Nearly three-quarters of a century ago a young woman sailed from Southampton for America on her first ocean voyage.

However, it was not her first ocean crossing. She had reached Southampton a few days before, the first woman to fly the Atlantic - Amelia Earhart, pictured, whose disappearance during her round-the-world flight in 1937 is one of aviation's great tragedies.

It was in June 1928 that the people of Southampton came out in force on the banks of the River Itchen at Woolston to welcome the intrepid flier and the aircraft, a large seaplane named Friendship.

Originally it was planned that Miss Earhart would fly from Newfoundland direct to Southampton but lack of fuel, as the aircraft was over South Wales, forced a landing at Burry Port.

After an overnight stay in Wales Miss Earhart, a social worker in Boston, together with her crew Wilmer Stultz and Louis Gordon, took off for the short journey to Southampton.

The Daily Echo carried a front page story of the flying pioneer's touch-down near the headquarters of Imperial Airways on the River Itchen.

"Within a very short period spectators began to assemble on both sides of the river,'' reported the Daily Echo at the time.

"High walls had their contingents of on-lookers, and from windows overlooking the water many looked out in the hope of getting a glimpse of the now famous Friendship.

"Along the docks and wharves there were knots of interested people, and both the Southampton and Woolston hards of the floating bridge were fully occupied by spectators.''

At 1.15pm the Friendship appeared in the sky and was greeted by ships' sirens and whistles together with cheers from the huge crowd which by then lined the river bank.

"Flying quite low so as that the name Friendship was clearly visible on the bright orange fuselage, the plane flew up the river and past the airport to the accompaniment of a further outburst of cheering,'' said the Daily Echo.

"The Friendship then turned in the vicinity of the floating bridge, made her way down river again and alighted.''

Once ashore, at a point close to the present Vosper Thornycroft yard, one of the first to meet the Atlantic flier was Mayor of Southampton, Alderman Mrs Lucia Foster Welch, herself a pioneer as the first woman to hold the office.

"Having posed for the cameramen, Miss Earhart and her companions made their way up the slipway, and the enthusiasm of the crowd was so great that she had a very trying experience as she made her way through the dense block of people,'' said the newspaper.

After crossing by the floating bridge mounted policemen met Miss Earhart's car and escorted the vehicle to the South Western Hotel.

"After a light meal and a brief rest Miss Earhart submitted herself to the questionings of the reporters,'' said the Daily Echo.

"Sitting in an armchair in a room at the hotel, clasping her knee, Miss Earhart faced a crowd of journalists who fired a storm of questions at her.

"She looked very girlish, with her head a mass of fair curls and her engaging smile, which often lit up her face at some of the questions put to her. She was dressed in a biscuit-coloured sweater, with a red tie and dark breeches and black boots.''

The flier went on to London before returning back to Southampton for the Atlantic passage to America.

It was nine years later that Miss Earhart, while attempting a round-the-world flight, disappeared in the Pacific.