Discover the story of the song > Roll Northumbria – The Dreadnoughts

The song tells the story of a ship called Northumbria that was commissioned to haul black tar and was later built to be a royal tanker. The ship was celebrated with a bottle of wine thrown by Princess Anne and was a symbol of pride for the British empire. However, despite its strength, the ship eventually faced cracks in its frame and fires which caused it to limp away across the ocean. The song is a tribute to the hard work of the workers who built the ship and a reminder of the dangers of commanding without experience.