First of three programmes
From the days of Brunei's first purpose-built ocean liner the Great Western to the QE2 of the present day, the Atlantic crossing has been a story of romance, disaster and big business, and of ships that were symbols of national pride. Today the jet aircraft dominates the Atlantic and the great liners are ghosts of the past.
In this programme Robert Wall tells the story of the early days; of such famous ships as the Titanic, the Lusitania and the Mauretania and of the power struggle to dominate the ocean.
Producer JOHN COLEMAN