Lloyd's Register of Ships online
Digitised historic editions of Lloyd’s Register of Shipping, spanning 1764-2000. Explore over 260 years of maritime history with searchable records by ship name, master, owner, and build location.
Explore 260 Years of Maritime Heritage
Discover the Heritage Centre, home to the world’s largest open-access maritime archive. Our mission is to preserve and share maritime and engineering history to shape a safer, sustainable ocean economy. Access millions of digitised documents, ship plans, and stories from across the globe all free and available online.
Discover the Heritage Centre, home to the world’s largest open-access maritime archive. Our mission is to preserve and share maritime and engineering history to shape a safer, sustainable ocean economy. Access millions of digitised documents, ship plans, and stories from across the globe all free and available online.
+1,100,000
+1,100,000
Explore our collections
documents, ship plans and survey reports freely available online
£7,000,000
£7,000,000
View our partnerships
of grant funding invested in 28 organisations across 12 countries worldwide.
+200,000
+200,000
active users access Heritage Centre resources annually.
Alex Stitt Director of the Heritage Centre
This centre holds information on how the ocean economy has shaped our world from 1760 to today – evidence we can use to address the challenges of our future. This new website is the latest step in our goal to share this heritage on the global stage.
Latest stories
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What are the rules for ships entering and leaving ports?
Entering and leaving port may seem routine, but it involves a complex web of rules, checks, and coordination. From notifying authorities days in advance to working with pilots and tugboats, each step ensures safety — and no two ports present exactly the same challenge.
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Are biofuels a driver for decarbonisation?
Shipping accounts for 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions, making decarbonisation an urgent priority. Biofuels, derived from plant matter, waste oils, and animal fats, present a promising solution. But do they hold enough potential to meaningfully drive the maritime sector toward a greener future?
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Lloyd’s Register at Galata Quay: A Historic Photograph
A photograph of Galata Quay reveals how Lloyd’s Register, Ottoman authorities, and global trade shaped maritime oversight in Istanbul. Discover the story.
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This page is approximately a 17 minute read
How iron and steel ships were reused, reworked and recycled
This story explores how iron and steel ships were repurposed, converted into hulks, broken down in scrapyards, or deliberately sunk - and the complex environmental and geopolitical forces shaping that process.
Latest blogs
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Titanic Law and Policy: The wreck's role in changing international maritime safety and salvage law
Discover how Titanic’s wreck reshaped maritime safety, salvage law and heritage protection, in a new open-access book exploring its legal legacy.
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Frank Brangwyn and the lost Lloyd’s Register artworks
Discover the story of Frank Brangwyn's lost masterpieces, commissioned for Lloyd's Register's iconic headquarters at 71 Fenchurch Street. From celebrated dock worker panels to their mysterious disappearance in the 1960s, this is a fascinating tale of art, history, and rediscovery.
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Frank Strike Collection: Cornish shipwreck lantern slides
In November 2023, Lloyd's Register Foundation acquired the Frank Strike Collection - 341 rare magic lantern slides documenting Cornish shipwrecks, rescues, and salvage operations from the 1890s to 1960s. Curated by coastguard and local historian Frank Strike, this remarkable archive offers unique insight into maritime history, lifesaving technology, and coastal communities.
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The records of the Furness Shipbuilding Company
The Furness Shipbuilding Company records have been catalogued at Lloyd's Register's Heritage Centre. Spanning administrative files, photographs, shipbuilding specifications, and financial papers, this collection offers a fascinating window into a major 20th-century shipyard and its broader impact on British maritime and industrial history.
Our partners
Collaboration is at the heart of the Heritage Centre. We work with a diverse network of organisations across industry, academia, and the heritage sector to preserve maritime history and advance knowledge for a safer world.
Our partners include leading maritime associations, museums, research institutions, and global initiatives that share our commitment to safety, sustainability, and education.
Together, we digitise archives, develop learning resources, and champion projects that connect the past with the future of engineering and maritime.
