America maintained total dominance over the event as it took on a more international flavour following two decades in the wilderness.

The resumption saw the event adopt 12-metre yachts in the Deed of Gift as the chosen craft to cut back costs.

Seven races over 19 years ended with the race very much back in the public eye.

1958 - Columbia 3-1 Sceptre

After a 21-year wait the America's Cup returned - but the status quo remained.

Racing was revived largely by J Burr Bartram, Commodore of the NYYC, who changed the deed of gift to allow 12-metre yachts to race.

Rod Stephens was again onboard on a boat skippered by Briggs S Cunningham, the first American to race at Le Mans.

The Columbia had come through some exciting trial racing after which the contest against Britain's amateur outfit was an anti-climax.

1962 - Weatherley 4-1 Gretel

Australia broke the Anglo-American domination in the race with their first entry.

Sir Frank Packer ploughed millions into making a vessel that was quicker than America's best efforts.

Gretel was indeed a fast boat, but what it lacked was a skipper of the calibre of Weatherley's Emil "Bus" Mosbacher.

Mosbacher was renowned for his tailing starts where he closely followed opponents, relying on his crew to outlast opponents when it came to the crunch later in the race.

1964 - Constellation 4-0 Sovereign

Constellation owed its place in the Cup to Rod Stephens, who, as navigator, had steered them beyond American Eagle in qualifying.

However, as with Britain's last entry, the trials were the greater challenge for the hosts who easily maintained their grip on the trophy.

Their professional crew was in stark contrast to that onboard Sovereign which was made up of rugby players.

In one race the visitors trailed in by more than 20 minutes.

1967 - Intrepid 4-0 Dame Pattie

Australia's second challenge was far less successful than their first.

After Gretel had made use of American sail parts in 1962, the hosts changed the rules, stating that all parts had to be constructed in the competitor's homeland.

As a result Dame Pattie was no match for Intrepid, a highly-advanced boat combining the skills of designer Olin Stephens, skipper Emil "Bus" Mosbacher and the backing of Harold S Vanderbilt.

Mosbacher was assisted by Victor Romagna and the pair outpaced the Australians from first to last.

1970 - Intrepid 4-1 Gretel II

Skippers Bill Ficker and his Australian counterpart Sir James Hardy went head-to-head in one of the closest contests in the Cup.

But as well as competitive racing, the contest was marred by controversy after Gretel's disqualification in the second race.

The decision led to a war of words on Frank Packer's part and required the intervention of the Australian Consulate and the US State Department.

1974 - Courageous 4-0 Southern Cross

Like a number of contests in the 20-year period after Cup racing resumed in 1958, the race was dull fare after the excitement of the American trials.

Intrepid missed out on becoming a three-time defender by a one-race margin to Courageous.

After two close opening skirmishes, Alan Bond's backed Southern Cross subsided heavily in the subsequent races.

American skipper Ted Hood's team included Dennis Conner, a future four-time skipper, as tactician.

1977 - Courageous 4-0 Australia

Courageous became the third back-to-back defender when Ted Turner, the last great amateur to win the race, successfully defended America's proud record.

Turner, the media mogul who later founded CNN, was in charge of a crew that never trailed.

Australia came through a five boat challenger series but failed to capitalise on the design and technologically advanced boat.

America's superior skills and tactics again held sway in a contest which stirred interest in the event, largely through Turner's involvement.