Cunard anniversary: ships played vital role in wars

All this week we are marking the 175th anniversary of Samuel Cunard coming to Britain to start his famous shipping company, now based in Southampton. Cunard has played a major role in wartime with its ships and liners being used to carry troops.

But the company has paid a high price with more than 40 being sunk in World War One and Two with the loss of thousands of members of crew. The company also lost a ship in the Falklands conflict of 1982 which was torpedoed and sunk with12 lives lost.

More than 600 crew went to the conflict on QE2 which carried thousands of troops.

In this report our Transport Correspondent Mike Pearse talks to Tim Castle from Kent and Jacqui Hodgson from Hampshire who sailed to the South Atlantic.

We also hear from Cunard historian John Langley.