Isle of Man Shipping

The Isle of Man has had a long tradition of seafaring. From Viking times and before the Island has been connected to both Britain and Ireland by sea. From the nineteenth century the dominant line serving the Island has been the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company and the line still operates the regular ferries to this day.

Isle of Man Shipping - The Twilight Years covers the period from the 1960s to the present day. Not only are all of the well known passenger ferries here but there are also many images of the unsung heroes of shipping - the cargo ships and other vessels that serve the Isle of Man. The story of Isle of Man shipping reflects in microcosm the advances in technology that have seen a change from sail to steam to diesel to modern day high speed catamarans.

Ian Collard has documented the changing history of the vessels on the Isle of Man routes using his extensive collection of photographs, tickets and other memorabilia as well as the changing faces of the terminals in England, Ireland and on the Island itself.