It’s a bygone industry but the shipyards of Sunderland left a lifetime of memories.
Here are nine of them - each showing one of the town’s most interesting ship launches.
There’s the one where half a ship was launched in 1954 and the one where a luxury yacht was toasted with beer in 1961.
And look out for the launch which didn’t happen despite huge interest in 1970.
1. Launching the memories
One never made it down the gangway, one was toasted with beer and one was launched by the future Queen.
2. The royal launch
Princess Elizabeth was in town in 1946 to launch The British Princess at the Deptford yard of Laing's. Look at the crowds who watched it happen.
3. Half a ship in 1954
The launch of half a ship from the yard of John Crown & Sons in 1954. The rest was being worked on at the Strand Quay at the time.
4. From Sunderland to Monte Carlo
Three hundred workers built the Wear's first luxury yacht in 1961. But there was no champagne after the launch of the Radiant II. Instead the workers at the Wear Dockyard went to a marquee by the riverside to toast the yacht with half pint glasses of beer.