h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I used to work in an Inland Revenue office in Southampton. It was on the top floor of a building called Overline House, which was above Southampton Central station. This location meant that from one side of the building there was a panoramic view out over Southampton docks. I was filing on the afternoon that the Canberra came into Southampton at the end of her final passenger voyage. She inched up the dock agonisingly slowly, accompanied by a flotila of smaller craft and the rainbows created by the harbour fire ships spraying their jets into the sky. I stood and watched her from the moment she came into view to the moment she docked. Most of the office did, in fact. You could hear the cheering in the office, even though the docks must have been a mile away at least.

I saw pictures of her being cut up on the beach and although it is impossible and impractical to save and preserve every ship of note, it was still a very sad and undignified end for such a proud and elegant vessel.

That must have been quite a sight, and quite a shared experience.

When I first saw the pictures of her cut up, I was surprised how shocking I found them. My connection comes from coming back from Australia on her in '64 but memories from back then aren't that clear.