Despite being held on a wet English summer day, an event at Southampton earlier this month has been described as grand and memorable.
Just before daybreak on July 3, seven cruise ships, the entire fleet of P&O Cruises, entered port in line astern to mark a very special anniversary, the company's 175th birthday.
From oldest to newest the vessels taking part were Oriana (69,840gt, built 1995), Oceana (77,499, 2000), Aurora (76,152, 2000), Adonia (30,277, 2001), Arcadia (83,781, 2005), Ventura (116,017, 2008) and Azura (115,055, 2010).
Throughout the day thousands of people from across the country lined the shore to witness the event.
Also sharing in the celebrations were more than 15,000 passengers and 6000 crew members from the seven vessels.
Planning for the event started 18 months ago.
But on the day things did not always go to plan, and an RAF Red Arrows fly-by had to be cancelled.
The celebrations ended with a fireworks display, and the next morning the ships followed each other out of port.
The company was started up by the London partnership of Brodie Willcox and Arthur Anderson who had been in the shipbrokering business since 1815.
At the conclusion of the civil wars in Portugal and Spain, they were invited to establish steamship services to the Iberian Peninsula, and carry mail under an Admiralty contract as far as Gibraltar.
Thus, in August 1837, using chartered steamers, operations commenced under the title of the Peninsular Steam Navigation Company.
The outcome of another contract, to carry mail to Egypt, was the incorporation by Royal charter of the company in December 1840, and the addition of the word Oriental to its name.
The terms of this charter included that within a specified period P&O would establish a mail service through to India, which commenced in February 1843.
So, before the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, ships would leave Southampton for Alexandria, where the passengers would disembark.
They would then travel overland to board the connecting steamer at Suez, and repeat the journey in the opposite direction when homeward bound.
After becoming firmly established in services to the Far East, the company turned its attention to the Australian trade.
This was inaugurated when Chusan left Southampton on May 15, 1852, for Melbourne and Sydney with calls at St Vincent (Cape Verde Islands) and Cape Town to bunker.
More than a century later, the company was still involved in these trades and over the years had introduced many notable passenger liners and interesting cargo ships to them.
By then, P&O had also become one of the world's largest shipping groups.
Moves in this direction came during World War 1.
Among the first to join the group were three linked to this country, the associated Federal Steam Navigation and New Zealand Shipping Companies, plus the Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand.
Some of the other well-known companies in the group represented the British India, Hain, James Nourse and the Orient and Strick Lines.
Sixty years ago, the fleet strength of the group was in the region of 300 vessels.
While it had some tankers, bulk carriers appeared later, as did container ships. All these have now gone, along with the companies they represented.
But still reigning supreme after 175 years is the P&O house flag. Signifying those early links with the Iberian Peninsula, the blue and white segments represent the then Portuguese colours and Spain is represented by the red and yellow segments.
Today, the vessels operated by P&O Cruises, P&O Australia and the affiliated Princess Cruises, are part of the Carnival group.
And although P&O Ferries, which operates services from UK ports to Ireland and the Continent, retains full P&O colours, it was sold offshore to Dubai World in March 2006.
