The document summarizes four poems by John Masefield describing different cargo ships and their goods: a Quinquireme ship from Ophir carrying ivory, apes, and wine; a Spanish galleon from the Isthmus carrying diamonds, gold, and spices; a dirty British coaster carrying coal and iron through the English Channel; and a modern cargo ship, the MS Napoli, that ran aground in 2007 off Devon, spilling its cargo of cars, appliances, and other items on the beach. It then poses questions about what future cargoes and cargo ships may look like as technology advances.

1. Cargoes

2. Cargoes by John Masefield
Quinquireme of Nineveh from distant Ophir,
Rowing home to haven in sunny Palestine,
With a cargo of ivory,
And apes and peacocks,
Sandalwood, cedarwood, and sweet white wine.

3. Stately Spanish galleon coming from the Isthmus,
Dipping through the Tropics by the palm-green
shores,
With a cargo of diamonds,
Emeralds, amethysts,
Topazes, and cinnamon, and gold moidores.

4. Dirty British coaster with a salt-caked smoke
stack,
Butting through the Channel in the mad March
days,
With a cargo of Tyne coal,
Road-rails, pig-lead,
Firewood, iron-ware, and cheap tin trays.

5. A modern day cargo…
• The cargo ship MS
Napoli ran aground
on 20th January 2007,
off the coast of
Devon. It was en
route from Belgium to
Portugal when a
severe storm drove it
onto rocks.

6. • Several of its cargo
containers were
washed up on the
beach at
Branscombe, causing
a huge influx of
‘treasure hunters’,
eager to scavenge
some free booty.

7. • Amongst the
more glamorous
items of cargo
were electrical
appliances, wine
casks, perfume
and even BMW
motorbikes!

8. • Less appealingly,
King Edward
potatoes, engine
parts, used office
supplies and
nappies were all
found washed up
on the beach.

9. Cargoes of the future…?
• Our modern day cargo ships are
enormous, reaching nearly half a kilometre
in length. They carry every kind of
consumer goods imaginable.
• But how might things be different in the
future?

10. • What will the goods of the future be?
• What will the cargo ships of the future
be like? Faster? Larger? Smaller?
• Will they be ships as such, or will we
use other means of transport?
• Will there be any need to transport
things at all…?

11. http://www.haileybury.com/public-events/schools
• Consider these questions and use them
as inspiration to write either a story or a
poem for the Haileybury Arts Festival.
Your entry must be handwritten and not
exceed 500 words. Deadline is Thursday
7th March. Good luck