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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Ladies of the lights: Female lighthouse keepers in the UK and the US
Explore the remarkable, often overlooked women who kept lighthouses shining across the UK and US-braving storms, isolation, and danger to safeguard lives at sea
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Wartime Wrens: Women’s Royal Naval Service headwear history
Uncover the fascinating history of WRNS headwear and its role in shaping women’s naval identity.
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The story of Viola: Lloyd’s Register and the ghost ship of Grytviken
Discover the journey of Viola - the world’s oldest steam trawler - her ties to Lloyd’s Register and her mysterious fate at Grytviken.
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Vera Laughton Mathews: WRNS pioneer & Blue Tapestry legacy
Explore the life of Vera Laughton Mathews, a WRNS pioneer whose influence extended far beyond the uniform.
Latest blogs
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Maritime heritage resources linked together for the first time with Unpath’d Waters
Learn more about the outcomes of the recently concluded project.
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The America's Cup: The most prestigious yacht racing competition
An exhibition about the history of the America's Cup, the most prestigious and iconic yacht racing competition.
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Archives unlocked: My week at Lloyd's Register Foundation Heritage Centre
In July 2024, sixth form student Edith Kean joined the Heritage Centre team for a week, exploring the archive, maritime history and digital preservation.
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Navigating steel's past & present: The rise in demand for steel production & Port Talbot
A hindsight perspectives blog reflecting on the current conversation of the future of Tata steel’s blast furnaces at Port Talbot.
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.
