHS (not in NTSC for Part 1) £14.99 DVD-R (PAL) + £1.50 for UK p&p |
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NN2 VHS or DVD |
CROSSING THE OCEANS ... PART 2
.. the second programme on Ocean Liners is another unique assembly of amateur cine footage edited by Joe Clark. |
63 mins |
![]() CUNARD Queen Mary Queen Elizabeth Queen Elizabeth 2 and many, many others, of: US LINES CANADIAN PACIFIC ROYAL MAIL SHAW SAVILL UNION CASTLE TROOPSHIPS over 30 liners in all PRICE £12.99 VHS PAL £12.99 VHS NTSC (part 2 only) £14.99 DVD-R (PAL) + £1.50 for UK p&p |
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NN3 VHS or DVD |
CROSSING THE OCEANS ... PART 3
.. the third programme in the trilogy on Ocean Liners and merchant shipping, another unique assembly of amateur cine footage edited by Joe Clark. |
65 mins |
![]() ships from Portugal Norway Sweden Netherlands United Kingdom Greece Italy Germany France PRICE £12.99 VHS PAL £14.99 DVD-R (PAL) + £1.50 for UK p&p |
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*NEW* 2006 MR-MSC1 DVD |
MANCHESTER SHIP CANAL PART 1 . . . . LIVERPOOL TO WARRINGTON ... In 1955, Mike Lord mounted his bicycle and pedalled from Bolton to film the Manchester Ship Canal. Fortunately he took his cine-camera and tape recorder with him and the results of his visits from 1955 to 1964 are a superb visual record. |
45 mins |
DVD only ![]() £16.95 DVD only + £1.50 for UK p&p |
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*NEW* 2006 MR-MSC2 DVD |
MANCHESTER SHIP CANAL PART 2 . . . . WARRINGTON TO SALFORD
... In this, the second DVD programme covering the Manchester Ship Canal, we continue our exploration of the canal as we travel with cameraman Mike Lord further up the Canal from Warrington to Salford. See this great inland port in her heyday, when Manchester and her satelite towns were the doyen of the world trade in exports of everything from textiles to heavy engineering. |
45 mins |
DVD only ![]() £16.95 DVD only + £1.50 for UK p&p |
| ON90 |
PADDLE STEAMER MEMORIES . . . wonderful footage of memories re-living the glory days of Britain's much loved paddle steamers. This programme contains scenes aboard many of the featured vessels, and of skippers and crews. A good deal of the footage is of the South Coast, Bristol Channel, North Wales at Llandudno, Blackpool, on the Clyde, on Loch Lomond, down the Tay, up the Forth, crossing the Humber and along the Thames. | 90 mins | ![]() £15.95 |
THE GREAT LINERSa 29-part set on DVDin PAL format note: NEW TITLES ADDED, Eps 28 & 29 DEC 2007
The following massive set of 29 titles, which come from a different studio
Episodes 28 & 29 are now available as 2007 releases { The "RMS Queen Mary" is Volume 13 - see below for details of Video, Discussion Group, and fantastic Website } Shipping companies covered in this set: P&O, Orient Lines,
Cunard, White Star, New Zealand Shipping Co., Federal
Steam Navigation Co., Union Castle, British India,
Ellerman Lines, Shaw Savill, Royal Mail, Thomson Lykes,
Harrison Line, Elder Dempster, Lamport & Holt,
Canadian Pacific, Port Line, Ben Line, Palm Line, Anchor Line, Bibby Line,
Blue Funnel, Brocklebank, Furness Withy, Esso, BP, Shell, and many more.
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sailing around the world aboard 8 of their most famous ocean liners between the 1940s and 1970s: We see just what it was like to have been a passenger or crew member aboard these most handsome ships and the days when the Red Ensign was displayed all across the world. For a generation after World War II,
before air travel became standard, these giants brought
Continents together. Nostalgic ships' names - Chusan,
Himalaya, Orcades, Oronsay, Arcadia, Oriana, Orsova and
finally Canberra - are seen at sea and in port, above and
below decks. This is a treasury for those who served and
sailed on the Great Liners. Critics report:- Without a doubt, this DVD will
become a collector's item in a very short time, but there
will be very few passenger ship enthusiasts who will want
to part with it.
Episode 2: To make this DVD possible, many ex-
personnel from Union Castle have helped producer, Des Cox,
access this rare archive material. It has been carefully
renovated and restored where possible to almost original
condition. Now once again we can step aboard and sail on
such great ships as - Edinburgh Castle, Pendennis Castle,
Windsor Castle, Transvaal Castle and Reina del Mar, with
passing shots of the Pretoria Castle and many more as
they make their way back and forth from Europe to South
Africa and the Cape. Also includes passing sea shots and
the emotional final sailing of the Windsor Castle from
Capetown.
Critic's report:- For all those interested in the film records of one of Britain's greatest liner companies, and would like to experience just what it was like to have sailed on their beautiful lavender hulled liners, this excellent DVD is an absolute must. (Ships Monthly)
Episode 3:
. . . See the ports of London and Liverpool as they used to be
in the 1950s and 60s, go through the Suez and
It's a difficult enough task trying to
find rare archive film of what were the world's most
celebrated passenger liners, but to find film of of the
thousands of smaller, beautiful cargo liners is almost
impossible! Yet again producer Des Cox has scoured the
world to find this rarest of film, and again he has had
it carefully restored to bring you another unique piece
of maritime history. The end result is - We can see the
world as it used to be aboard some of the ships that made
the British Merchant Fleet the largest in the World.
Critic's report:- Old sailors are not supposed to look astern, but I found myself getting very moist-eyed watching those ships I knew so well. NZ Co. and Federals, Port boats, Rangis, Highlands, Blue Flues- an astonishing collection of film. (Michael Grey - Lloyds List)
Episode 4:
. . . see ships that were a legend in their own time, ships of the merged Cunard and White Star lines. Queen
Mary - Queen Elizabeth - Caronia - Franconia - Carmania -
When the Cunard and White Star Lines
merged in the mid 1930s, they formed one of the
greatest shipping companies in maritime history. This
astonishing collection of film takes us aboard some of
the companys most celebrated ships as they vied
with each other for supremacy of the Atlantic and the
cruising routes of the world.
Critics report:- It is often said that anticipation is better than the event and that one should not believe all that is written on a products packaging. I would advise any lover of ships and the sea to treat themselves to this DVD. Sit down, pour yourself a glass of wine, switch it on and wallow in nostalgia. (Stephen Macey - Sealines Magazine) (See the "Queen Mary" DVD below . . .
Episode 5: . . . a special 70-minute episode; a tribute to Shaw Savill and the Royal Mail lines. This DVD
pays tribute to two of the most famous shipping companies,
Shaw Savill and Royal Mail, who had their own distinctive
style, reputation for innovation, style and service which
grew out of more than a hundred years of continuous
sailings to every corner of the world.
Critics report:- A feast of famous passenger liners that sailed to Australia, New Zealand and South America is featured in this latest DVD, which are amongst the best in the world today, not just for the subject but also with regard to the quality and production. (Shipping Today & Yesterday)
Episode 6: . . . on British India Lines . . . one of the largest shipping Companys in the British Merchant Navy, had
over 400 ships serve with it during its 109-year
lifetime. Their enormous network of passenger and cargo
ships served even the smallest ports East of Suez. We start in 1922 on SS Malda in Londons
Royal Docks for a maiden voyage to East Africa. See ships
of this line right through to the final days of the
Uganda.
Critics report:- The memories come thick and fast recapturing perfectly the ambience of what was, in effect, the Raj at sea. (Ships Monthly) Episode 7: AROUND THE CAPE. . . with Union-Castle Lines vessels through the Suez Canal and around Africa;go to the Great Lakes and Far East.
During the early to mid part of this
century many shipping companies vied with each other over
the lucrative trade routes to East Africa, and around the
Cape. Two of the most famous of these companies were
Ellermans and Union Castle, both very different but
each proud of the high standards of the services they
maintained. Ships featured - City of Port Elizabeth, City
of Lichfield, City of Guildford, City of Durban, Rhodesia
Castle, Braemar Castle and Kenya Castle. We sail on these
wonderful ships on their long voyages to Africa and
around the Cape. Film aboard the City of Port Elizabeth
and City of Durban includes their maiden voyages to
Africa.
Critics report:- The producers have left no stone unturned in their unrelenting search for archive footage of the closing years of a great era in shipping, creating a time capsule of those really great days of ships and people. (Best of British Magazine)
Episode 8: . . . here's the Mersey crammed full of ships of every
size;
Critics report:- These maritime DVD's are not only increasing in numbers, but in quality, and the eighth in this series is no exception. Film footage, ranging widely in date, has been skilfully assembled to present a vivid, even emotional picture, of the splendour of the Merseys past (Ships Monthly)
Episode 9:
. . . continues on from Episode 8; more Mersey ships and
lines; Harrison - Elder Dempster - Brocklebank - Palm
Line - Blue Funnel. To the Caribbean with Harrisons; the
Far East with Brocklebanks & Blue Funnel; to West
Africa with Elder Dempster & Palm Lines.
Episode 10:
We also look at some of the Sea Training
Schools; follow the boy cadets and ratings as they join
their first ship and embark on voyages of true adventure.
That first ship could easily have been a tramp steamer or
a luxury transatlantic liner.
Episode 11: . . . There will be many people who remember the River Thames as it once was, the highway to the world's busiest seaport. This latest DVD in The Great Liners series turns back the clock to a time where giant warehouses stood on what is now office blocks and luxury apartments. And for those who are too young to remember those days, the DVD provides a fascinating and entertaining insight into the Port of London when it was the nation's larder. We go back to the time when London's docklands stretched for 11 miles along the Thames. ![]() Much rare archive material has been used to bring back the days when 60,000 ships used the port every year and thousands of people worked with 1,500 turning cranes to load and unload cargoes of every description to and from every corner of the world. Ships in the countless quays bore funnel livery marking them out as; P&O or BI, Blue Star, Blue Funnels, Union Castle, Shaw Savill, Cunard, Ellerman Lines, NZCo, Port Line, Ben Line, Glen Line, Royal Mail, Harrison Line, and more. Somehow this DVD manages to bring back all those long lost scenes.
You can almost smell the fusion of malty
cargo and industrial smells so uniquely characteristic of
that London dockland scene. The DVD, which runs for 60
minutes, is something that will be selected from the
DVD cabinet for viewing time and time again. Never
before have so many ships appeared in one DVD -
absolute magic.
Episode 12: . . . see the heyday of the New York to Bermuda route, the Millionaires Run on ships of Furness Withy. The Monarch of Bermuda and Queen of Bermuda. See many others of the 40 lines in the group, and ships and ports around the world. 'Broadway to Bermuda" The DVD's from this most excellent series just get better and better. Episode 12 "From Broadway to Bermuda" gives an insight into the Furness Withy Group, once one of the largest shipping organizations in the world. Starting from very modest beginnings in Hartlepool in the late 1980s, Furness Withy grew to become one of the most successful Shipping Organizations in the world, operating over 1500 ships in their time.
This expertly produced DVD, using very rare archive film, takes you to sea aboard some of the cargoes ships that once flew the Furness colours with pride. Pacific and Prince Line ships as well as a voyage aboard the "Newfoundland" which includes some of the best storm scenes ever on film, as it battles its way across the North Atlantic in a mid-winter hell. The second half of the DVD takes us
right back to the 1 920s to the Furness Bermuda Line, and
the ships they operated from New York to Bermuda on what
was once the most successful passenger liner route of all
time. The marvellous old archive film, much of which the
producers restored literally frame by frame, takes us
right back to the founding of this service and on voyages
aboard such famous liners as the "Bermuda" ~
"Monarch of Bermuda" ~ "Queen of Bermuda"
and the "Ocean Monarch". We also get a short
glimpse of the "Monarch of Bermuda" in her
later life when she served on the Australian emigrant
trade as Shaw Savills "New Australia".
Critics report:- Regardless of your nautical
background, this DVD is a must, showing you a life at
sea which has now long gone and sadly, will never return
again. - Tremendous. Paul James (Maritime Review)
Episode 13: . . . rare archive film never before made public on this special DVD documenting the building, launch, and lifetime of service of arguably the best-loved ocean liner in the British Merchant Service. The maiden voyage; follow a complete round trip, see her workings from top to bottom, from the Bridge to the depths of the engine room, and most decks in between! Truly a great DVD, and one of the best shipping DVDs yet.
Producer/writer Des Cox has searched the world for over ten years to find the rare archive film necessary to make this most brilliant production. Now, using only moving film, most of which has never been made available to the public before, you can now step back in time to an age when our nation had pride in its achievements, and experience just what it was like to have sailed aboard the world's most famous ocean liner. Feel the excitement as you arrive in Southampton to join her for her maiden voyage and a little later, on the voyage she captured the prized Blue Riband for Cunard White Star and for a whole rejoicing nation. You will share the joy and pride of those most momentous of maritime occasions as if you were actually there in person, and see the ship as she's never been seen on DVD before: The bridge - decks - public rooms - restaurants - cabins - even crew working areas never seen before such as her secluded yet productive print-shop and her massive, cavernous engine rooms. Sadly, there will never be another great ocean liner quite like the "Queen Mary" and there will never be another DVD made about her to equal the content and quality of this one. This DVD doesn't contain ANY still pictures - or footage of her in California today - or unnecessary interviews, only sensational, rare archive film, all shot professionally on 16mm film during her undisputed heyday as the Queen of the North Atlantic. Produced to British Broadcast Standards,
this DVD has a running time of approximately 59 mins
and is widely accepted as being the only DVD ever made
to do justice to the glorious "Queen Mary". QUEEN MARY WEBSITE and Discussion Group . . For those with a deeper interest in the Queen Mary, there is a magnificent website now available, as well as a Discussion Group of some 83 members, and more are always welcome. We're happy to promote them here, and applaud their ideals of making the old Queen more like something of her former self. The group is located at: QM
Discussion Group Bill Cwiklo and Julian Hill are the co-authors of this major website on the QM. As Bill says, "Our mission is to help people understand in some detail what was special about the QM, how she has been changed over time, and how she might be brought back to more closely resemble her original splendor for business, educational and cultural use in Long Beach. Considering the ill-conceived conversion, this is a major challenge" Here, here! . . . I'll say it's major! And Valerie and myself welcome any of the current 83 members to our humble pages. To join the QM Discussion Group, click on the subscribe link to join, and register with Yahoo if you haven't already (this is to give you a username and password to sign in with). Let Julian know if there are any problems with it.
Episode 14: . . .another classic in this renowned set is now released,
telling the story of tankers and featuring much material
on the ships in the fleets of Esso, BP, and Shell. Not the most romantic of titles, but this DVD is truly superb. Using extremely rare archive film, it takes you right back to 1861 when the story of sea-going tankers first began.
The crews of these ships had little idea when they would return home again, often receiving fresh sailing instructions while at sea. One ship we join has already been away when it receives the great news that she's to sail for the UK and home. The DVD takes you above and below decks, allowing you to experience just what it was like to have gone to sea on those ships, from the small vessels that first pioneered the tanker revolution at the turn of the last century, through to the ocean-going leviathans of today.
Episode 15: So many people have contributed rare archive film, most of which has never been made public before, to enable us to make this DVD which we believe does justice to Southampton, the United Kingdom.s premier passenger port. We go right back to the turn of the last century and follow the story of the port through its truly glorious years when every berth was taken by the world's most famous liners, their magnificent funnels towering over all. The superb archive film in this production actually allows us to also join a German liner for a cruise to North Africa in 1938 and to cross the Atlantic aboard one of the world's truly great liners, the magnificent "Normandie".
There are so many rare ships in this DVD, big ones, small ones, coasters, cargo ships, tugs, ferries. All sights we never thought we would ever see again. We look at Southampton through the war years and through ups and downs right up to the present time and how the great ships have returned to make it one of the world's busiest ports once again.
Episode 16:
We start aboard today's AURORA as she takes 2,000 passengers on a Mediterranean cruise. Then, in unique archive film, most not seen before, we step back to the turn of the last century.
Episode 17: Part 2 follows on with more of the development of P&O after WW2 with the introduction of new breeds of cargo ships. There's so much, it's a long list: CARTHAGE, STRATHEDEN, STRAITHARD, STRATHNAVER, ORONSAY, ORSOVA, IBERIA, HIMALAYA, ARCHADIA, CHITRAL and SEA PRINCESS. Last sailings of OTRANTO and ORONTES. Then the birth and launchings of ORIANA and CANBERRA, including latter's return to Southampton after Falklands War, and what it was like to work and sail on these great ships.
Then there's many other ships of other companies in the P&O group, Federal Steam, British India, Coast Lines, Strick Lines, Union Steam, NZCo, as well as see P&O's own vessels, PERIN, DONGOLA, ADEN, PATONGA, BENDIGO. The film ends with a look at modern times of the group today, North Sea Ferries, P&O Stena, Princess Cruises. All in all, another remarkable maritime DVD treat.
Episode 18: . . In this story "Ships to New Zealand", (which is being made in four parts), 95% of the very rare archive film used has never been made available to the public before, and it's fantastic. Now at last you will be able to sit back and once again view those ports and estuaries just as they were in their heyday when they were crammed full of glorious ships and we really were proud to be British.
There are so many ships featured in this DVD that it's impossible to list them all here, but they include the ships once operated by such famous companies as Blue Star, Shaw Savill, New Zealand and Federal Steam, Ellerman's, Port Line and many, many more. In episode 18, the first part of the story of "Ships to New Zealand", we visit ports all around the UK and watch the ships as they prepare to start their long voyages to New Zealand, going right back to the 1920s. We then move forward in time to what most people consider to be the most interesting period of British merchant shipping, the 1950/60s. There are ships operated by Blue Star, Ellerman's, Port Line, Shaw Savill, New Zealand and Federal Steam and many, many more. It's safe to say that never has there been such a compilation of shipping available on DVD ever before. We watch them in the busy ports and estuaries as they made ready to sail. Then we view their departures both from the quaysides and from aboard the many ships themselves. As we sail aboard so many of the magnificent ships that once operated on the UK-New Zealand service, we leave the relative calm and safety of home waters to battle through the tremendous storms they so often encountered in the Atlantic and the Bay of Biscay.
The UK-New Zealand service was the longest line voyage in the world and took the ships to some of the most exotic and exciting places on earth, places that ordinary, non-sea-going people could only but dream of. Anyone who ever had anything to do with ships has their own very special story to tell of their experiences, which were for so many of them, 'the best days of our lives'. I give you now a story about the ships that once sailed to New Zealand. It's a story I hope you will enjoy and one that will help to open the pages of your own very special book of memories. ~ Des Cox
Episode 19: Following on from part 18, we re-join the ships as they voyage to New Zealand via both the Easterly route via the Mediterranean, Suez, India Ocean and the port of Australia, and the Westerly route via Curacao, Panama, Tahiti, Pitcairn and Fiji.
We sail aboard cargo liners, cargo passenger liners and all passenger carrying liners, taking an in-depth look at their operations and experience for ourselves just what it was like to have sailed aboard those magnificent ships as a passenger or member of the crew in those glorious days. As we cut between the many ships on their voyages to New Zealand we pass and see many other very interesting vessels in the various ports of call along the way, transitting the Panama and Suez Canals. One of the most exciting moments for ocean sea travellers in those days, and one seldom recorded on film, was the spectacle of passing other ships at sea, especially when it happened to be ones of the same line. We are very fortunate in being able to restore such rare film and in doing so, we bring to the screen those truly magical moments for posterity and for us all to enjoy. This episode ends with the ships finally reaching the end of their long voyages and the welcoming ports of New Zealand.
.... now also available on DVD .... £17.95
Episode 20: This episode witnesses the ships arriving in New Zealand and we follow them as they join all the other ships to be found in the picturesque ports of Wellington, Auckland, Dunedin, Port Chalmers, Lyttleton, New Plymouth, Timaru, Bluff and Napier. For many of the cadets from ships such as the "DURHAM", "RAKAIA" and "OTAIO", it was a great opportunity to show their sporting skills i.e. rowing, cricket, hockey and so on. There were also endless opportunities for general sightseeing and, a chance to meet New Zealand girls, often brought about through invites to the local nurse's party.
We also witness the ships as they discharge and load their cargoes and make good use of the time in port to do important engine room maintenance and repairs and to make good the ships ready for sailing. We take a look at what it was like to spend Christmas away from home and cut between different New Zealand bound ships both in port and at sea, as far apart as the UK, North America, mid-pacific and New Zealand itself, to see just how the festivities were celebrated. As we watch the ships slowly prepare for their long voyages home, we witness more and more ships arriving all the time, many on the M.A.N.Z. line service to North America. At the end of this episode we come to the moment when it's time for the ships to sail on their homeward bound voyages. These sailing days were always very important occasions and moments we are pleased to be able to show you. But for some ships, our programme shows a particularly poignant moment as, after a lifetime of honourable service, the day finally arrives for them to make their very final departure from New Zealand. Seldom has this moment been captured on camera before, but we have managed to do just this and capture the scenes, just as they were, when Shaw Savill's "Tamaroa" and the New Zealand Shipping Company's "RANGITIKI" and "RANGITATA" sail for the very last time. Far greater crowds than normal thronged the quayside to pay their respects and to join in the farewell celebrations, but there was no-mistaking the great sense of loss that they all felt. As the ships' whistles that had become so much part of New Zealand life, echoed around their hills in final salute, they slipped their mooring lines from the quayside for the very last time, leaving behind only memories for people to pass on to future generations. The episode ends with the ships once again back at sea at the start of their long voyage homeward bound the England.
.... now also available on DVD .... £17.95
Episode 21: No-one ever thought they would ever be able to see these wonderful maritime images ever again, but in this fourth part of our story. “Ships to New Zealand” we continue to do exactly that, looking at the ships both in port and at sea. In the first three parts we watched the ships as they readied themselves for sea, and then sailed with them on what was the longest line voyage on earth, from the UK to the shores of Australia and New Zealand. Then we followed the ships as they sailed in and out of the various ports around the coast of New Zealand and looked at the exciting adventures and romance enjoyed by their crews.
In this fourth part of the story we continue to follow the ships and their crews as they sail in and out of such scenic ports as Dunedin, Port Chalmers, Lyttleton Nelson, New Plymouth, Napier, Timaru, Wellington and Auckland. Many of the ships featured in the magnificent DVD were operated by shipping Companies that were once household names, such as Blue Star, Ellerman's, New Zealand Shipping Company, Federal Steam, Port Line, Shaw Savill. Using film recently shot especially for exclusive use in this production, we also see those same ports as they are today and draw a comparison with the way they were once. We visit the places and bars once frequented by the men (and women) who once served aboard these beautiful old ships, places where so many romances, stories and adventures began. We watch the ships at work around New Zealand coast; discharging their cargoes of mostly UK manufactured goods and then loading refrigerated meat, cheese, butter, bales of wood and drums of tallow, ready to start their long voyages home. After many weeks spent on the New Zealand coast, working, sightseeing, partying and often falling in love, we watch the ships as they sail from the ports of New Zealand and Australia. The time has sadly come for them to sail from these shores for the very last time and we watch the emotional scenes as they gracefully leave the quayside, their paying-off pennants flying with nostalgic pride after giving so many years of loyal services. Everyone who had anything to do with ships has their very own very special story to tell, for those days were for most of us “the best days of our lives”. I give you now another chapter in this story about the ships that once sailed to New Zealand. I hope you will enjoy the rare archive film we have somehow managed to find and restore and I hope that this story will help you to open the covers to your own very special book of memories. For ship lovers and enthusiasts everywhere, this really is a fascinating DVD.
.... now also available on DVD .... £17.95
Episode 22: There are so many ships to be seen in this fifth part of our story, 'Ships to New Zealand', we continue to do exactly that, looking at the ships both in port and at sea. Perhaps we shouldn't have placed this production under the banner of 'Ships to New Zealand', because in truth, very few ships went on straight-line voyages to New Zealand and back. Most ships featured in this production either called at ports in the Mediterranean, Suez, Aden, South Africa, the Far East and Australia before finally reaching New Zealand, or they sailed there via the Caribbean, America, Panama and various South Sea Islands, so we're really talking about most of the Shipping Companies in the world. In this episode called 'Homeward Bound', we watch the ships as they sail in and out of ports collecting their cargoes before finally sailing for home. All the film used in the making of this programme is extremely rare and never been made public before, but film of those old ships sailing for the very last time is not only extremely moving to watch but is something we never dreamt we would ever be able to see again. In this episode we take a final look at ports crammed full of ships operated by Companies that were once household names, such as Blue Star, Ellerman's, New Zealand Shipping Company, Federal Steam, Port Line, P&O, Nederland Line, Shaw Savill and many more. We both watch the ships sailing for home and then actually join them on their long voyages, almost as if we are there for real. We show life aboard ships both above and below deck, including some amazing engine room footage, the likes of which, we never thought we would ever be able to see.
Everyone who had anything to do with ships has their own very special story to tell, for those days were for most of us 'the best days of our lives'. I give you now another chapter in this story about the ships that once sailed to the Southern Dominions. I hope you will enjoy the rare archive film we have somehow managed to find and restore and I hope that this story will help you to open the covers to your own very special book of memories.
Episode 23: There are so many ships to be seen in this specially extended production, as we tell the story of the final days of the once great British Merchant Navy and Shipping Industry.
We follow the voyages of ships belonging to many of the once great Shipping Companies, as they make their way home,many for the very last time, many having been away for as long as two years on voyages that have taken them all around the world, from the frozen ports of North America in mid-winter to the Panama Canal and the warm waters of the Southern Oceans, calling at New Zealand and Australia before turning North for the Far East, Africa, Aden, Suez, and the Mediterranean. We show the ships both above and below decks and experience the many emotions felt by their crews as they sail closer and closer to home and their loved ones. We also sail with them through some of the most spectacular and frightening storms ever captured on film, storms that only people who served at sea will ever have experienced. Since first starting the production of “The Great Liners ” over sixteen years ago, I have spoken with thousands of people who served in or worked with so many of the great Shipping Companies that once helped to give us the greatest Merchant Navy in the world, and ask of them the question; How could we have possibly lost so much? In this 23rd Episode of this series, with the help of more rare archive film, we once again ask this question and look for possible answers. I hope you will enjoy the rare archive film we have found and painstakingly restored, and that this story will help you to open the covers to your own very special book of memories.
Des Cox. Producer.
Ex Vindicatrix, NZCo and Cunard.
Episode 24: We have had so many requests to produce this programme, so now join us aboard the good ship 'Discovery as we embark on a unique voyage of Maritime Memories.
Built in 1972 and formerly the ‘Island Princess’, the 20,000 gt ‘Discovery’ with her traditional design and wide-open decks is the perfect ship for those wonderful voyages, so come and join us as we hoist the old shipping company house-flags and set sail from Lisbon on a December night, bound for the fascinating ports-of-call, both en-route and in South America. One of the differences between one of these voyages and a normal modern day cruise, is that we are all very much part of the ship and it really is just like being back at sea again, just like it was during the golden days when ships really looked like ships. ‘Discovery’s’ Captain, Derek Kemp, ex Ellerman Lines, - well no-one’s perfect! – plays a huge role in making these unique voyages such a great success and is only too pleased to invite us to join him on the bridge as we once again enjoy the wonders of the open seas and sail in and out of the ports of the world. Of course, having a ship full of ex seafarers and ship lovers does mean that there is a lot of Swinging the Old Lamp, and partying going on, as people recall their own very special stories of days at sea. I wish you could have actually been one of the 600 passengers aboard ‘Discovery’ on this most memorable voyage, but at least you can play this, pour a little drink or two and join us as we lucky ones sail beneath warm, starry skies, enjoying the company of special people and listening to the gentle sounds of the passing sea. (Perhaps you could be with us next time?)
If this doesn't bring back memories of life before the mast, then nothing will.
Episode 25:
As we slowly draw towards the conclusion of this remarkable series, we take a nostalgic look around the UK, visiting many of the famous sea-ports as they are today and then, with the use of more rare archive film never made public before, magically step back in time to the days when those same ports were absolutely full of ships of every shape and size. The first place we visit on this maritime journey is Bristol, showing the modern workings of Portbury and Avonmouth and then with our rare archive film, go back to the days when ships used to sail right up the river Avon into the very heart of Bristol itself. More archive film then takes us down river to Avonmouth in the days when hundreds of people worked in the port, in the dockside offices and aboard the many ships that filled every available berth. There are so many magnificent ships in this amazing production, but what is particularly pleasing for us is that at long last we are also able to show you so many of the smaller vessels that once played such an important part during the golden age of shipping; such as short-haul cargo ships, busy little coasters, paddle-steamers, tugs and other vessels that all played their own important roles during the golden age of shipping. If you like ships for whatever reason, then this production is an absolute must to add to your collection. .... now also available on DVD .... £17.95
Episode 26:
As we slowly draw towards the conclusion of this remarkable series, we take a nostalgic look around the UK, visiting many of the famous sea-ports as they are today and then, with the use of more rare archive film never made public before, magically step back in time to the days when those same ports were absolutely full of ships of every shape and size. At last we can start to show you the real magic of the Port of Liverpool as it was during its heyday; a time when it was one of the busiest and most famous maritime ports in the whole world. Dozens of ships arrived and sailed with every tide and the whole port was one of constant activity as ships that served every corner of the world filled every berth available. For many of the ships featured in this unique production, Liverpool was their home port – Blue Funnel, Elder Dempster, Lamport & Holt, Canadian Pacific and so on, but there is also rare footage of overseas registered ships as well, that were also frequent visitors to this great port. But, as well as all the deep sea ships there is also wonderful footage showing small coasters, ferries, tugs and other small craft, all busily about their daily business of helping to make the Port of Liverpool one of the most magical maritime stages in the world.
And then, to round it all off we give you something that we believe is a very special treat; not only do we show you those once great Canadian Pacific 'Empress Liners', we also take you on a complete voyage aboard two of them as they sail to and from Liverpool and Canada. This really is something very special.
So pour yourself a little drink and sit back to enjoy some truly remarkable maritime film as we take you back in time to the last century and to what we believe to be the golden age of the great Port of Liverpool.
Episode 27:
What a treat it is for us to be able to show you even more rare archive film of the great port of Liverpool, the Mersey and the surrounding docks.
This film, never made public before, once again enables us to step almost magically back in time to those days when the Mersey was absolutely teeming with ships of every shape and size, all busily going about their work in helping to make this maritime arena one of the most famous sea ports in the world. NEW TITLES NOW RELEASED 2007
Episode 28:
Manchester was the Nation’s fourth biggest port and not so many years ago, it was crammed full of ships. This was made possible by the construction of the Manchester Ship Canal, which was completed in 1894 to enable ships from all over the world to sail right into the very heart of industrial Britain. To be able to see this wonderful collection of rare archive film showing exactly what it was like is a real maritime treat.
Episode 29:
I wonder if when the Matson Navigation Company was formed in 1882 by Captain William Matson, he ever dreamt how successful it would become. Today they operate a modern container service from mainland America to Hawaii but will always be best remembered for its famed "Great White ships" era, when they carried tens of thousands of passenger's back and forth to Hawaii and across the Pacific during the golden age of ocean travel. On each of the GREAT LINERS series above, NTSC copies for North America are just £2 extra to UK list price, plus £4.00 airmail postage |
TRAWLING, DEEP-SEA FISHING, |
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