Shipping

Built in 1949 in Southampton for the Southampton, Isle of Wight & South of England Royal Mail Steam Packet Company, M.V.Balmoral operated in their Red Funnel fleet for twenty years. Moving to Bristol, she became the last vessel purchased by P&A Campbell for pleasure steamer services down the Bristol Channel and across to Wales. As well as service in the South West, she was also used in North Wales and made sailings to Douglas where she was used as a tender to the Swedish American Line Kungsholm.

In 1986 she returned to service in the Bristol Channel where she still operates today. In 2002 she was fitted with new engines and still carries out pleasure cruises throughtout the British Isles including the Irish Sea and is a regular visitor to Manx shores each summer.

In this book which includes a chapter on the Irish Sea and the Isle of Man, the authors bring together in words and pictures, a celebration of the first 60 years of M.V Balmoral's career as a sea-going pleasure steamer.
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This book is a revision and update of “Ferries of the Isle of Man Past and Present” and includes a number of photographs not previously published. In addition to presenting a pictorial record of the island’s passenger shipping over more than half a century, it also records the significant changes which have taken place around the ports of the Isle of Man.
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This book presents a pictorial record of the changes that have gradually taken place in the shipping scene around the Isle of Man since the Second World War and the present day. The photographs present an unusual insight into the way goods have been carried to the island as well as presenting a visual record of many of the changes in the infrastructure surrounding the island’s harbours.
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Few of man’s creations enter the hearts and minds of the people they serve. Ships however have an allure that can transcend their mechanical nature and allow them to take on a life of their own. Mostly they are the great liners, a famous warship or a graceful sailing ship. The Ben-my-Chree III was none of those. Entering service in 1908 she was a humble ferry boat moving people between the Isle of Man and Liverpool. Fate then stepped in with a “War to End All Wars” and as a wartime seaplane carrier she entered the hearts of the Manx people in such a way that her memory and name survive to this day.

Named after a Manx King the King Orry of 1913 was a landmark in the technical evolution of the Steam Packet Company being their first ship fitted with geared turbines. Although designed to carry holidaymakers to and from the Isle of Man it was her service as an Armed Boarding Vessel during the two World wars that earned her a place in the Island's maritime history. Her remarkable exploits are recalled in this book.

The story of the fifth Steam Packet ship to bear the name King Orry.

This book reflects on the past traumas and glories of this important trading gateway which is the main British port serving the Isle of Man's sea services. The book is fully illustrated throughout.

An historic account of the IOMSPC written in a diary format.

A collection of black and white photographs featuring ships of the IOMSPC.

The story of the side-loading ferries of the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company.

This book covers the period from the 1960s to the present day. Not only are all the well known passenger ferries in it but also there are many images of the unsung heros of the island's shipping such as the cargo vessels.

With the help of some rarely seen photographs and from the vantage of a lifetime's experience working on passenger boats from Douglas the author traces the history of these Victorian and Edwardian tourist enterprises.
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This is the official 175th Anniversary book for the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company. It charts the fascinating history of the company from its earliest days until the present time and features every ship that it has owned. The book contains much previously unpublished material.
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This is the story of Manx Line a private shipping company which started the first roll-on/roll-off service between the Isle of Man and the UK. It was spawned from a conventional containerised cargo service which had started in the wake of the industrial action by the National Union of Seamen. The new company with its single ship took on the long established Isle of Man Steam Packet Company and won and its success led to the merger of the two companies. Manx Line had a major and lasting impact on the Island's infrastructure and economy.
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This informative and well illustrated book records the history of the company which has included many more periods of turbulent rather than smooth trading conditions
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Around the coasts of the Isle of Man many thousands of ships have met their fate over the past two millennia. This is the story of just a few of those vessels, how they came to founder and the heroic and and travic tales of bravery involved in their final hours. This is an invaluable guide to the maritime historian and sports diver.