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The Ferry: A Drive-through History

The success of ‘QE2: The Last Great Liner’ led to the lead author being commissioned to produce a design history of the ro-ro ferry. The co-author had previously authored ‘Cruise Ships: An Evolution in Design’ and ‘The Liner: Retrospective and Renaissance’, but there was no equivalent book documenting the development of ferry design. The research examined the emergence of the ro-ro in the mid-nineteenth century, described the development of vehicular ferries in the inter-war era, then focused on post-World War 2 developments as the ferry industry grew. As well as addressing technical aspects of ferry design, the work addresses sociological issues relating to ‘hotel’ aspects and to the growth in popularity of ‘mini cruises’ for tax-free shopping. The work covers safety problems and solutions and concludes with a study of current trends in ferry design in response to trade deregulation within the European Union. The research involved a number of interviews with surviving naval architects, ferry company directors, officers, technical and operations managers. Extensive archival research was carried out in the UK, Scandinavia, Germany, the USA and Canada. Two editions were published – a 102,000-word soft back with footnotes and full bibliography for the specialist market and a 60,000-word hardback in full colour for a general readership. The long version was very positively reviewed in several academic and shipping industry publications in the UK and overseas (including The Mariner’s mirror, the journal of the Society of Maritime Historians, appended). The success of these publications led to the authors being commissioned to produce a new history for the 175th anniversary of the Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Company, and to the lead author, working with co-author Donald E. Meek, being commissioned to write a new history of Hebridean and Clyde shipping for the 200th anniversary of the Comet, the first sea-going steamship.