There was a time not so very long ago when
just about every port in the world was crammed
full of merchant ships all flying the Red Ensign.
At any one time as many as 200,000 crew served
aboard these ships. To maintain the crewing level
shipping companies helped finance special sea
training schools and colleges to provide cadet
officers and boy ratings to man their ships.
In this the 10th episode of this highly acclaimed
series we see the training schools and follow the
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.
Two of the most popular companies in the British
Merchant Navy were Port Line and Ben Line both
were at the fore in having distinctively styled ships
with streamlined profiles. In this episode, with the
use of very rare archive film we see just what it was like to have worked and sailed aboard these classic ships, in those remarkable days when shipboard entertainment meant reading a good book, playing cards or just relaxing on deck with a duty-free drink and listening to the soothing sounds of the passing wake as they sailed through the warm Southern oceans. These evocative scenes are a wonderful and nostalgic experience for anyone who worked with or sailed aboard these classic Great Liners.
The picture miniatures shown on the back cover
are purely representive of the ships we see in this
truly magnificent production which is produced
predominantly in colour.