From 1840 to the 1960"s, steam ruled the waves, yet over the course of the past 50 years, such ships have given way to diesel or oil-fired vessels and each year, more and more retired barges make their way to the breaker"s yard. With an exceptional collection of black-and-white and color photographs, Alistair Deayton sets out to document every steamship still in existence. His catalogue ranges from the Cunard liner Queen Mary to Parson"s Turbinia, with a huge variety of vessels in between.