logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2024
10 m

The first mega cruise ship

Bbc World Service
About this episode

On 16 January 1988, the world’s largest passenger ship, Sovereign of the Seas, set sail on her maiden voyage around the Caribbean.

She carried more than 2,600 passengers and had five restaurants, nine bars, four pools and a casino.

Rachel Naylor speaks to her captain, Tor Stangeland.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.

Recent episodes explore everything from football in Brazil, the history of the ‘Indian Titanic’ and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy’s Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: visionary architect Antoni Gaudi and the design of the Sagrada Familia; Michael Jordan and his bespoke Nike trainers; Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal; and Görel Hanser, manager of legendary Swedish pop band Abba on the influence they’ve had on the music industry. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the time an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at the President of the United States in protest of America’s occupation of Iraq; the creation of the Hollywood commercial that changed advertising forever; and the ascent of the first Aboriginal MP.

(Photo: Sovereign of the Seas. Credit: Getty Images)

Up next
Today
Creating CAPTCHA
In 2000, as the internet expanded, websites faced a growing challenge to stop spam bots from flooding their systems.To separate humans from machines, researchers at the United States’ Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, created the Completely Automated Public ... Show More
10m 7s
Yesterday
The creation of the International Criminal Court
In 1998, at a conference organised by the United Nations, a blueprint was devised for what would be the world's first permanent International Criminal Court.Judge Phillipe Kirsch chaired the Rome conference that led to the formation of the court. He tells Gill Kearsley about the ... Show More
10m 23s
Aug 22
Geneva Conventions
In 1859, Swiss businessman Henry Dunant witnessed the Battle of Solferino, in Italy. He couldn’t believe the lack of aid for the wounded soldiers and came up with two ideas – a voluntary aid organisation and an international treaty to protect those injured in wartime. They went o ... Show More
10m 2s
Recommended Episodes
Jul 2024
Cruise Ship Wars | Anchors Aweigh! | 1
In 1950, an enterprising Miami businessman has the idea to use a passenger liner to ferry retired Floridians to the Caribbean. He makes their time on board the ship as much a part of the appeal as the destination. Modern cruising is born, but it’s still just a small niche activit ... Show More
40m 58s
Apr 2019
The Last Night on the Titanic: Overview of the 1,500 Passengers and Crew Who Lost Their Lives
On the night of April 14, 1912, in the last hours before the Titanic struck the iceberg, passengers in all classes were enjoying unprecedented luxuries. Innovations in food, drink, and decor made this voyage the apogee of Edwardian elegance. This episode is the first in a series ... Show More
25m 25s
Apr 2022
The Titanic’s First and Last Voyage
April 10, 1912. As the RMS Titanic pulls away from a crowded port on the south coast of England, it almost crashes. Just in time, it’s able to turn off its engines and prevent a collision with a smaller ship. Four days later, though, a serious disaster will not be avoided, and th ... Show More
35m 41s
Mar 2024
428. Titanic: Kings of the World (Part 2)
The Titanic was a product of the furious competition of the late Gilded Age, and no expenses were spared to make her the most extraordinary and luxurious ship ever built. The height of an eleven-story building, fully electric, and with first class suites designed for the world’s ... Show More
52m 24s
Jan 2023
Batavia: The Worst Shipwreck in History
In 1628, a Dutch East India flagship called Batavia set sail from the Netherlands, never to reach her destination. Eight months into the voyage, the ship was wrecked on coral reef off the western coast of Australia. What then befell her surviving crew and passengers was horrifyin ... Show More
26m 46s
Mar 2024
431. Titanic: Nightmare at Midnight (Part 5)
“A story of horror unparalleled in the annals of the Sea.”On the 14th of April 1912, Titanic, a floating palace sailing through the North Atlantic, found itself hurtling towards a formidable iceberg. Contrary to the panicked reactions of her crew who, fatefully, pulled the hulkin ... Show More
1h 5m
Apr 2019
The Challenges of Captaining a Cruise Ship
In February, Traveler's Cynthia Drescher wrote about how women are taking the helm in the cruise industry. We now make up between 18 to 20 percent of the industry's entire workforce, and 5 to 22 percent of cruise ship officers (for perspective, women constitute just 4 to 5 percen ... Show More
33m 2s
Mar 2024
427. Titanic: The Tragedy Begins (Part 1)
"There is no danger that Titanic will sink. The boat is unsinkable and nothing but inconvenience will be suffered by the passengers."The sinking of the Titanic, on a freezing Sunday night in April 1912, claimed more than 1500 lives. But how this state-of-the-art ocean liner came ... Show More
48m 40s
Mar 2024
429. Titanic: Countdown to Disaster (Part 3)
The drama and tragedy of the Titanic’s sinking has spawned all manner of myths about those who left Southampton on the 10th of April 1912, and for four days luxuriated in the ship’s modern facilities, extravagant interiors, and plush cabins. Among them were many magnates and tyco ... Show More
48m 36s