8th February 2025~ Falmouth through the years ~ with Krispen Atkinson ~
The port of Falmouth has evolved over the modern age, with the development of the docks, to the bunker activities undertaken off the port. This talk will touch on the major developments the port has seen, covering several of the notable, and perhaps long-forgotten local craft and some familiar deep-sea vessels which have used the port over the years. We have enjoyed travelling around the world on our regular ship spotting adventures with Krispen - this season he takes us back to his home county of Cornwall.
Krispen Atkinson is a maritime consultant, director of The World Ship Society and regular contributor to Ship’s Monthly & Marine News with a passion for modern merchant shipping. As author of an annual “Maritime Review” series, Krispen is a WSS speaker in demand.
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8th March 2025 ~ Maritime Royalty - Britain’s Queens of the Atlantic ~ with Bill Miller ~
They are the most famous ocean liners of all time. The original Queen Mary & Queen Elizabeth ... luxury in peace, heroics in war ... and followed by the QE2, then Queen Mary 2 & three other Queens: Queen Victoria, Queen Elizabeth & the new Queen Anne.
2024 was referred to as The Year of Cunard by Port of New York WSS Branch, being 110 years since the commissioning of the Aquitania, 90 years since the launching of the beloved Queen Mary and the year of the four Queens with the first arrival of the Queen Anne. Bill presented a keynote talk to his home branch celebrating the occasion and we are delighted he will be retelling the story for us.
Bill Miller is an international authority on ocean liners & cruise ships. This includes great ships of the past, those “floating palaces,” as well as the current generation of cruise ships, the “floating resorts”. An international speaker, known as “Mr. Ocean Liner,” Bill has authored over 100 books on subjects from early steamers, immigrant ships and liners at war topassenger ships of today.
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12th April 2025 ~ Farewell to the Marco Polo ~ with David Trevor-Jones ~
When popular UK cruise company CMV was forced to cease trading during the global pandemic we said goodbye to their well-loved fleet. The last ship enthusiast / photographer to look around Marco Polo was David ... and he shares his stories with us ...
The Marco Polo was laid-up in Avonmouth Docks awaiting sale by auction in 2020 when she was purchased by Highseas Ltd who had hoped to give her a trading future. Before she departed UK, David was able to gain an invitation to see around this deserted ship that he knew so well from her UK cruising days … this resulted in the last know library of “access all areas” Marco Polo photographs. David reminds us of the ship’s illustrious past and gives us an insight into how she looked in her twilight days.
David Trevor-Jones is talks organiser & director at the Ocean Liner Society – and a long-standing branch member, friend and speaker at WSS Dorset. David’s shipping research and photography ranges from classic liners including the Russian “Author” class, via Swedish excursion steamers to “re-borne” cruise ships of lines such as CMV and Ambassador.
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10th May 2025 ~ Rotterdam to Amsterdam – R Class crosses centuries ~ with Steve Pink ~
Ships delivered in each century create the class of four still serving Holland America & Fred Olsen cruise lines …
Holland America Line’s successful S Class and the line’s purchase by Carnival Corporation formed firm foundations for the design and ordering of four R Class ships that were delivered between 1997 and 2000. Two went on to become flagships of the fleet before being sold for a second career and two continue to serve their original owner. Steve tells another story in his Millennial Cruise Ships series.
Steve Pink is branch secretary and events organiser at WSS Dorset and a member of the Ocean Liner Society. A Nautical Studies graduate with a background in cargo-passenger shipping, ferries and cruising - Steve also acts as editor & promoter for ~Ships~Dorset~ facebook group and website content.
