There are certain reference books which fill me with feelings of regret as I think of all the remarkable sights which I shall never have the opportunity to see. High on that list I should place The International Register of Historic Ships, now in its third edition, the previous one having appeared in 1993. Altogether 1,800 ships are included: in order to qualify, a vessel must be over 40 feet in length (if less than that it is a boat!), either preserved as a museum piece, operational or otherwise and regardless of date, or, if in private hands, built before 1950 and having at least a complete hull, though an exception is made here for the Mary Rose.
Several useful appendices are provided: a list (fortunately short) of ships broken up since the last edition; a list of parts of ships which have been preserved either deliberately or as wrecks; a list of owners of historic ships, with Web sites where applicable; an extensive bibliography, most of the items in which will be found in few libraries; and two indexes, a general one and another of ships featured in the bibliography. Particularly helpful is a table of ships analysed by type. From this it appears, for instance, that the most extensively preserved craft are small sailing vessels. Some discrepancies in preservation can also be deduced from it: for example, large sailing cargo vessels are much more numerous than the less romantic steam cargo ships. Lightships and submarines are surprisingly numerous, perhaps because of their particularly strong construction. Among preserved warships the USA stands out with a group from the Second World War which would, if brought together, have been powerful enough to give the Japanese fleet cause for concern.
Many and various are the ships described in the Register. Oldest is the Ancient Egyptian royal ship found dismantled in a tomb and painstakingly reconstructed in the twentieth century. Largest is the famous Queen Mary. The most unusual would be a matter of opinion, but I should nominate France’s two floating laundries. Most ironic, perhaps, is the Savannah, the first nuclear surface ship built in the USA, intended to inaugurate a revolution in marine transport but in fact, owing to environmental risks, the only example ever of her type.
Some parts of the world display local concentrations of preserved ships: in the Falkland Islands are found the hulls of several nineteenth century sailing vessels abandoned because of damage sustained in the voyage round Cape Horn, while at Dresden one can see the largest number of paddle steamers still in service, some up to 120 years old. These have been preserved by chance, owing to fresh water being less corrosive than salt. But other vessels have been deliberately preserved because of their historical importance, the oldest being Nelson’s Victory, and the most recent addition the Royal Yacht Britannia, now to be seen at Leith. Shipping enthusiasts will find a great deal more to inform them in this invaluable work, which should be on the shelves of all libraries with serious maritime interests.
