WITH a new man at the helm at Southampton's port, we thought it was a good opportunity to take a look back at the docks over the decades.

The port new director Alastair Welch is taking charge of is rather different to the one that made Southampton's name as one of the country's foremost maritime destinations.

First inaugurated in 1843, the port has seen the Titanic, D-Day landings, huge cruise liners and some of the biggest vessels on the planet over the years.

It has been run by Associated British Ports since 1982 and is the UK's busiest cruise terminal as well as the country's second largest container port.