The Birthplace of ships - Sunderland Oak (1961/b&w/sound)
Sunderland was once the birthplace of ships, employing thousands of men in its yards. Go behind the scenes and watch film footage of a typical shipyard in the early 1960s. (2 minutes 56 seconds ©BBC)

The Largest Shipbuilding Town in the World - Sunderland Oak (1961/b&w/sound)
Views of Sunderland - once the largest shipbuilding town in the world - including the ships that made Wearside world famous. (1 minute 35 seconds ©BBC)

A Shipbuilder's Hard Life - Sunderland Oak (1961/b&w/sound)
A shipyard workers' life was a often a hard one as seen in this film footage of shipbuilding communities living close to the Sunderland waterfront. (3 minutes 15 seconds ©BBC)

Shipbuilders Talk Shop - Sunderland Oak (1961/b&w/sound)
Sunderland shipyard workers talk about the uncertain future of shipbuilding on the Wear as they have a tea break. (4 minutes 16 seconds ©BBC)

Welding - Sunderland Oak (1961/b&w/sound)
Riveters and welders working in the Sunderland shipyards of the 1960s. (2 minutes 38 seconds ©BBC)

The Big 'Un - Building the Big 'Un (1969/b&w/sound)
The building of one of the first 'supertankers' - the Esso Northumbria - on the river Tyne at Wallsend in the late 1960s. (4 minutes 8 seconds ©BBC)

Shipyard Scenes - Building the Big 'Un (1969/b&w/sound)
The building of the Esso Northumbria super tanker on the river Tyne. (2 minutes 58 seconds ©BBC)

The Women of Wallsend - Building the Big 'Un (1969/b&w/sound)
The women of Wallsend talking about living with shipbuilding, and see the Esso Northumbria super tanker towering over their terraced houses. (2 minutes 56 seconds ©BBC)

The Launch - Building the Big 'Un (1969/b&w/sound)
Princess Anne launches the Esso Northumbria tanker in Wallsend, and toast the achievements of the Tyneside shipbuilders who made the 1350 feet long ship. (2 minutes 56 seconds ©BBC)

The Swan Hunter Story - Swan Hunter: Tradition of Innovation (1980/b&w/silent)
The story of Swan Hunter's shipbuilding yard during its early days. (1 minute 36 seconds ©NRFTA)

Sunderland Shipbuilding - Sunderland - Setting for Industry (1966/colour/sound)
Sunderland's shipbuilding industry at its peak, looking at the challenges ahead and watching the launch of the Montrose. (1 minute 35 seconds ©NRFTA)

Launch Preperations - Launching a Ship (1970s/colour/sound)
Shipyard workers prepare for the launch of a new ship. (2 minutes 21 seconds ©NRFTA)

Men Working - Shipbuilding (1950s/b&w/silent)
Shipyard workers start work on a new ship. (3 minutes 53 seconds ©NRFTA)

Work in Progress - Shipbuilding (1950s/b&w/silent)
The shipyard workers illustrate the different stages of building a large vessel. (3 minutes 20 seconds ©NRFTA)

Nearing Completion - Shipbuilding (1950s/b&w/silent)
The vessel's skeleton nears completion. (2 minutes 53 seconds ©NRFTA)

Welders and Riveters - Shipbuilding (1950s/b&w/silent)
Welders and riveters work on a ship down on the waterfront. (3 minutes ©NRFTA)

Construction Work - Shipbuilding (1950s/b&w/silent)
Construction work starts on a new ship being made ready for launch including the erection of the masts. (5 minutes 51 seconds ©NRFTA)

Sunderland Builds a Cargo Ship - A Ship is Born (b&w/silent)
Sunderland shipyard workers lay the foundations for the keel of a new ship. (3 minutes 51 seconds ©NRFTA)

Building the Invincible - I Name This Ship Invincible (1977/colour/sound)
The building of the Invincible in Barrow - it was one of the largest ships ever to be built for the Royal Navy. (2 minutes ©NRFTA)

The Launch - I Name This Ship Invincible (1977/colour/sound)
Crowds arrive for the launch of the Invincible at Barrow with Her Majesty the Queen. (3 minutes 14 seconds ©NRFTA)

Launching a Rig - Rig Building (1980s/colour/sound)
The growth in North Sea oil and gas led to the building and launch of rigs on the Tees and Tyne including this rig built at Smiths' Dock. (50 seconds ©NRFTA)