Shaw Savill's magnificent seven - Andrew Bell

In 1946, amid the hardships of post-war Britain, the splendid new passenger liner Corinthic was launched into the Mersey. Vanguard of a class of seven, she offered first-class sea voyaging reminiscent of the halcyon days of the 1930s. She was followed by sisters Athenic, Ceramic and the Gothic, and by three cargo-only Big Ics, Persic, Suevic and Runic. This book not only gives full accounts of their careers, which in two cases were unusually notable, but offers much more besides. The authors have drawn together a treasure-house of memories, facts and photographs from those who designed, built and sailed the Big Ics. They tell fascinating stories of ordering and constructing the ships, life on their bridges, in the passenger lounges and the crew mess rooms, and work in the engine room and holds. The most famous of the class was Gothic, which had the distinction in 1953-54 of serving as royal yacht for the very first visit by a reigning British monarch to the Commonwealth countries of the southern oceans. But each of the ships had their stories, including that of the stranding of Runic on Middleton Reef and of the fires on the Corinthic and Gothic. A masterly account which successfully summons up the immediate post-war era of sailing in and working on the last of the classic cargo-passenger ships.