From the Ends of the Earth

[first lines]

Narrator: [voice over narration] More than four thousand years ago ancient paintings revealed the Egyptians, and later the Romans as the first peoples to construct ships large enough to be worthy of the name. Centuries later, there sailed forth are Spanish Galleons, Britain's greats, America's proud Yankee clippers, which ruled the seas for years. And finally the great ships of steel of today. Down through these hundreds of years, world shipping has always been vital to the prosperity of the nations. A smooth flow of commerce and friendly trade relations have been the prime force in the advancement of the world. Today to the four corners of the globe, ships are piloting their courses, ladened with goods for the ports of the seven seas and returning from the ends of the earth with raw materials for American manufacturers.