Sources of information for shipwrecks
Information guide No.11
This page is approximately a 6 minute read
There is no centralised source of information relating to shipwrecks that occurred before 1741. Information can be sought locally, or secondary sources, such as A checklist of narratives of shipwrecks and disasters at sea to 1860, with summaries, notes and comments by Keith Huntress (Ames: Iowa State University Press, 1979). This guide brings together a range of sources - archives, organisations, official bodies, specialist databases and published works - that support the study and research of shipwrecks across different periods and regions.
Background
Between 1875 and 1904 a list of vessels removed from the British register, whilst the current issue was going to press, was published in the Mercantile Navy List, giving brief reasons why. Separate monthly returns, listing vessels added or removed, were also printed.
The National Archives (see below) has bound volumes of these for the period 1875 to 1890, and the Guildhall Library (see below) has them for 1890 to 1946. These are particularly useful for vessels not actually lost, but hulked, laid up or condemned as unseaworthy.
Entering “shipwrecks” into an Internet search engine returns a multitude of sites offering details on shipwrecks, ships, artefacts, and diving opportunities worldwide.
Sources
71 Fenchurch Street London EC3M 4BS | +44 (0)20 7423 2475 | Early ‘posted’ editions of the Lloyd’s Register of Ships often include the fate of a vessel, the entry being stamped ‘Collision’, ‘Foundered’, ‘Condemned’, &c, sometimes the month and year (‘3.89’) is added. You can search early and late editions of the Register of Ships online. Brief ship details and date/place of loss have been recorded in the Quarterly Casualty Returns since July 1890. These can be accessed here. Wreck Report series Manuscript source containing Reports of Classed Vessels lost, 1892 - 1940. It includes shipwreck, war losses and demolitions. Wreck Books Another source for the period from 1940 to 1977, are the unpublished wreck books. Our specialist library also includes some reference books on shipwrecks. |
United Kingdom Hydrographic Office Admiralty Way Taunton Somerset TA1 2DN | +44 (0)1823 484444 | Provides an information service for commercial, private, MOD, and other Governmental departmental enquiries. Has information on all post 1913 marine casualties occurring in continental shelf areas except USA and Australian coastal waters. Search fee charged. |
| http://www.wrecksite.eu/ | The wreck site is the world’s largest online wreck database. It includes details of wrecks, positions, images, maritime charts, shipowners and shipbuilders. Subscription service. |
The entire content of Richard and Bridget Larn’s Shipwreck Index of the British Isles published volumes has been fully-integrated into an electronic version which is searchable through an extensive list of parameters and provides an almost instant mapping capability. This content has been extensively extended and improved over many years to produce the current Shipwrecks UK resource. The current means for enquirers to access this information is via an email to Shipwrecks UK or use of the online form within the website. Small fee charged. Responses that can be provided include details not only of the vessel, wreck event and sometimes the physical wreck but also the context in terms of cargo, voyage, ship type, cause of loss, etc, etc. The search capabilities go far beyond what is possible using the printed version and can often lead to rapid results; it can enable enquirers to identify a vessel or event from limited clues. |
Guildhall Library Aldermanbury London EC2P 2EJ | +44 (0)20 7332 1868 | Information on marine casualties and shipping movements worldwide back to circa 1740. The Collection includes Lloyd’s List, which from 1741 provided a daily record of information on shipping casualties received in London. As Lloyd’s (that is Lloyd’s of London, not Lloyd’s Register) intelligence network grew, this source became increasingly comprehensive, not only for British vessels and vessels wrecked in British waters, but for shipping losses worldwide. A variety of indexes are available at the Guildhall Library. Further information on this and other sources of marine records compiled by Lloyd’s of London can be found in Declan Barriskill’s Guide to the Lloyd’s Marine Collection 2nd Edition (London: Guildhall Library, 1994). |
70 Newcomen Street London SE1 1YT | 020 7234 9120 | Undertakes tracing of ownership of hull/cargo of ships sunk other than by wartime activity, circa 1880 onwards. Arranges transfer of ownership of wreck, abandoned by original owners, to the insurers. |
Maritime and Coastguard Agency Spring Place 105 Commercial Road Southampton SO15 1EG | +44 (0)23 8032 9474 | Advice on what to do if you discover a wreck, as well as information on the ownership of wreck and legal requirements. The Receiver of Wreck team processes incoming reports of wreck. This involves researching ownership of wreck material, working with the finder and owner, and working with other interested parties, such as archaeologists and museums. The MCA does not maintain a record of all known shipwrecks around the UK. They do maintain a database which relates to salvaged wreck material. Search fee charged. |
Trinity Square Tower Hill EC3N 4DH | +44 (0)20 7481 6900 | Records include details of dispersal, position, buoyage, possible cargo and names of wrecks in home (records pre-1940 destroyed by fire). |
Great Minister House 33 Horseferry Road London SW1P 4DR | 03003303000 | Ownership of hull and cargo of Allied Merchant Ships lost by war causes during both world wars. |
Lambeth Road London SE1 6HZ | +44 (0)20 7416 5320 | A named index of ships covering both world wars. |
Greenwich London SE10 9NF | +44 (0)20 8312 6516 Website | A named index of ships covering both world wars. General maritime history including some wrecks. Register in advance for a free readers ticket. Search the online Catalogue. |
| Information on the search and recovery of shipwrecks including an index of named shipwrecks with histories in French. |
| Website | International Journal of Nautical Archaeology. Subscription. |
| Website | US coastguard maritime casualties from 1974. |
Suggested reading
- Keith Huntress, A Checklist of Narratives of Shipwrecks and Disasters at Sea to 1860 (Ames: Iowa State University Press, 1979).
- J. G. Lockhart, Peril of the Sea: A Book of Shipwrecks and Escapes (London: Philip Allan & Co., 1924).
- Frank H. Shaw, Famous Shipwrecks (London: Elkin Mathews, 1930).
- Bernard Edwards, The Grey WidowMaker: The True Stories of Twenty‑Four Disasters at Sea (London: Futura Publications, 1995).
- Charles Hocking, Dictionary of Disasters at Sea during the Age of Steam 1824–1962 (London: Lloyd’s Register, 1969).
- Norman Hooke, Modern Shipping Disasters 1963–1987 (London: Lloyd’s of London Press, 1989).
- P. Marsden, English Heritage Book of Ships and Shipwrecks (London: English Heritage, 1997).
- Richard and Bridget Larn, Shipwreck Index of the British Isles (Lloyd’s Register; later Lloyd’s Register‑Fairplay):
• Volume 1: The South West
• Volume 2: The South Coast
• Volume 3: The East Coast
• Volume 4: Scotland
• Volume 5: The West Coast & Wales
• Volume 6: Ireland - I. G. Whittaker, Off Scotland (1998).
- Charles Bateson and Jack Loney, Australian Shipwrecks 1622–1990 (5 vols., various publishers, 1972–91).
- Hugh Edwards, Australian and New Zealand Shipwrecks & Sea Tragedies (New South Wales: Phillip Mathews, 1978).
- C. W. N. Ingram and P. O. Wheatley, New Zealand Shipwrecks 1795–1960 (3rd ed., Wellington: A. H. and A. W. Reed, 1961).
- Bruce D. Berman, Encyclopaedia of American Shipwrecks (Boston: Marines Press, 1972).
- R. F. Kennedy, Shipwrecks on and off the Coast of Southern Africa: A Catalogue and Index (Johannesburg: Johannesburg Public Library, 1955).
- Lloyd’s of London, Lloyd’s War Losses – The First World War: Casualties to Shipping through Enemy Causes 1914–18 (London: Lloyd’s of London Press Ltd., 1990).
- Lloyd’s of London, Lloyd’s War Losses – The Second World War: British, Allied and Neutral Merchant Vessels Sunk or Destroyed by War Causes (London: Lloyd’s of London Press Ltd., 1990).
- HM. Government, British Vessels Lost at Sea 1914–18 (London: HMSO, 1977).
- HM Government, British Vessels Lost at Sea 1939–45 (London: HMSO, 1977).
- A. J. Tennent, British Merchant Ships Sunk by U‑Boats in the 1914–1918 War (Kent: A. J. Tennent, 1990).
- William O. S. Gilly, Narratives of Shipwrecks of the Royal Navy (London: John W. Parker, 1850).
- To Sail No More: a five‑part series published by Maritime Books, Cornwall, detailing Royal Navy ships scuttled and broken up.