Port Cities and Maritime Cultures

The Ocean Decade – officially the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030) – is generating new marine research, advancing ocean solutions and celebrating our connection to the ocean. The global initiative seeks to revolutionise ocean science and support a productive, resilient, safe and sustainable ocean. It was established in response to the lack of scientific data refer...

The invention and rise of steamships in the nineteenth century can provide valuable lessons for today’s shift from fossil fuels to green alternatives in the maritime sector. In this episode, History PhD scholar Carlos Ausejo discusses how the Peruvian port of Callao changed because of the switch from sail to steam, and how these insights can help steer policy today. He shows how technological chan...

The dangers and mysteries of the Atlantic have inspired compelling and supernatural tales of sea monsters, mermaids and ill-fated ships. In this episode,  Dr Karl Bell, Associate Professor of Cultural and Social History at the University of Portsmouth , shares research from his new book about the creation and purpose of such maritime folklore, and how it evolved during the technological trans...

Ratcliffe Highway - the heart of London's sailortown - had a notorious reputation for knife crime and immorality in the nineteenth century. In this episode,  Brad Beaven, Professor of Social and Cultural History at the University of Portsmouth , shares research from his new book about this cosmopolitan and waterfront district. He explains the myths and realities of life in an 'internatio...

The shipping industry is a heavy polluter and accounts for three per cent of global carbon emissions, but it is on the verge of transformative change. In this episode, Dr Charlie McKinlay, Fuels and Technology Lead at Lloyd’s Register Maritime Decarbonisation Hub (pictured, left), discusses the potential of green solutions – from hydrogen and ammonia to the return of wind power. He says...

From importing 50 per cent of the UK's bananas to being the home of the Royal Navy since the twelfth century, the port city of Portsmouth is unique. These interviews focus on the activities of cargo ships, ferries, cruise ships, and warships, and new research about what local residents think of living by the coast in three places in the UK, including Portsmouth. In this third episode of Port Citie...

The plans for D-Day, funding for research about the transition from sail to steam, and the Swedish port of Halmstad all feature in these latest interviews. In this second episode of Port Cities and Maritime Cultures, Dr Guy Collender, Research Fellow, University of Portsmouth, speaks to:  Dr Ann Coats, Associate Professor in Maritime History, University of Portsmouth, about the preparations f...

Naval widows, women’s maritime roles, Glasgow's shipbuilding heritage and transatlantic liners are all discussed in the Port Cities and Maritime Cultures - a new podcast from the University of Portsmouth. In this first 30-minute episode, Dr Guy Collender, Post Doctoral Research Fellow, University of Portsmouth , speaks to: Dr Melanie Bassett, Research Fellow in Public Engagement, University of Por...