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        Full Ahead

        The rusted steel shell of an immense ship takes shape on the River Wear in an industrial documentary promoting Austin & Pickersgills new Southwick shipyards.

        Documentary 1965 22 mins

        From the collection of:

        Logo for North East Film Archive

        Overview

        An upbeat 1960s colour promotional film trumpets new streamlined operations at the Southwick shipyard of Austin & Pickersgill on Wearside, as workers produce a masterpiece in steel with speed, economy and lots of modern technology. Its hard not to be moved by the beauty and scale of the ships built, evoked in aerial shots from the prow of the launched bulk carrier, Scottish Trader.

        This slick industrial film was made during troubled times, with few orders on the books and increased competition from Japanese, Korean and other Far East shipyards. There is more than a hint of the industrial disputes that would bedevil the British shipbuilding industry in the 1960s and 1970s, as the narrator stresses the good labour relations at Austin & Pickersgill.