Lloyd’s Register sources available to researchers
Information guide No.9
This page is approximately a 14 minute read
Lloyd’s Register has maintained a library since 1852, the first being founded at the bequest of Augustin Bullock Creuze, principal surveyor.
Today the accessible parts of the Lloyd’s Register Foundation’s Heritage Centre archive and library are housed in the original building designed by Thomas Collcutt and opened in 1901. Here, we welcome visits from the general public and professional researchers alike, so that they may carry out their own research free of charge.
*Please note that the library and archive will reopen later in 2026 further updates and timings will be shared via our social media channels.
Resources available to researchers are detailed below. It is worth noting that the Registers have seen many changes over the years and, as such, the fields of information mentioned may not be recorded in every edition of the publication referred to.
For example, Masters’ names only appear in the Lloyd’s Register of Ships until 1921 for steamers and from 1764 to 1947 for sailing vessels. For this reason, dates have been given in the table below to show when the field first and/or last appeared in the publication.
Several of the historic Lloyd’s Register publications have been digitized and are also freely available online. Details and links are included below.
Sources for merchant ships
| Publication | Information contained |
The Register, published for the years 1764-66, 1768-71 and then annually since 1775, records the details of merchant vessels of the world. Since the 1870’s Lloyd’s Register has tried to include all merchant vessels over 100 gross tonnes, which are self-propelled and sea-going, regardless of classification. Before this time only those vessels classed by Lloyd’s Register were listed. Vessels are listed alphabetically by their current name. It should be noted that there is no general index to the Lloyd’s Register of Ships, hence an approximate date of build or service of a vessel must be known before a search can be made. Researchers should also note that the Lloyd’s Register of Ships is not an official record of the registration of ships. Registration, which today is a requirement of International Maritime Law, is the responsibility of national registration authorities. The official British registration authority is the Registry of Shipping & Seamen in Cardiff. In 2024/25, S&P Global ceased publication of the physical copies of the Register Book. |
Online access to the Lloyd's Register of Ships from 1764 to 2000. |
| Publication | Information contained |
A short-lived publication published by Lloyd’s Register in addition to the Lloyd’s Register of Ships. The majority of the information held within the Universal Register, excluding the details of the ships themselves, passed into the Appendix when it was published from 1890. |
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| Publication | Information contained |
Supplements, mainly showing new additions and alterations to existing entries were published within the Register from the very beginning. The first edition of the Register contained additional columns for changes to be recorded on each page. Latterly these were bound at the end of City editions (these can be defined as editions owned by those within easy traveling distance of the City and able to have new information posted directly into their Registers) and issued as separate signatures for the country volumes (which can be defined as those owned by those outside of easy reach of the City, who therefore received updates by post). From 1890 the Appendix, a comprehensive volume of supplementary information, was published. This was renamed the Maritime Guide in 1984 and ceased publication in 2002. The tables below list the information that appeared in the subsidiary sections of the Register as they developed. |
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| Publication | Information contained |
| The List of Shipowners was first published in 1876 and in its early years was bound with the Lloyd’s Register of Ships. Between 1890 and 1955 it was published within the Appendix and has existed as a separate annual publication since then. |
Online access to the Lists of Surveyors from 1834 to 1972. |
| Publication | Information contained |
This annual list of shipbuilders was first published in 1886. It appeared within the Universal Register and included only British shipbuilders. From 1887 the volume was expanded to include the details of shipbuilders worldwide. It listed the location of the shipbuilder and the names and gross tonnages of ships built by them. From 1890 the Shipbuilders List began to appear in the Appendix to the Lloyd’s Register of Ships. As well as merchant vessels it included details of some war vessels at the beginning of relevant shipbuilders’ yard lists. This practice continued until 1939. The Shipbuilders section was not published during the Second World War and was not published again until 1947. From this edition onwards it was noted if a particular builder built naval vessels, but details of individual warships were not recorded. Originally published as a section of the Universal Register, the List of Shipbuilders and Existing Ships built by them was subsequently published within the Appendix to the Register between 1890 and 1984. Since that date it has been published as a section of the Maritime Guide, which itself ceased publication in 2002. | Shipbuilders’ addresses and brief details of the ships built by them and still extant in each year. |
| Publication | Information contained |
Not pertaining to lives lost at sea, as one might expect, but to total losses of ocean-going merchant ships over 100 gross tonnes. The Returns were published quarterly and annually, recording losses according to flag and cause of loss. Early Quarterly Returns give figures for steam and sailing vessels by flag and cause of loss, and for total tonnage owned in each country. Later editions also show the year of build (since 1928) and ship type (since 1939). Early Annual Summaries, published since 1891, give total number of losses for the year for steam and sailing vessels by flag and cause of loss. Later issues also include analyses by size, principal type and age (since 1967) and world maps showing approximate positions of ships foundered, burnt, wrecked and lost by collision during that year (since 1970). Details of ships not already included in the quarterly returns were also given. Since 1984 the Returns have only been published annually. An index to ships named in each year’s return is available from 1950 to date. The records have been computerised since 1980. An approximate date of loss, therefore, must be known or obtained by tracing the vessel through the Register of Ships. Quarterly and annual casualty returns were published through both world wars. Details of war losses, however, were limited after March 1915 and during the Second World War to name, tonnage and flag only. From 1940 to 1977, the unpublished wreck books gave more detailed information on total losses and on casualties that were expected and became total losses. | Online access to the Casualty Returns from1890 to 2000. |
| Publication | Information contained |
Manuscript sources for information on losses of all causes including shipwreck, war losses and demolitions, from which the Casualty Returns were compiled. Between 1940 and 1945 a system of reference codes links the posted editions of Lloyd’s Register of Ships to the Wreck Books, wherever a ship was lost and whatever the cause. The Heritage Centre holds the single set of Wreck Books and an incomplete set of Reports of Losses of LR Classed Vessels spanning 1892-1940. | Information on losses of all causes including shipwreck, war losses and demolitions. |
| Publication | Information contained |
The Statistical Tables are published annually like the Lloyd’s Register of Ships and reflect the information contained therein. Prior to 1886, the Statistical Tables only covered new ships classed by Lloyd’s Register according to material, sail/steam and where built, together with numbers of ships disclassed and never classed by Lloyd’s Register. Researchers should note that figures for the years 1915 to 1918 and 1940 to 1947 are incomplete or not recorded at all. | Analyses of the world’s merchant fleets by number, tonnage, flag, nationality of owner and shiptype. Between 1886 and 1914 tables include:
Since 1919 additional tables include:
Online access to the World Fleet Statistics from 1878 to 2000. |
| Publication | Information contained |
Published quarterly, with an annual summary (discontinued as a separate publication since 1991 but tables are included in the fourth quarter of each year), these are statistical returns of ocean-going merchant ships over 100 gross tons, which are on order, under construction, launched or completed, worldwide. Early Returns comprise quarterly analyses of ships built in the UK only, according to material, propulsion, place of build and port of registry. Figures for Foreign shipbuilding were introduced in 1889 (second quarter) and the first Annual Summary appears in 1892. Some early returns include figures for warships under construction in the UK (prior to 1914). Over the years tables have been added to include analyses by country of build, ship type, tonnage and registration. From 1914 to 1920 and 1939 to 1947, figures are incomplete and in some cases only include ships built in the UK. | Analyses of ships according to:
Later analyses by:
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| Publication |
| These annual registers contain details of ships classed by the Underwriters Registry for Iron Vessels, Liverpool, which was established in 1862 owing to dissatisfaction with wooden ship framing rules being applied to iron, resulting in over engineered ships. They also list details of other iron UK and foreign steamers and sailing ships above 50 tons gathered from official sources. Particulars include master, tonnage, dimensions, owner, builder, date of build, rig or machinery, survey dates and class details. Brief details are also given, where known, on vessels totally lost. It is especially useful for researching small iron ships never featured in the Lloyd’s Register of Ships. In 1884, this Register was amalgamated with Lloyd’s Register. |
| Publication |
The first far-reaching change for Lloyd’s Register after 1945 was amalgamation with the British Corporation in 1949, which opened a new chapter in classification history. The British Corporation (BC) was formed in Glasgow in 1890, due to Scottish shipowners, like the Liverpool Underwriters before them, feeling that Lloyd’s Register Rules for steel ships resulted in over-engineered vessels. Their registers often contained more detail that the Lloyd’s Register of Ships, including details of boiler-makers. The previous professional rivalry between the two organisations did not affect the amicable pooling of their joint resources and the amalgamation was effected without loss of goodwill from the shipping community, which realised that the combined technical services could only be of lasting benefit. The Heritage Centre library holds British Corporation Register of Ships volumes from 1893 to 1947 (there are gaps in our collection). The Centre also holds the entire archive collection of BC. |
| Publication | Information contained |
Lloyd’s Register has published Rules and Regulations for the Classification of Ships, to which all Lloyd’s Register classed ships must conform, since 1834. Between 1834 and 1870 the Rules were bound within the Lloyd’s Register of Ships. Since 1870 they have been published separately.
Enquirers interested in the historic Rules should contact heritage@lrfoundation.org.uk, those interested in the current Rules should email rules@lr.org. | Online access to the historic Rules and Regulations from 1849 to 1976. |
Sources for offshore industry
| Publication | Information contained |
Published annually, this appeared as a supplement to the Register Book from 1967 and from 1977 as a separate register issued free of charge to subscribers to the Lloyd’s Register of Ships.
See also : Information guide 42 - Sources for offshore industry | Offshore units (including those under construction) and details of mobile drilling rigs able to operate in at least 50 feet of water, submersibles, diving systems classed by Lloyd’s Register and selected work units (ships, barges and platforms used for offshore construction, maintenance, pipelaying, heavy lifting, fire-fighting and submersible and diving support). Details of owners of offshore units. |
Sources for yachts
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An annual Register, which lists British and Foreign yachts classed by Lloyd’s Register, yachts belonging to subscribers to Lloyd’s Register publications and certain other yachts above a specified size. It is not a comprehensive source. The Register of Yachts is organised alphabetically by name of yacht. The List of Yacht Owners, who have obtained Certificates as Masters of their own Yachts was published as a section of the Register between 1895 and 1956, showing the number and date of their certificate. From 1857 until 1994 yacht owners who had achieved a certificate of competency were indicated by an asterisk but the date and number of their certificate ceased to be listed. The Register of Yachts ceased publication in 1980, to be replaced by the Lloyd’s Register of Classed Yachts, which includes details of only those yachts surveyed by Lloyd’s Register, this was last published in 1996, although some special editions were produced for 1999-2000, 2000-01 and 2002-03. American yachts Lloyd’s Register also published a register showing details of American yachts. Named Lloyd’s Register of American Yachts from 1903 to 1977 and renamed North American Yacht Register for its last two years of publication in 1978 and 1979. Yacht plans Some plans and survey reports of LR classed yachts are held at an external archive. Enquiries should be made to Heritage Centre. |
Online access to Lloyd’s Register of Yachts from 1878 to 1976. |
Other sources available to researchers
The Heritage Centre library holds a number of reference works covering naval architecture, shipwreck, sailing vessels, maritime history from the earliest times to date, shipping company histories, as well as a number of periodicals. We also hold a selection of Lloyd’s of London’s publications including Lloyd’s War Losses, for the First and Second World Wars; Lloyd’s Weekly Casualty Returns (1953-1990, 1998 to date); and bound facsimile copies of Lloyd’s List (1741-1826).
| New Construction Cards 1951 to 1996 | Prior to the computerisation of our information systems, details of every merchant ship under construction, (of 100 tons gross and above), were recorded in a card index from the time the order was placed. These cards are useful for tracing the details of the ship whilst under construction and include keel laying, launch and completion dates. They are arranged by year of completion, country of completion and building yard. It is necessary to make an appointment to view these cards. Application should be made to Heritage Centre at the London address. |
| Technical Records, Plans and Survey Reports | Certain technical records, such as the plans and survey reports of LR classed vessels, can be made available in our Archive Reading Room *Note that this will open later in 2026. Online access to Ship Plan & Survey Report Collection 1834 to 1960. More recent records are held by Lloyd’s Register Exhibition of Records and viewing is subject to owners’ permission and a research/copying fee. Enquiries should be made in writing to Exhibition of Records email eor@lr.org |
| The IMarEST collection at Lloyd’s Register | In June 2011 the Institute of Marine Engineers, Science and Technology (IMarEST) historical library was relocated to Lloyd’s Register’s Heritage & Education Centre in London. Subjects covered in the conference proceedings, journal series, technical reports and reference titles include: offshore engineering, energy, turbines, hydrogeology, pollution, fishing, ship management, vibration, naval architecture and marine navigation. |
| RINA’s Denny Library collection | In August 2013, much of the Denny Library collection of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects (RINA) found a new home at Lloyds Register’s Heritage & Education Centre. The collection includes bound volumes covering all aspects of design, construction, maintenance and operation of commercial and naval vessels; plus a wide range of other relevant technical publications, including copies of some technical papers published by RINA, together with those of other organisations. |