River Mersey Gateway to the World

Are you taking the Royal Iris for the Wirral, or the Anchor Line across the Atlantic? Many thousands of voyages and millions of passengers passed over the Liverpool landing stages. Some sailings were local and others long enough to reach the far ends of the earth, but they all started here. The landing stages were served by shipping lines whose names were international brand names: Anchor, Bibby, Blue Funnel, Blue Star, Booth, British India, Canadian Pacific, Cunard, Elder Dempster, Furness Withy, Lamport & Holt, Pacific Steam Navigation, Shaw Savill and White Star. But by late 1972, with the last liner traffic gone, Liverpool - once the world's greatest mercantile city - was facing its own demise. Exactly 40 years on and the River Mersey enters a new age now as 'turnaround' voyages (starting and ending here) will restart in May, 2012. This is when Cruise & Maritime Voyages' m/v Ocean Countess will inaugurate the first of 12 cruises this summer from the new Liverpool Cruise Terminal. Just as people used to flock to the city because it was the best place to get on a ship to the four corners of the earth, so they will do again. This 84-page magazine celebrates the River Mersey and Liverpool - gateway to the world. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged. …