WORLD SHIP SOCIETY

Cruise & Maritime Voyages fell victim to the pandemic in June 2020.  Its eclectic fleet of classic cruise ships including the venerable MARCO POLO, formerly the Soviet ALEXANDER PUSHKIN, was arrested and later auctioned by the UK Admiralty Marshall.  MARCO POLO languished in lay-up at Avonmouth, the port of Bristol, until November that year.  David Trevor-Jones gained privileged access and was the last ship enthusiast/photographer allowed on board and was also on the dockside to watch her sail.  This is his story of how that happened and what he saw.

In Spring 1966 David Trevor-Jones was with his father on an excursion boat trip round Southampton Docks at the peak of the British seamen’s strike. A sudden squall drove the boat to seek shelter in the lee of the QUEEN MARY. David reached out and plucked a flake of paint from the liner’s hull. He was hooked as a ship-enthusiast for life! A family cruise on the new MIKHAIL LERMONTOV in 1973 sparked his fascination with the Soviet “author” liners. Now Dorset WSS Vice-Chairperson and program organizer of the Ocean Liner Society, David has written about and lectured on the Soviet class of “author” ships and their key role in the UK cruise market.

If you missed David’s presentation at our June virtual membership meeting, or would like to see it again, we encourage you to join us for this encore showing on Saturday, August 30, 2025.

(Image: David Trevor-Jones)