A LOCAL steamship is set to celebrate its 60th birthday with a summer programme.
SS Shieldhall, Europe’s oldest operating passenger/cargo steamship, is holding a weekend of sailings this Saturday and Sunday from Southampton.
The excursions will be particularly special as the ship will be celebrating her 60th birthday.
There will be a Southampton Docks Morning Excursion on July 4-5 at 11am to 1pm, with expert commentary, followed by a late afternoon American Independence Day Jazz Excursion with the Shieldhall Stompers Jazz Band at 5pm to 8pm.
The Stompers will remain on board for the Shieldhall’s 60th birthday celebrations on Sunday, when the three hour afternoon cruise at 2pm to 5pm will recreate part of the original route she followed when in service with Southern Water in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Looking ahead, late July sailings see an Evening Music Excursion on Friday, July 24, with the Soulcatchers from 5pm to 8pm, a Morning Docks Excursion on Saturday July 25 at 11am to 1pm followed by a same-day afternoon trip to the West Brambles at 4pm to 7pm when Shieldhall will pass departing cruise ships Azura, Balmoral and Britannia.
The America’s Cup World Series Yachting on Sunday, July 26, is set to be a big attraction, and Shieldhall hopes to sail close by to witness the spectacle.
All cruise guests will be able to access the engine room, boiler room and bridge of what is the largest passenger/cargo steamship still active in Europe.
Details of how to book and prices, departure information and joining instructions can be found at ss-shieldhall.co.uk.
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