Like so many historic shipping companies, the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company (P&O) had humble beginnings. Formed by partners Brodie McGhie Willcox, a London ship broker, and Arthur Anderson, a sailor from the Shetland Isles, to operate on a single route, it grew to become arguably the most influential shipping company in the British Empire.

As it has for over 100 years, today P&O Cruises offers passengers a variety of cruise itineraries from Great Britain and Australia, but, despite its long history as a cruise line, P&O was for the majority of its history known more for its mail services and passenger line voyages.

From its inception in 1837, P&O was instrumental in maintaining regular steam-driven mail services between Great Britain and her empire. The very act of offering reliable mail delivery meant that P&O became beloved in the countries and outposts it visited. The arrival of a P&O ship was a much anticipated event, with the reliability and timing of P&O sailings leading to it being said that you could set your watch by the arrival and departure of P&O Royal Mail ships.

The P&O services reduced the reliance on sail, which for many people offered the first reliable connection across the empire; cutting journey times for those travelling, while allowing for the mass transportation of passengers, mail and fine goods. For Britain, the line introduced a plethora of international delights. Goods from across the empire, as well as countries such as China and Japan, were brought into English homes thanks to the services offered by P&O. Tea, spices, silk, wool, bullion and opium formed the backbone of P&O’s cargo services.

In addition to its successes on the line voyages, P&O diversified early, offering cruises in the off-peak seasons throughout the Mediterranean as well as out of Sydney. These cruises grew in popularity to become an integral part of the P&O business. P&O’s cruise itineraries allowed holidaymakers to see new and exciting places, experience different cultures and embrace new experiences that were impossible before the line’s move into cruising.

The line remained integral to Britain throughout most of its history. From the early days of establishing trade routes and communication services, P&O aimed to please the government in an effort to secure further contracts. During armed conflicts, the government turned to P&O, chartering its ships as troop transports and armed merchant cruisers.While this relationship was fruitful in the early years, it did come with risks.

During the two world wars, the P&O fleet, most of which was requisitioned, was decimated, resulting in significant periods of rebuilding for the line. During the subsequent dismantling of the empire, the British Government turned its attentions away from P&O. The line worked hard to avoid becoming irrelevant. Successive years of diversification saw the line involved in not only passenger shipping and cruises, but also containerisation, cargo and ferry services.This offered a reprieve for P&O, with the line becoming one of the largest and most influential transportation companies in the world.

However, the world had changed forever, and economic conditions played against P&O. By the 1990s the company was facing increased competition and shrinking markets. Something had to be done. The answer, it seemed, was to separate the cruising business from the rest of the company. To this end, the P&OPrincess line was formed, and entered into an extensive building programme, which produced some of the largest cruise ships of all time. But even this was not enough to secure P&O’s future as an independent cruise line. Massive competition from America’s Carnival Corporation and Royal Caribbean International took its toll, resulting in P&O-Princess merging with Carnival in 2003.