Recently described as "one of the finest speakers on the seven seas" (Saga Cruise Director Spring 2024), Howard Cook is a Historian and lecturer (MA University of Birmingham) and Historic Aircraft Pilot, . He is an experienced speaker in history and has lectured for museums and various groups and historical societies around the world. He has travelled extensively, is a qualified Destination and Port Speaker with particular expertise in Norway, Scandinavia, Iceland and the Baltic, Arctic and Antarctic History, Greece and the Mediterranean and is keen to entertain and inform and bring destinations and subjects to life for cruise guests.. Howard has covered both Destination and Enrichment subjects on the same voyage. Howard does not see his work ending with his talks as he provides personal destination advice to guests at sea and on land and also can provide bridge commentaries.

Howard is a Freeman of the City of London, a Liveryman of the Honourable Company of Air Pilots, a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (FRGS), and was Honorary Commander of the 493rd Fighter Squadron US Air Force from 2006 to 2021.

Howard has been involved in the world of historic aircraft for more than 30 years and has flown a wide range of aircraft, from Tiger Moth to Spitfire and Hurricane. Howard is currently a Black Belt 3rd Dan and Instructor in Kendo (Japanese "Way of the Sword") and enjoys mountain biking, motor biking, sailing, and History and Geography research.

DESTINATION AND PORT LECTURE REGIONS

DESTINATION SPECIALIST

NORWAY
DENMARK
SWEDEN
BALTIC
ICELAND
GREENLAND
ARCTIC
GREECE AND MEDITERRANEAN
SOUTH AMERICA

Howard Cook – Enrichment Talk titles

NORWAY SPECIALIST

Norway’s Geographical Grandeur
With a population of 5 million and some of the most striking and inspiring geography and phenomena in the world, Norway and its fjords and grandeur is a place to visit time and time again.

Norway’s Most Famous
Some will be known to you and some will not but there are many peoples, statesmen and women, sportsmen and women with inspiring stories making their mark on history

Norway - Invasion and Occupation
Invaded in 1940 neutral Norway endured years of Nazi occupation. The first allied victory against the Nazis took place here and was the scene of many raids by the allies, including many clandestine operations

NORWAY/DENMARK/SWEDEN/ICELAND/GREENLAND SPECIALIST

The Age of the Vikings
The race of warriors from present-day Norway, Denmark and Sweden that changed the face of exploration from the 8th to the 11th Centuries and made a huge impact on the medieval history of Europe – and beyond

Iceland - The “Land of Ice and Fire”
World famous for its unique geographical grandeur with its geysers, volcanoes, lava fields and thermal pools, constantly changing landscapes – this geographical treasure is the greatest reason for coming to this unique island

Greenland’s Geographical Grandeur – the ever-changing Arctic
Fjords, jagged mountains and small communities with Viking and Inuit heritage – all on a wilderness with an ice sheet second only to Antarctica

IRELAND AND ROUND BRITAIN

Ireland’s Unique Maritime History
From St Columba to the Vikings, the Spanish Armada and French invasion, to mass emigration from famine and the great ocean liners, Ireland’s maritime history is a truly unique story

Belfast: Giants, Ships and a Troubled but unique History
Although famous for the Troubles, Belfast is so much more than this with its historic landmarks and world class museums, its reputation as ‘Britain’s Victorian city’, as ‘Linenopolis’ and the way to the breath-taking drives of County Antrim and the Giants Causeway

Dublin - Viking port, hotbed of rebellion, cultural gem and UNESCO City of Literature
From its genesis as a Viking slave port to the Easter Rising of 1916 Dublin, the home of literary giants like Joyce, Shaw, Wilde and Becket and with unique sights like Trinity College and the Book of Kells, EPIC Emigration Museum, Temple Bar - and Guinness Storehouse – there is only one Dublin

Titanic and her Sisters
The Titanic is an icon of maritime history – but its sister ships Britannic and Olympic also had notable and historic careers after their construction in Belfast

After the Titanic
Following the sinking, life changed in many ways – both in triumph and tragedy for some of the survivors of the Titanic as they tried to move on from the aftermath of the disaster

The Shetlands in the Second World War
These small islands - only 140 miles from occupied Norway - made a significant international contribution to the war effort, including many clandestine operations

ANTARCTICA EXPLORATION

ANTARCTICA

Antarctic Pioneers
Inspired by Captain Cook and Arctic explorer John Ross, the James Ross expedition was described by Roald Amundsen as “Heroes – heroes in the highest sense of the word”.

The Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration - Pioneers
There were 17 expeditions during the “Heroic Age” many not well known but paving the way for the attempts to be first to the South Pole

The Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration - Triumph and Tragedy
Antarctica creates unique challenges which had to be overcome by pioneer explorers, leading to glory for some and a fight for survival for others

After Roald Amundsen and Captain Scott’s race to the South Pole - what happened next?
There were many involved in Roald Amundsen’s success and the tragic attempt by Captain Scott to be first to the South Pole – but what happened to their surviving team members

Polar explorer, Captain Scott’s Antarctic Expedition member, pioneer aviator – and tarnished hero
Tryggve Gran was the only Norwegian who went with Scott’s doomed expedition to the South Pole and who went on to become an aviation pioneer and fighter pilot – but wrong choices tarnished his reputation

UNESCO World Heritage Sites
(geared to the itinerary)

A mark of excellence around the world, but how did these incredible sights and locations come to be? How are they judged? and what UNESCO sites are we going to see on this voyage

GENERAL INTEREST

Airfields of “Little America Over Here” – a continuing heritage
From 1942 to 1945 thousands of American airmen and women of the Eighth and Ninth US Army Air Forces served on airfield that became fields of “Little America”. 80 years after the conflict there are still so many remnants of this key heritage throughout the UK and particularly East Anglia

Stars in Uniform
Some you may know - and many you may not, these are extraordinary and entertaining stories of the stars of screen, TV, sport and literature when they served in uniform before they were famous

Flying Historic Aircraft - the Icons of the Air
Historic aircraft pilot Howard Cook brings to life what it is like to fly some of the most iconic aircraft in aviation history such as the Spitfire, Mustang and Hurricane which come from the generation of the last aerial face-to-face gladiators

Restoring historic and vintage aircraft
The challenges of restoring many of the greatest aircraft in aviation history takes place at a time when many skills are being lost. How this is overcome is a great story of engineering resurrection and persistence

Learning to fly the Spitfire – Excalibur with wings
Perhaps the most famous and desired seat in flying, Howard Cook describes what it is like to fly – and how you train to fly -the legend that is the Spitfire.

Hurricane – the unsung hero
Veteran of the Battle of Britain, Malta, North Africa, Greece and Burma and flown by pilots of all nationalities, the Hurricane is very much the unsung hero of aviation history

Great Grandmother flew Spitfires
Extraordinary stories of the pioneering “Spitfire women” of the Air Transport Auxiliary who played a key role in supplying combat units in the Second World War.

Rarest of the Rare – Bravest of the Brave
Rare and surprising stories of the highest courage of men and women in the trials of conflict; with the Victoria Cross, George Cross, Congressional Medal of Honor and Knights Cross as their badge of courage

Baron de Coubertin and the rise of the Modern Olympics
Inspired by the Ancient Olympics - and two 19th Century English pioneers - the Modern Olympics had a difficult genesis towards the Games we know today

The Wild West – Myth and Reality
Names and places like the Gunfight and the OK Corral, Butch Cassidy and Billy the Kid – that we all know from generations of Westerns – this is a look at the legends and reality of the Wild West

Great Escapes
With names like The Great Escape, The Wooden Horse, Colditz and Hohenzollern, Prisoner of War escapes are legendary to this day – albeit some with tragic consequences

Lawrence of Arabia – The enigma and reality
An iconic character in British history since the First World War and enhanced by the legendary film, there is much more to the enigma that is TE Lawrence – Lawrence of Arabia

SOUTH AMERICA

Rio de Janeiro – the ‘Cidade Maravilhosa’ - the Marvellous City
There is so much more to Rio than Copacabana, Ipanema, Corcavado and Sugar Loaf Mountain in what is one of the most famous, historic – and notorious - cities in the world

Buenos Aires – the Paris of the South
“Santa Maria de los Buenos Aires" - "Holy Mary of the Good Winds" – a confluence of European cultures made the great city, famous as the home of Pope Francis and ‘Evita’ Peron

The Battle of the River Plate 1939 - The first naval battle of the Second World War - 7,000 miles from home waters
The battle between Royal Navy cruisers and the Kreigsmarine ‘pocket battleship’ Graf Spee - took place on the River Plate between Uruguay and Argentina

After Roald Amundsen and Captain Scott’s race to the South Pole - what happened next?
There were many involved in Roald Amundsen’s success and the tragic attempt by Captain Scott to be first to the South Pole – but what happened to their surviving team members

The Chilean Fjords - Southern Hemisphere Wonder
With names like the Darwin Sound, Beagle Channel and Tiera del Fuego, the spectacular and breathtakingly beautiful windswept Chilean fjords are best viewed from our decks - and will never be forgotten

The Geographical Grandeur and awesome wildness of Chile
Chile is one of the most unusual countries in the world being 2,600 miles long and about 110 miles wide with some of the most stunning geography in the world – with 80 % of its land made up of mountains

The construction of a modern wonder - how the Panama Canal came to be
The world famous link that connects the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean’s and one of the greatest engineering marvels in the world – which overcame incredibly difficult construction challenges to make it happen

The following recent Cruise History has been recorded for this candidate.