Lloyd's Register Foundation Heritage Centre Library collections

Lloyd's Register’s own historic library was founded in 1852 at the bequest of Principal Surveyor Augustin Francis Bullock Creuze, Principal Surveyor, and a founder member of the first Royal School of Naval Architecture. The Library now comprises several different collections, including the library of the Institute of Marine Engineers, Science and Technology (IMarEST) and the Denny Library collection of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects (RINA).

The Lloyd’s Register Foundation Library collection now includes approximately 60,000 items in total and covers topics on the history and development of maritime safety and engineering, navigation, shipbuilding, ship design, histories of major shipbuilders in geographical regions, engineering and oil and gas companies, shipping companies and shipowners, history of the shipping industry more broadly, ship types, shipwrecks, marine rescue, canals, ports and docks, fishing, sailors and seafaring, memoirs, biographies and autobiographies of those involved in maritime work, slavery, pirates and piracy and expeditions and voyages of discovery amongst others. 

Currently approximately 2500 printed books+ pamphlets have been made accessible via our online collections catalogue and are available to browse on the open shelves in the Heritage Library at 71 Fenchurch Street. 

Comprehensive collecting by Heritage Centre will enable us to continuously expand and maintain a collection that encompasses a wide range of maritime history from 1760 to the present.  We are also safeguarding knowledge as we preserve and collect historical knowledge to facilitate learning from the past, integrating this knowledge into the collections and resources offered by the Heritage Centre.

We are currently focusing on diversifying the library collections and reflecting underrepresented voices. These include women in maritime, indigenous peoples, minority workforces, biographies and autobiographies of those involved in maritime work, especially those focused on communities, geographies or maritime sectors less represented in the collection at present. We are also growing our collections on future ocean technology and the ocean economy, interdisciplinary materials in the maritime space, especially as it pertains to safety and especially shipwrecks; mental health and wellbeing in the maritime industry and the impact of living conditions onboard; and technical clothing, safety gear and the role of clothing in the comfort and identity of maritime workers.

All print copies of the Lloyd’s Register Book from 1764 onwards and the Rules & Regulations are available to browse in the library, with a digitised version available online via the collections catalogue. Additionally, copies of World Fleet Statistics, since 1876 and Casualty Returns, July 1890 to date (now World Casualty Statistics).

We can provide information on Lloyd's Register classed ships dating back to 1764, and on merchant ships of more than 100 gross tons, regardless of class, dating from the mid-1870s. Our records of shipowners date from 1876 and the Lloyd's Register of Yachts dates from 1878 to 1980 (this was superseded by the Lloyd's Register of Classed Yachts, which itself ceased publication in 1996, with special editions in 1999, 2000 and 2002).  

Lloyd’s Register of Yachts, 1878 to 1980 Lloyd’s Register of Classed Yachts, 1981 to 1996, 1999, 2000, 2002, Lloyd’s Register of American Yachts from 1903 to 1977 renamed North American Yacht Register for its last two years of publication in 1978 and 1979. 

There is also a large collection of Conference Proceedings and Government publications.can provide information on Lloyd's Register classed ships dating back to 1764, and on merchant ships of more than 100 gross tons, regardless of class, dating from the mid-1870s. Our records of shipowners date from 1876 and the Lloyd's Register of Yachts dates from 1878 to 1980 (this was superseded by the Lloyd's Register of Classed Yachts, which itself ceased publication in 1996, with special editions in 1999, 2000 and 2002).  

Lloyd’s Register of Yachts, 1878 to 1980 Lloyd’s Register of Classed Yachts, 1981 to 1996, 1999, 2000, 2002, Lloyd’s Register of American Yachts from 1903 to 1977 renamed North American Yacht Register for its last two years of publication in 1978 and 1979. 

There is also a large collection of Conference Proceedings and Government publications.

The Library and Archive hold a collection of c.400 rare books from the 17th century to the early 20th century on the themes of maritime history navigation, voyages and exploration, naval architecture, shipbuilding and shipwrecks with many featuring fine examples of maps, illustration and print. These are in the process of being catalogued by our Collections Assistant and will be available via the online Collections Catalogue.

An extensive and unique part of the library is the pamphlet collection and pamphlets on shipping company histories, shipbuilding and shipwrecks are a highlight. Pamphlets are often published independently and in small runs and can offer unique perspectives on subjects.

Using the library classification system: the shelfmark indicates the subject and is generally followed by the first three letters of the author’s surname. Any 334: shelfmarks are followed by the first four letters of the company name and the first three letters of the author. The shelfmark 629.5 Named Ships is followed by the first four letters of the ship’s name followed by the first three letters of the author:

REF General quick reference books on Maritime History, Historic Ships, Flags, Genealogy, Dictionaries, Glossaries and Encyclopedias.

334:CLASS Classification Societies other than Lloyd's Register. These include Norway - DNV (formerly Det Norske Veritas), American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), Bureau Veritas (France), ClassNK (Japan), and Korean Register (KR).

334:CLASS LR Lloyd's Register as a classification society and the history of LR.

314.15 Migration Emigration and immigration including immigrant ships and the experiences of passengers onboard.

326.1 Slave trade Includes titles on the Transatlantic slave trade, indentured labour, histories of indentured workers and enslaved people, slave ships and slave owners.

334:061.1 + 334:061.2 Governmental and nongovernmental organisations Includes the history of marine, naval and engineering institutions.

334:070 Journalism. The Press

334:336 Banks and Financial services

334:339 Exchanges and Trade Bodies

334:347 Law Firms

334:368 Marine Insurance

334:37 Education and Training Institutions Marine academies, maritime and nautical colleges.

334:62 Engineering Companies Mechanical and electrical engineering companies.

334:622 Oil and gas mining companies

334:629.5 (...) Shipbuilding companies. The history of British and global shipbuilding companies, including those based in Germany, Scandinavia, Netherlands, USA, Canada, India, China and Japan.

334:656.6 Shipping Companies and shipowners. One of the largest sections in the library, including an extensive collection of pamphlets and brochures on British and global shipping companies and shipowners.

341.362.1 Pirates and Privateering.

359.22 Sailors and Seafaring life Sailors, ship captains, merchant mariners, women in maritime, apprentices, seafaring life and life on board.

551.46 Oceanography Includes books on urban oceanography and psychogeography relating to the ocean, seas and bodies of water.

626.1 - 626.9 Canals. Ship Canals Mainly focusing on British canals, canal construction and engineers, inland waterways and canal life.

626/627.02 Diving Includes books on diving for salvage, but where the diving is focus.

627.2 (...) Ports British and global ports.

627.3 (...) Docks In-port facilities, docks, wharfs, quays, installations and equipment and the infrastructure around a port including dock railways.  

627.71 - 627.717 Navigation. Lighthouses, pilotage, navigation aids, seamarks.

627.723 Weather Includes books on shipping forecasts and climate.

627.76 Salvage Salvage and ship rescue.

627.77 - 627.777 Marine rescue. Lifeboats Marine rescue and life-saving including Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and Coastguard.

629.5 Named ships Books and pamphlets on notable historic ships including Cutty Sark, SS Great Britain, Titanic, Mauritania, Lusitania amongst many others. A growing focus on lesser-known ships that were pivotal in the development of safety measures at sea.

629.5... Ship types. Sailing ships, steamships, ocean liners, cruise liners, paddle steamers, tugboats, tramp ships, colliers, tankers, warships, icebreakers, canalboats, barges amongst others.

629.5.07 Seamanship  Navigating and steering operations in general, ship trials, instruction, training of navigational officers, anchoring, operations for shipboard maintenance of the vessel (by the crew), onboard engineers, ropework and knots on ships.

639.2 Fishing Fishermen, trawlers and fishing vessels, the fishing industry, fishing rivers and lakes.

639.24 Whaling Includes books on whalers, whaling ships, whaling communities, whaling trade.

656.085 Shipwrecks  

656.085 (...) Shipwrecks by geographical location British and global shipwrecks. This section includes many pamphlets on historical shipwrecks, including personal histories.  

656.61 + 656.61 (...) Merchant Shipping Includes books on the Merchant Navy and Merchant Marine and global merchant shipping fleets.

797.14 Yachts and Yachting Books and pamphlets on yachts and yachting including Royal yachts, The America Cup, yacht design and maintenance.

82-1 Poetry + 82-3 Fiction

82-94 Biographies. Autobiographies. Memoirs Another extensive collection and includes personal accounts of seafaring life and maritime connections.

910.4 (...) Expeditions and Voyages of Discovery Includes books on the Arctic regions and Atlantic voyages amongst others.

94 History + 94 (...) History by geographical location

Extensive collection of books and pamphlets on general maritime history, regional histories of ships, shipbuilding history, social history, cultural history, and British and global maritime history.

The library holds an extensive collection of print journals covering many subjects, including naval and marine engineering, ship design, electrical systems, ship management, ship maintenance, naval architecture and marine navigation. 

A list of journals/serials is available on the collections catalogue, and currently, the following titles are available to browse on the open shelves:

Admiralty Ship Welding Committee Reports, Container News, Dredging and Port Construction, Hansa, Institute of Marine Engineers Transactions, Jane's Fighting Ships, Jane's Freight Containers, Jane's High Speed Marine Craft, Jane's High Speed Marine Craft & Air Cushioned Vehicles, Jane's Marine Propulsion, Jane's Merchant Ships, Jane's Merchant Shipping Review, Jane's Ocean Technology, Jane's Surface Skimmer Systems, Journal of the Society of Naval Architects of Japan, Lloyd's Register Staff Association Transactions, Lloyd's Register Technical Reprints, Mercantile Navy List & Maritime Directory, Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering. Olsen’s Fisherman's Nautical Almanac, Safety at Sea International, Safety at Sea International, Schiff und Hafen, Ship & Boat Builder Annual Review, Ship & Boat International, Ship & Boatbuilder & Marine Trader, Ship & Boatbuilder & Naval Architect, Ship & Boatbuilder & Naval Architect & Marine Trade, Ship & Boatbuilder International, Ship Building & Shipping Record, Ship Building & Shipping Record Special Number, Ship Repair & Maintenance International, Shipping Statistics, SNAME Journal of Ship Production, SNAME Journal of Ship Research, SNAME Marine Technology, Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers Transactions, Society of Naval Architects of Japan: 60th Anniversary Series, The Shipbuilder, The Shipbuilder & Marine Engine Builder, The Shipbuilder: annual international number, The Shipping World & Ship Builder, The Shipping World and Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering News, The Steamship: an illustrated Monthly Scientific Journal, The World's Warships, Transactions of the Institution of Naval Architects 

Please note: The Heritage Library collections are continuously growing, and the guide will be regularly updated to reflect new subject areas and acquisitions. Please check the Heritage website and Collections Catalogue (LINK) for new acquisitions and collection highlights

If you have any enquiries, please contact the Heritage team using our contact forms.