World Ship Society -PUBLICATIONS - Books Available For Sale
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The following is a list of currently available World Ship Society publications. All titles are in stock and available for immediate dispatch, although some publications may be in short supply. If a particular book is not listed, it means new copies are not available from our Central Orders Dept. but may be available from private booksellers, or on eBay or from online sales organisations such as abeBooks. However, our Central Orders Dept. may have some second-hand copies (especially of the older books) - please contact booksales@worldshipsociety.org for information and prices.
Prices for members and non-members are clearly shown within each entry. Keep in mind that our pricing policy is to show the book cost, plus an additional sum for postage, which varies according to your address location. For prices and shipping charges where not completely explained (such as special airmail handling or multiple books within one order), please enquire from booksales@worldshipsociety.org
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Ordering Instructions. Orders for the books listed below are to be made by post to:-- WSS Central Orders, 274 Seven Sisters Road, Willingdon, Eastbourne BN22 0QW, United Kingdom. Payment by way of pound sterling cheque £ (drawn on a British bank) must be made payable to the "World Ship Society" and be included with your order. Visa and MasterCard accepted. It is not recommended, but if you must order by way of a charge card using e-mail, please contact booksales@worldshipsociety.org first for an explanation on how to submit such an order.
Orders made using a credit card must include the following: -- your complete account number, your name (exactly as embossed on the card), the expiry date (exactly as embossed on your card), and the three-digit CVN number which you will find on the signature line on the reverse of your card). If any of this information is missing or incorrect, your order will not be processed. MasterCard and Visa only accepted.
Author: Graeme Somner, ISBN: 0-905617-92-4, Ref: 0121, Publication Date: Apr 2000 Member’s price: £3+p&p (£1.50 UK address or £2 outside of UK). Non-member’s price: £4.50+p&p (£1.50 to UK address or £2 outside of UK) [05.2010]
The Aberdeen Steam Navigation Co. Ltd. could trace its origins back to 1821, when sailing vessels first started a regular service between Aberdeen and London providing transport for passengers and goods virtually from the Scottish Highlands to St. Paul's Cathedral in the centre of London. Subsequently the Company offered sailings to Hull, but these were discontinued in 1854. Steam was first introduced by the Company in 1827, with usually three or four vessels being available for service. The main traffic southwards was livestock, whisky, fish, and paper, together with passengers, whilst northwards it was manufactured goods and the return of empty whisky casks! Whilst most coastal liner companies were busiest in the summer months carrying tourists, this was not so with The Aberdeen Steam Navigation Co., which carried more livestock than passengers, with the greatest movement of livestock taking place between September to April each year. The passenger ships were always immaculately kept but, with changed conditions after the Second World War, their demise came suddenly, and they were all sold in 1946 when new owners, the Tyne-Tees Steam Shipping Co. Ltd. (part of the Coast Line Group), took over control from local interests. Even concentrating on cargo only, and adding additional ports of call en route to London, did not stave off the day when sailings were no longer viable. In 1962 when the linoleum trade from Kirkcaldy collapsed, the sailings were withdrawn. There were no longer sailings of any sort between Scotland and England, and the traditions of 141 years came to an end. During its existence, the Aberdeen Steam Navigation Co. owned 14 sailing vessels, 31 steamers and motor vessels, and one tug - ICH DIEN (which translates as 'I Serve', which indeed she did for 67 years on the Thames). This 68-page A5 softback includes 28 black-and-white photographs or copies of paintings of the vessels, and water colours by a local artist of four of the steamers in service during the 1930s.
Admiralty Coastal Salvage Vessels : Design and Service 1943 - 1993 (Hardback)
Author: David Sowdon, ISBN: 0-9543310-4-4, Ref: 0150, Publication Date: 2005 Member’s price £18+p&p (£5 UK address or £7 outside of UK). Non-member’s price £27+p&p (£5 UK address or £7 outside UK) [05.2010]
In 1942 the Admiralty was in need of salvage vessels to cope with the increasing number of merchant ships being bombed or torpedoed whilst bringing vital supplies to the UK. Rescue tugs were built or requisitioned to tow ships damaged at sea, but there was a need to keep the home ports and their approaches clear of wrecks. The response was this class of nine coastal salvage vessels which went on to become the core of the Admiralty Salvage Service during clearance operations in NW Europe following the Normandy landings. The class carried out very valuable work in opening up the French, Belgian and Dutch ports so that war supplies and food could be brought in to support the local populations. After the war several of the class were available for charter by civilian salvage firms and one, Risdon Beazley, became the most successful British salvage company of its day. The remaining vessels stayed in Admiralty service, conducting operations such as the raising of the Dover blockships and other wartime obstructions, as well as helping the salvage effort after Suez. Four of the class were converted to diesel in the 1960’s and became known as the ‘Kin class’, a familiar sight to many around the naval ports of the UK. This A4, hard laminate cover volume contains 127 pages of well-researched information about the long service of the vessels and is well illustrated with over 50 photographs, plans and maps. The author draws on many primary sources as well as the first hand experience of former crew members of these very popular and durable vessels.
Author: John English, ISBN: 0-905617-95-0, Ref: 0120, Publication Date: Sep 2001 Member’s price £15+p&p (£3.50 UK address or £4 outside of UK). Non- member’s price £22.50+p&p (£3.50 UK address or £4 outside of UK) [05.2010]
This WSS warship monographs deals with the 67 British Fleet destroyers Tribal, J, K, L, M and N class destroyers built during 1937 - 43. These 67 ships represented a new era in British destroyer development. Their predecessors, the A to Is, were linear developments of the highly successful V/Ws of 1917 and by the time the I class entered service in 1937 they were already obsolete. The Tribals created a sensation when they entered service because of their size and heavy gun armament while the J/K/Ns were an attempt to produce a cheaper destroyer with a heavier torpedo armament and the much larger L and Ms were a belated attempt to match the much larger French destroyers. All these ships were heavily engaged during the Second World War and not unsurprisingly suffered heavy losses not least because of their woefully inadequate anti-aircraft armament. Their limited endurance was another failing of all British destroyers. The destroyers that form the subject of this book were however able to survive severe damage but, nonetheless, three quarters of those in RN service were lost: they were in the forefront of the fighting during 1939-42 and the survivors were still on front line duties in the Mediterranean and Far East in 1945. More significantly, the J’s hull and machinery formed the basis of over a hundred standard fleet destroyers commissioned between 1942-46.While the majority of these ships served in the Royal Navy, eight Tribals were built for the Royal Canadian Navy, three Tribals were built for the Royal Australian Navy while one M and one N class were Polish-manned, four N class were RAN manned and two N class were transferred to the Royal Netherlands Navy. Of these, only the RCN and RAN Tribals and four M class transferred to Turkey in the mid/late 1950s saw extended post war service. "AFRIDI to NIZAM" contains design histories and in-service modifications of all six classes as well as in-service histories of each destroyer. A softback, measuring 243 x 185 mm, of 152 pages, profusely illustrated.
Armed Merchant Cruisers 1878 – 1945: passenger liners as auxiliary warships in the Royal Navy (hardback)
Authors: Richard Osborne, Harry Spong & Tom Grover ISBN: 0-9543310-8-7, Ref: 0145, Publication Date: Aug 2007, Member’s price: £30+p&p (£7.00 to UK address or £11 outside of UK). Non-member’s price: £45.00+p&p (£7.00 to UK address or £11 outside of UK). [05.2010]
Armed Merchant Cruisers (AMCs) performed many essential functions during both World Wars but their vulnerability in action gained them the unfortunate sobriquet of “Admiralty Made Coffins”. Despite their obvious limitations, the AMCs of the 10th Cruiser Squadron played a significant role in defeating Germany during the 1914 – 1918 conflict, while, in both wars, AMCs substituted for regular cruisers and escorts engaged in patrol and escort work. This book explores the origins, capabilities and uses of AMCs in 1885, 1914 – 1918 and 1939 – 45 as well as explaining the reasons for their demise during the latter conflict. This hardcover, 328 page, A4 book, which is illustrated by 262 monochrome photographs, contains four discrete parts, the first of which is devoted to HMS HECLA (1878). Part two explores the origins of the employment of steam powered merchant armed cruisers, including the 16 ships hired during the Russian war scare of 1885, and the introduction of Government subsidises to encourage the construction of mercantile tonnage which could be employed in a cruising role in wartime. Part three is devoted to work of AMCs during the 1914-1918 conflict, ranging from the vital blockade duties performed by the AMCs of the 10th Cruiser Squadron to operations in the South Atlantic and elsewhere. Part four, which covers the period from 1920 – 1945, describes how the Admiralty encouraged the construction of ships pre-stiffened to receive 6-inch guns, the effect of the collapse of the International Mercantile Marine on the availability of potential AMCs, the requisitioning, outfitting and operational use of AMCs during the Second World War and the competing interests that led to the demise of the Royal Navy’s force of AMCs during 1942 – 1944. The volume is completed by 7 appendices that detail (1) ships receiving subsidises prior to World War I, (2) the movements of the 10th Cruisers Squadron during 1914 - 1917, (3) a list of ships stiffened by 1933, (4) requisitioning and conversion dates in 1939 – 1940 and AMCs involved in escorting (5) HX/BHX, (6) SC and (7) SL/SLF convoys.
Author: George H. Parker, ISBN: 0-905617-80-0, Ref: 0102, Publication Date: Jul 1996
Member’s price: £3+p&p (£2 UK address or £3 outside of UK). Non-member’s price: £4.50+p&p (£2 to UK address or £3 outside of UK) [05.2010]
The author, who spent 40 years in the ship building and ship repair business, reflects upon the progress and demise of U.K. shipbuilding between 1920 and 1995. Based upon his experience, inside knowledge and careful research, he puts forward his conclusions about those factors, both within and without the industry, that led to decline. With 55 illustrations and 5 appendices, this 199-page A5 book plots a course through the trials and tribulations of depression, wartime, re-organisations and nationalisation in a compact and readable study of the life and soul of the British Shipbuilding Industry.
Authors: Robin Clark, Lindsay Rex, Doug Robertson ISBN: 0-905617-23, Ref: 0047, Publication Date: Feb 1983 Member’s price: £3+p&p (£2 UK address or £3 outside of UK). Non-member’s price: £4.50+p&p (£2 to UK address or £3 outside of UK) [05.2010]
The comprehensive history of the Australian National Line is accompanied by a full fleet list giving the histories of the 117 ships owned or bareboat chartered to date by the Australian Shipping Commission and at least one photograph of each of them. In a number of cases where the ship has been lengthened or reconstructed there are "before" and "after" views. There are also photographs of terminals, etc. and two maps showing ANL trade routes. This A5 book has 120 pages, 143 illustrations and 2 maps
B.E.F. Ships Before, At and After Dunkirk: British Expeditionary Force (hardback)
Author: John de S. Winser, ISBN: 0-905617-91-6, Ref: 0119, Publication Date: Dec 1999 Member’s price: £8+p&p (£5 UK address or £6.50 outside of UK). Non-member’s price: £12+p&p (£5 to UK address or £6.50 outside of UK) [05.2010]
Another Dunkirk shipping book? Yes, and much more beside. With the depth of research its contents incorporate and the extensive information it reveals, this book could well become the first point of reference on the whole British Expeditionary Force shipping story from September 1939 to June 1940. It starts with the massive task of moving the British Army to France and names the 300 ships involved in transporting troops, stores and over 120,000 military vehicles. Using 16 different routes, ships kept the army fed, equipped, fuelled and reinforced for ten months, then came to its rescue in its time of need. The story moves on to cover the remarkable destroyer actions at Boulogne; naval operations at Calais and then narrates the shipping story of the Dunkirk evacuation, in which over 300,000 men of the B.E.F. and allies were rescued from the grasp of the enemy - more than a quarter by Royal Navy destroyers. Like others, it names the ships involved, large and small: this book, however, lists every known troop-carrying sailing of each Dunkirk vessel, giving the time and port of arrival and the number of soldiers aboard -- information obtained from sources seemingly untapped even by immediate post-war historians. But the British army's departure from France did not end with Dunkirk and this book goes on to include details of the subsequent evacuations - from St Valery westwards to Brest and from northern Bay of Biscay ports southwards to the Spanish border. Surprisingly little has previously been published about the armada of vessels, from Jersey yachts to passenger liners of Cunard and P&O, all of which played their part in rescuing a further 200,000 from France and the Channel Islands, over distances massively greater than from Dunkirk. Consequently, despite their undoubted success being marred by the set-back of St Valery and by one of the worst shipping disasters of all time, these evacuations must surely be ranked as no less remarkable than those from Dunkirk. This 160 page book has 124 illustrations.
Author: Graeme Somner, ISBN: 0-905617-16-9, Ref: 0038, Publication Date: Jun 1981 Member’s price: £2+p&p (£1.50 UK address or £2 outside of UK). Non-member’s price: £3+p&p (£1.50 to UK address or £2 outside of UK) [05.2010]
The Bland family established themselves at Gibraltar in 1810, founding a shipping agency which is still very active at this crossroads of the world. Bland Gibraltar tells the story of the family's shipping related activities over 170 years of war and peace. It also contains a comprehensive fleet list covering the 46 vessels that have served Bland Ltd., many for exceptionally long periods, including paddle tugs, passenger tenders, salvage vessels, cargo steamers, passenger and car ferries which have maintained Bland's services to many ports in North Africa, Spain and the U.K. There are 50 illustrations depicting every ship which has been photographed or drawn, and several general scenes
British Invasion Fleets: The Mediterranean and beyond 1942-1945
Author: John de S. Winser, ISBN: 0-9543310-0-1, Ref: 0135, Publication Date: Oct 2002 Member’s price: £15+p&p (£4 UK address or £5 outside of UK). Non-member’s price: £22.50+p&p (£4 to UK address or £5 outside of UK) [05.2010]
In his foreword, Captain Christopher Page, Head of the Naval Historical Branch of the Ministry of Defence, describes this new book as filling a glaring gap to supplement the author’s well-received previous books, including “The D-Day Ships”. That work commemorated the 50th anniversary of the 1944 Normandy invasion: publication of this latest book coincides with the 60th anniversary of one of the other massive Allied invasions of the Second World War – that of North Africa in 1942. The book is designed to highlight the British contribution to the assault and follow-up phases not only of that operation but also nine other amphibious invasions, starting with three in Madagascar in the months prior to North Africa. After detailing the armada of ships assembled for the Eastern and Centre Task Forces in the North Africa landings, it goes on to concentrate on the vast Eastern Task Force fleet, which, in July 1943, headed towards Sicily from the UK, The Middle East, Tunisia and Malta. Immediately following the conquest of that Italian island came the September landings on mainland Italy at Salerno and, in January 1944, further north at Anzio. The British shipping involvment in both of these is covered in detail. The book continues with the British ships assigned to the invasion in the South of France in August 1944 before it switches its attention to the war against the Japanese in the Far East. Details are given of the ships and craft involved in the May 1945 operation to capture Rangoon and in the invasion of Malaya, for which a huge invasion fleet was assembled, much of which was still despatched in September of that year, despite the Japanese surrender. Each operation is briefly described as a prelude to comprehensive entries covering the British controlled (serving and former) merchant ships. Their sailing ports, convoys, beachhead destinations and, of course, damage, loss or other significant events are given, as well as, where available the number of troops or type of supplies and equipment carried. Full listings are included of the participating Royal Navy vessels, which provided convoy protection, air and bombardment support and the other essential elements of a successful invasion operation. The book is a worthy reminder of the events of other half a century ago and of the massive contribution made by the Royal and Merchant Navies in moving the Allied armies, together with their supplies and equipment, to a new battle zone, expeditiously and with the absolute minimum of loss. This softback A4-size book has 152 pages and 157 photographs and other illustrations.
Author: John Lingwood, Harold S. Appleyard, ISBN: 0-905617-35-5, Ref: 0060, Publication Date: September 1985 Member's price: £2.00 + p&p (£1.50 to a UK address or £2 to outside the UK) Non-member price: £3. + p&p (£1.50 to a UK address or £2 to outside the UK)
For just over 100 years, the Chapman family of Newcastle was involved in shipowning — as Chapman and Miller, R. Chapman and Sons and finally as Chapman & William Ltd. This booklet tells their story in some detail. Beginning with the SUSAN GRAY in 1863 it traces the fleet's fortunes through the sacrifices of two world wars, through the ups and downs of the tramp trade until it finally succumbed in 1974, when it was sold to become Burnett Chapman Ship Management Ltd., part of the Federal Commerce and Navigation Group. The 73 ships owned and 14 managed are fully detailed and there are a total of 83 photos. 80 pages.
Clyde Shipping Company of Glasgow 1815 to 2000, The (hardback)
Author: P J Telford, W J Harvey ISBN: 0-9542527-0-5 Ref: 8021 Publication Date: Jul 2002
Member's price: £16+p&p (£5 UK address or £7 outside of UK). Non-member’s price: £24+p&p (£5 to UK address or £7 outside of UK)
The profusely-illustrated 208 page A4 book deals with the Clyde Shipping Company’s (CSC) tugs and coastal vessels which were active on that busy river and elsewhere during the period from 1815 to 2000. Thirty-five pages describe the origins of the CSC, the early Clyde tug “scene”, the development of the Company and its operations, the effects of two World Wars and the events leading to the CSC’s final demise in 2000. A total of 145 pages are devoted to an illustrated fleet list of the tugs, coasters and other vessels operated by the CSC and its’ constituent Companies. The book is completed by 9 appendices and contains 249 illustrations.
Softback: Member’s price: £8+p&p (£3.50 UK address or £4 outside of UK). Non-member’s price: £12+p&p (£3.50 to UK address or £4 outside of UK) [05.2010]
Hardback: Member's price: £10+p&p (£4 UK address or £6 outside of UK). Non-member's price: £16+p&p (£4 UK address or £6 outside of UK).
Comben Longstaff & Co. Ltd. was one of the most prominent shipowners in the UK and European trades, owning a wide variety of coasters and larger ships mostly with names ending "BROOK". The company was notable for building some of the last steamers for the coal trade, and followed these with an attractive series of motorships. There are many intimate glimpses of shipowning in the East Coast coal and other trades during peace and war. The author draws portraits of the founder and of many of the ships based on extensive research amongst those who knew or worked for the company between 1933 and 1980. 180 x 250 mm., 176 pages, 180 photographs plus illustrations of flags and funnels used by the company's 136 ships.
Author: Dr. Richard Osborne (editor), ISBN: 0-905617-25-8 Ref: 0049 Publication Date: May 1983 Member’s price: £3+p&p (£1.50 UK address or £2 outside of UK). Non-member’s price: £4.50+p&p (£1.50 to UK address or £2 outside of UK) [05.2010]
This sixth monograph comprises the proceedings of the 1982 WSS naval meeting which was devoted to a subject of interest to many members –namely, merchant ships converted for naval use in the Second World War. An introduction written by Richard Osborne reviews the origins, uses and value of auxiliary warships, while subsequent sections consider: Armed Merchant Cruisers, Ocean Boarding Vessels, and Q-ships [by Arnold Hague]; Seagoing auxiliary A.A. ships [by Roger Nailer]; Glen class landing ships [by Richard Osborne]; and Italian merchant armed cruisers [by Aldo Fraccaroli].This 84 page monograph is illustrated by40 photographs many of which had never before been published.
Author: Arnold Hague, ISBN: 0-905617-88-6 Ref: 0109 Publication Date: Dec 1998 Member’s price: £5+p&p (£2 UK address or £3 outside of UK). Non-member’s price: £7.50+p&p (£2 to UK address or £3 outside of UK) [05.2010]
This unusual volume details the history of the first Convoy Rescue Ships from 1940, the formation of the Rescue Service as a sole authority in 1941, and the subsequent development of that service, its ships and their role. The book contains individual histories of every Convoy Rescue Ship, complete individual voyage records giving dates and convoys accompanied and a statistical summary of each ship's rescue of survivors. Honours and Awards to Masters and crew members are listed individually for each ship. There is a copy of their Standing Orders for the Rescue Service, illustrating the high standards expected (and achieved) by these small vessels. The narrative closes with a comprehensive list of Public Record Office documents on which the content of the history is based. A softback book of 80 pages containing over twenty illustrations of Convoy Rescue Ships in their wartime configuration.
Author: W.J. Harvey, ISBN: 0-905617-93-2 Ref: 0122 Publication Date: May 2000 Member’s price: £12+p&p (£5 UK address or £7 outside of UK). Non-member’s price: £18+p&p (£5 to UK address or £7 outside of UK) [05.2010]
This A4 book is a very readable 224 page account of a major British tug company and is illustrated with some 300 photographs The Rea family started as coal merchants in 1872 and 25 years hence were owners of colliers, barges and tugs. They went from strength to strength and were taken over by William Cory & Sons after the First World War and then focused on the business of tugs, barges and bunkering. The Rea name stood with towage operations until 1970 and becoming Cory Ship Towage the greatly expanded business with company acquisitions also finally absorbed the associated Rea name on Merseyside two decades later. Their impressive tug fleet has ranged from small barge tugs at the end of the 19th century to the ultra modern highly sophisticated tugs as the 21st century dawned. There are three sections detailing vessels owned, managed and chartered together with subsidiary and associated companies. Cory Towage evolved into a major international player until its sale to Dutch owned Wijsmuller at the beginning of 2000. This A4 volume includes a barge overview, numerous cameos, full coloured flags and funnels on the end papers and an eight-page colour photo section.
Crossed Flags: The Histories of the New Zealand Shipping Company / Federal Steam Navigation Company and their Subsidiaries (hardback)
Authors: W.A. Laxon, I.J. Farquhar, N.J. Kirby, F.W. Perry ISBN: 0-905617-87-8 Ref: 0111 Publication Date: Oct 1997 Member’s price: £10+p&p (£5 UK address or £7 outside of UK). Non-member’s price: £15+p&p (£5 to UK address or £7 outside of UK) [05.2010]
For generations ships of New Zealand Shipping and Federal were among the principal links between Australasia and Britain. The Rangi passenger liners and the immaculately maintained cargo liners, their holds filled with refrigerated produce, were the lifeline with the farthest distant countries of the Commonwealth. This World Ship Society book recounts the history of the Group with its origins and still deep-seated roots in New Zealand. A wide, sweeping narrative and chronology of both companies links the detailed individual ship histories, each illustrated (with only one exception) by at least one photograph in company colours. All types of ships are represented, from the early sailing ships through the passenger liners, refrigerated ships, dry cargo carriers, tankers and coasters. As well as NZS and Federal themselves, there are also chapters on Avenue Shipping, the Black Ball Coal companies, the cadet ships, managed ships and name derivations. The case-bound A4 size book of 196 pages with over 335 illustrations, many previously unpublished, and with three pages in colour.
Author: John H. Isherwood, ISBN: 0-905617-57-6 Ref: 0079 Publication Date: Jul 1990 Member’s price: £3+p&p (£2 UK address or £3 outside of UK). Non-member’s price: £4.50+p&p (£2 to UK address or £3 outside of UK) [05.2010]
The name of Captain Isherwood is known throughout the world for his meticulous drawings of ships and the World Ship Society has been privileged to publish a selection of 144 of his drawings of ships in the Cunard fleet in this 64-page A4 (landscape, 295 x 210 mm) book. The ships range from the BRITANNIA of 1840 to the QUEEN ELIZABETH 2, SAGAFJORD and VISTAFJORD of today; the drawings, which are to be constant scale of 1:1200, are reproduced in full colour on Art paper and are accompanied by brief details and histories of the ships depicted. The original drawings are superb and we believe that the reproductions in this book do them full justice. Our particular favourites are probably the four of the 1906 MAURETANIA at different times of her life and the three of AQUITANIA, but the book is a unique pictorial record of the development of one of the world's foremost shipping companies.
Author: D.C.E. Burrell, ISBN: 0-905617-59-2 Ref: 0081 Publication Date: Mar 1990 Member’s price: £2+p&p (£1.50 UK address or £2 outside of UK). Non-member’s price: £3+p&p (£1.50 to UK address or £2 outside of UK) [05.2010]
Charles Barrie left the sea in 1882 he established a shipping company which, although never large, was to become very well respected, the Den Line of Dundee. Many years later, in 1966, Barrie's company was to amalgamate with another local company, that of Boswell Nairn who opened a ship-broking office in Dundee in 1886. Today the firm of Barrie and Nairn is a leading member of the Dundee shipping community. Access to company records has allowed David Burrell to tell the companies' stories in rare detail. The Den Line records Captain Barrie's career at sea and the ship-owning era to 1923 during which 30 sailing ships and steamers were bought or built, including such famous names as the JUTEOPOLIS and LAWHILL. Nairn's venture into ship-owning was on a smaller scale with just three ships between 1886 and 1908. 12 appendices record details of the partners' Lloyds Agency and consular appointments, company data, a list of shareholders in the Barrie Shipping Co. Ltd. and the sources of the ships' names. Voyage records of the ships INVERTAN and VULCAN illustrate typical trading patterns of the period. The Den Line's 80 pages also include much material about the growth of Dundee and its jute trade. There are 42 illustrations, nine of them in colour, three builders' plans and four pages from Barrie's jute import book of 1878-79 and Nairn's foreign consignment book of 1906.
DP&L - A History of the Dundee, Perth & London Shipping Company Ltd. and Associated Shipping Companies
Author: Graeme Somner, ISBN: 0-905617-63-0 Ref: 0099 Publication Date: Sep 1995 Member’s price: £3+p&p (£2 UK address or £3 outside of UK). Non-member’s price: £4.50+p&p (£2 to UK address or £3 outside of UK) [05.2010]
The red funnel with the black top of the D P & L used to be seen not only at Dundee, Scotland but in many other ports in Europe, Canada and even Brazil during the 142 years it owned ships. They built and owned sailing ships, steamers, tugs and motor vessels as well as absorbing other firms in areas of activity similar to their own. In its 148 pages, the book provides the careers and details of over 200 ships owned and managed by the Company, includes 100 photographs, and also 15 fleet lists covering not only the vessels owned by D P & L, but also those of such companies as Aberdeen, Newcastle & Hull Steam Co. Ltd., Brussels Steamship Co. Ltd., Lockett Wilson Line, and Channel Shipping Ltd. to name but four, which were bought over the years.
Author: Graeme Somner, ISBN: 0-905617-19-3 Ref: 0041 Publication Date: Mar1982 Member’s price: £2+p&p (£1.50 UK address or £2 outside of UK). Non-member’s price: £3+p&p (£1.50 to UK address or £2 outside of UK) [05.2010]
This book is a logical companion volume to BLAND GIBRALTAR, telling the story of how the ferry services between Malta and Gozo developed over 180 years. "Ferry Malta" includes details of the 29 steamers and motor vessels which have carried passengers between these islands during the last century and is illustrated with maps of the ferry routes and 35 photographs, most of which have never been published before. "Ferry Malta" is of much more than local interest, however, as the vessels involved come from yards in Europe and North America and range from wooden motor launches to iron steamers, and from paddle tugs to diesel ro-ro vessels.
Authors: Richard Cornish, Roy Fenton, Louis Loughran, Richard Osborne, Joachim Pein, Harry Spong (Editor: Richard Osborne) ISBN: 0-905627-94-0, Ref: 0131, Publication Date: May 2000 Member’s price: £4+p&p (£1.50 UK address or £2 outside of UK). Non-member’s price: £6+p&p (£1.50 to UK address or £2 outside of UK) [05.2010]
A retrospective look back at the last 50 years / a WSS commemoration of the Millennium with discursive essays covering Coasters (Roy Fenton), British Aircraft Carrier development from 1945 (Richard Osborne), Flags & Funnels (Louis Loughran), Bulkers & Tankers (Joachim Pein) and the development and demise of the Blue Funnel Line from 1945 (Richard Cornish). This 72 page A5 book contains 96 illustrations.
Author: George Garwood (Photographs by) ISBN: 978 0 9560769 1 5, Ref: 0154, Publication Date: Nov 2008 Member's price: £10+p&p (£2 UK address or £4 outside the UK). Non-member's price: £15+p&p (£2 UK address or £4 outside the UK) [05.2010]
This full-colour album showcases photographs taken by the late George Garwood in July and September 1968. George's fine ship portraits make up the nucleus of the Society's slide collection, and this selection from forty years ago depicts a wide range of classic liners, tramps, bulkers, tankers and coasters built over the previous 30 years. All 64 pages are accompanied by lively, informative captions.
Author: Harold Appleyard, J.E.B. Belt ISBN: 0-905617-81-9 Ref: 0112 Publication Date: Dec 1996 Member’s price: £5+p&p (£2 UK address or £3 outside of UK). Non-member’s price: £7.50+p&p (£2 to UK address or £3 outside of UK) [05.2010]
The history of the Strick Line and 14 associated fleets owned or managed by the great merchant businessman Frank Clarke Strick. This 136-page A5 softback book plots the history of these Companies from 1885 through to final absorption by P&O in 1974 and provides fleet lists of 213 vessels. There are 130 photographs and six appendices in this carefully researched volume.
Authors: L A Sawyer, W.H. Mitchell ISBN: 0-905617-38-X Ref: 0064 Publication Date: May 1986 Member’s price: £5+p&p (£2.50 UK address or £3 outside of UK). Non-member’s price: £7.50+p&p (£2.50 to UK address or £3 outside of UK) [05.2010]
Part four of this history includes the N3 (coastal cargo) types; the S (special) types (including carriers, frigates and landing ships); post-war liners; the prototype of the subsequent 'Mariner'-class of ship; a plan showing the location of shipyards; details of a fleet of old Great Lakes vessels converted for deep sea work; an index to each different ship type; a numerical list of all U.S.M.C. hull numbers; the story of the liner UNITED STATES and a miscellaneous section which details a number of ships built privately during the era of the Maritime Commission and gives a resume of Maritime Academy training establishments, many of which used standard type, war-built tonnage for training purposes. Each type is fully detailed and the career of each ship, including naval service, is taken through to disposal or to the present day. In addition there are nearly 100 half-tone illustrations, a number of line drawings and an index of ship names.
From the Revolution to the Cold War: A History of the Soviet Merchant Fleet from 1917 to 1950
Author: Martin J. Bollinger ISBN: 978-0-9560769-4-6 Publication Date: February 2013, Member's price: £33+p&p (£7 UK addresses or £12 Overseas surface mail or £13 Airmail to Europe or £22 Airmail RoW) Non-member price: £39+p&p (£7 UK addresses or £12 Overseas surface mail or £13 Airmail to Europe or £22 Airmail RoW) [03.2013]
The history of the Soviet Merchant Fleet during its first three decades is generally unknown outside the countries of the former Soviet Union and its role during World War II in particular seems undervalued in the West. While the more significant events have been well recorded, there are many other aspects of the Soviet merchant fleet’s history that have been less well covered outside the former Soviet Union. This book seeks to provide a detailed account of the Soviet merchant fleet in the World War II and, for purposes of context, the decades preceding and years following the war. To achieve this, the author has consulted primary Russian-language sources such as official maritime registers, histories of the Soviet merchant fleet, naval history, arctic exploration and the “Gulag fleet”. These data have been married to information from US Intelligence reports as well as histories of shipbuilders, the Spanish Civil War, Lend/Lease ships, convoys and various official histories of naval and maritime operations during 1941-1945.
This 236 page, A4 case-bound book starts with consideration of the maritime geography of the Soviet Union before providing an outline history of the pre-Bolshevik Russian merchant fleet, the fleet during the civil war and its subsequent recovery from 1922. Thereafter there is detailed consideration of the expansion of the Soviet merchant fleet during 1928-1937 under the first and second five-year plans followed by the reversal of that expansion as the rumblings of approaching war grew ever louder. The Great Patriotic War (1941-45) is covered in chapters describing the retreat and chaos of the 1st year of the conflict, the turning points in the 2nd year, the Soviet Union on the offensive in the 3rd year and victory in the 4th year including the brief war against Japan. In each of these four chapters the author outlines the role of the Soviet merchant marine describing its successes, failures and losses. Two chapters are devoted to the post-war recovery and the re-birth of the fleet during 1945-1950.
The book is completed by an outline fleet list of more than 800 ships and a comprehensive bibliography. The text is illustrated by 180 black & white photographs and 13 maps.
Please address orders (quoting membership number) to: WSS, 274 Seven Sisters Road, Willingdon, Eastbourne, BN22 0QW, United Kingdom
Payment by GBP cheque or credit card – stating Visa or Mastercard quoting card number, exact name on the card, card expiry date, the card validation number
Author: Graeme Somner, ISBN: 0-905617-46-0 Ref: 0070 Publication Date: May 1988 Member’s price: £2+p&p (£1.50 UK address or £2 outside of UK). Non-member’s price: £3+p&p (£1.50 to UK address or £2 outside of UK) [05.2010]
"George Gibson and Company" includes the fleet list and history of a Leith shipping company which can trace its origins back to 1797. Originally in ship- contains brief details of almost 1500 ships broking, the company bought its first ships in 1844 to carry on its trade with European ports which lasted until the mid-1960s. Since then Gibsons made the transition into the carriage of liguified gas, and then became associated with Anchor Line. This 80-page, A5 book, which describes 130 ships, is illustrated by 60 photographs.
Golden Cross Line, The (Owen & Watkin Williams of Cardiff)
Author: Dr. David Jenkins, ISBN: 0-905617-61-4 Ref: 0084 Publication Date: Jul 1991 Member’s price: £2+p&p (£1.50 UK address or £2 outside of UK). Non-member’s price: £3+p&p (£1.50 to UK address or £2 outside of UK) [05.2010]
Owen and Watkin Williams were different from the other Cardiff ship-owners. They did not rely on the tramp owners' traditional "coal out, grain home" trade, but also operated a liner service between the U.K. and Mediterranean ports, the Golden Cross Line. Natives of Edern in Caernarfonshire, the brothers obtained most of their crews and much of their capital from this rural community. They were also amongst the pioneers in the use of motor ships, although this contributed to their spectacular downfall. The story of Owen and Watkin Williams' fascinating career, the ships they owned between 1895 and 1928, the Golden Cross Line and the Company's rapid growth and even more rapid collapse is told in full with much background information on the ownership, financing and crewing of Cardiff ships. In its 72 pages, The Golden Cross Line also provides complete careers and details of 24 owned or managed ships and is illustrated by 40 photographs.
Authors: Kjell A. Axelson, Tomas Johannesson ISBN: 0-905617-36-3 Ref: 0061 Publication Date: Oct 1985 Member’s price: £2+p&p (£1.50 UK address or £2 outside of UK). Non-member’s price: £3+p&p (£1.50 to UK address or £2 outside of UK) [05.2010]
This 64-page A5 WSS fleet list and history concerns Gorthons Rederi A/B, one of Sweden's best-known shipping companies, and one particularly familiar in U.K. waters. Produced with the full co-operation of the company, the book tells how the Gorthon and Borjesson families entered shipowning in 1915 and traces the growth of the various companies in the Gorthon group and how they became involved in the carriage of forest products, citrus fruit and other trades. The fleet list details 74 ships and there are 84 black and white illustrations as well as a full-colour frontispiece and flags and funnel drawings
Author: W.J. Harvey, ISBN: 0-905617-83-5 Ref: 0107 Publication Date: Jan 1997 Member’s price: £5+p&p (£2.50 UK address or £3 outside of UK). Non-member’s price: £7.50+p&p (£2.50 to UK address or £3 outside of UK) [05.2010]
Today the number of British owners in the tramping or bulk trades is into single figures, yet within living memory there were hundreds. One notable survivor is the Hadley Shipping Co. Ltd., which was formed in 1926 to own tankers. This history begins with the formation of the Immingham Agency Co. in 1912 and included other associated companies: Coastal Tankers Ltd., Iranian Tanker Co. Ltd., and Leadenhall Shipping Co. Ltd. There is a fleet list covering 91 owned and managed ships, 110 illustrations, 10 in full colour. "Hadley" is an A5 hardback of 128 pages with a full cover dust jacket.
Author: K.J. O'Donoghue, H.S. Appleyard ISBN: 0-905617-41-X Ref: 0066 Publication Date: Nov 1986 Member’s price: £3+p&p (£2 UK address or £2.50 outside of UK). Non-member’s price: £4.50+p&p (£2 to UK address or £2.50 outside of UK) [05.2010]
This A5, 132-page Society publication traces the company history from the early days at St. Ives to the integration of the fleet into the P&O General Cargo Division in 1971. In addition to a full fleet list of Hain vessels, there are lists of the many managed vessels, including those managed for P&O. A useful appendix gives full details of the merchant aircraft carriers constructed during the Second World War, a number of which were managed by Hain. Further appendices include the submission by Lord Inchape to the P&O Board recommending the purchase of Hain in 1917, a listing of Hain vessels laid up in the River Fal and the origins and meanings of the famous TRE-names.
Author: Michael Dollenbacher, Reinhard H. Schnake Ref: 0075, ISBN: 0-905617-51-7, Member's price: £3+p&p (£2 to UK address or £3 to any other address) [05.2010]
Presents chronologies and fleet lists of the five major Hamburg ship towage companies: Peterson & Alpers, Fairplay, Louis Meyer, Lutgens & Reimers and Bugsier. This A5 softback covers well over 200 tugs, many being illustrated with fine action photographs showing other vessels and harbour scenes.
Author: A.A. McAlister, Leonard Gray ISBN: 0-905617-00-2 Ref: 0023 Publication Date: Oct 1976 Member’s price: £2+p&p (£1.50 UK address or £2 outside of UK). Non-member’s price: £3+p&p (£1.50 to UK address or £2 outside of UK) [05.2010]
This 56-page, A5 booklet describes the origins and history of the company from the mid 19th Century to 1976. The bulk of the booklet contains a fleet list of the 156 operated by Baron Line during the period from 1870 to 1976 as well as the 42 ships managed during the two World Wars. A total of 53 black and white and 2 colour pictures have been used have been used to illustrate this interesting volume.
Author: W.J. Harvey, ISBN: 978 0 954331 06 1, Ref: 0152, Publication Date: Oct 2005 Member’s price: £22+p&p (£5 UK address or £7 outside of UK). Non-member’s price: £33+p&p (£5 to UK address or £7 outside of UK) [05.2010]
Of Danish ancestry, a young Kristian S. Jebsen took a bold step during the Depression when he founded this prolific company at Bergen in 1929, and thus began a long and distinguished ship owning career, initially operating with small purpose-built cargo steamers. Having suffered heavily during WW2, Jebsen successfully rebuilt his business and alongside the renewed dry-cargo fleet he also entered the tanker trades, again with purpose built vessels, a strategy that was to benefit the company greatly in coming years and to establish Kristian Jebsens Rederi AS (KJR) as a household-name in the bulk shipping fraternity. In the 1960’s, dry-bulk trades became their forte as tankers were phased out. Large and medium ocean-going, and small coastal vessels and oil drilling rigs have since served an ever-increasing clientele, some vessels being tailored to meet their requirements. Having weathered many financial storms over the years, Jebsens through prudence and financial partnerships, some proven catastrophic, have survived and today with their large fleet of innovative self-unloading beltships, operating under many nationalities, offer quite a different portfolio to that of 1929.This 224 page, A4, case-bound volume with laminated colour cover, contains a foreword by Atle Jebsen, Chief Executive Officer until May 2005, and details the development of the group together with their fleet of over 200 controlled vessels, they being supplemented by over 30 chartered vessels. The book is illustrated with over 300 photographs and other images and provides a valuable insight to the vagaries of operating a large multi-national, contemporary shipping group.
Kelly's Navy: John Kelly Ltd., Belfast - A Group Fleet History of John Kelly Ltd of Belfast (hardback)
Author: W.J. Harvey, ISBN: 978 0 9560769 2 2, Ref: 0156, Publication Date: Dec 2009, Member's Price: £18 plus packing/parcel post of £5 (to a UK address), or £7 (elsewhere - surface mail), Non-Member Price: £27 plus packing/parcel post of £5 (to a UK address), or £7 (elsewhere - surface mail). [05.2010]
This 128 page A4 hardback, which describes fleet of colliers-general cargo ships run by John Kelly Ltd, starts with a historical overview of the Company's development from Samuel Kelly's early ventures into ship owning from 1861 to the establishment of John Kelly Ltd in April 1911. Thereafter the author considers the effects of the 1914 - 18 war; the post-war depression and the General Strike of 1926 and the 1939-45 conflict on the Company. Post-war, the Company faced several major problems including an ageing fleet, a shortage of coal and the potential changeover from the use of coal to oil by Irish customers. On the 1st April 1948, control passed out of family hands after 108 years and shareholders received a substantial sum to invest elsewhere, instead of having to raise a considerably larger amount to update their fleet and depots, for what was a doubtful future. Thereafter, the collier fleet gradually declined as oil brought about the demise of this coal-based "empire". As the seaborne coal trade became evermore limited to supplying coal-fired power stations so the size of colliers increased which limited the number of ports that could be used. The rise of the road network also helped to kill-off coastal shipping and the Company responded by using road transport to distribute oil and coal. In 1987 they established, in association with Ken and Margaret McClelland, the Dragon Line in 1987, to ship containerised coal to Northern Ireland, initially smokeless fuel from the S. Wales coalfields. So it was that the new generation of Kelly 'collier' would henceforth travel by rail, sea and road 'door to door'. In 1990 the surviving four ships of the Kelly fleet were sold to Powell Duffryn Shipping Ltd., managed by Stephenson Clarke Shipping Ltd. Although the name Kelly is still seen around Ireland in the 21st Century, it is but a distant memory of the family business and 'Kelly's Navy' in the many ports around the country in the 19th and 20th Century. [11.2009]
The bulk of the book is devoted to providing a detailed three-part list of the ships that formed "Kelly's Navy". Part One contains a list of Family Fleets surrounding the main fleet. Part Two contains the fleet of John Kelly Ltd and ships managed by John Kelly Ltd and Part Three contains shipowning subsidiaries of John Kelly Ltd. This volume, which describes over 200 vessels, is completed by three appendices, a ship index and illustrated by 140 black and white photographs.
Author: David Eccles, ISBN: 978 0 954331 05 4, Ref: 0151, Publication Date: 2005 Member’s price: £12+p&p (£3 UK address or £4 outside of UK). Non-member’s price: £18+p&p (£3 to UK address or £4 outside of UK) [05.2010]
This 108 page, A4, soft cover volume, containing over 100 images, details the fortunes of the Larrinaga Steam Ship Company that occupies a unique position in the history of modern merchant shipping. It started in 1863 when a family of Spanish merchants opened an agency at Liverpool to trade to the Spanish colonies. Beginning as ship chandlers and commission merchants, the firm progressed to become involved in all branches of shipping – ship owning, ship broking, cargo broking and general ship and cargo agency. At the end of the 19th century, it moved away from its original trades to become a British company trading to North and South America with a fleet of cargo liners. This business was maintained until World War Two, when the company suffered heavy losses. After the war, Larrinaga rebuilt its business around tramp shipping. When the company was finally wound up in 1974, having operated 72 owned including SD14’s and 21 managed vessels it was the last general cargo tramp ship owner in Liverpool. Throughout its history, the company remained a private family business with the unique distinction of having three managing directors each of equal standing.
London & Overseas Freighters PLC - History and Fleet List 1948-1992
Author: Mark Kinnaird, Kevin O'Donoghue ISBN: 0-905617-68-1 Ref: 0026 Publication Date: Nov 1992 Member’s price: £3+p&p (£2 UK address or £2.50 outside of UK). Non-member’s price: £4.50+p&p (£2 to UK address or £2.50 outside of UK) [05.2010]
One of the U.K.'s few thriving shipping companies is featured in this completely updated and revised edition of a popular book, first published in 1977. London and Overseas Freighters Limited was formed in 1948 by the Mavroleon and Kulukundis families and, beginning with a small fleet of war-built cargo ships, went on to become a major British operator of tramp tankers and bulk carriers. The 120 pages of this book bring the story of L.O.F. and its associated companies up to 1992 and a total of 135 illustrations are included in this A5 book.
Author: David Burrell, ISBN: 0-905617-77-0 Ref: 0100 Publication Date: 1996, Member’s price: £3+p&p (£2 UK address or £2.50 outside of UK). Non-member’s price: £4.50+p&p (£2 to UK address or £2.50 outside of UK) [05.2010]
Often known as the Anglo Line, the Nitrate Producers S.S. Co. Ltd. was managed by Lawther, Latta & Co. Ltd., London, from its birth in 1895 until wound up in 1943. A well known and highly respected tramp company, they were closely associated with the Chilean nitrate trade, having been founded with the blessing of Colonel J.T. North, the "Nitrate King". In addition to a history of the company, and associated fleets, the account reviews the history of the South American nitrate trade, the controversial career of the "Nitrate King" and the development of artificial nitrates. Other areas examined, due to Lawther and Latta involvement, include Yukon gold, the loss of the TITANIC and the later career of Captain Lord of the CALIFORNIAN, and Merchant Navy Victoria Crosses. This 111-page, A5 soft cover book contains over 80 photographs and a full fleet list.
Author: Bjørn Pedersen, F.W. Hawks ISBN: 0-905617-79-7 Ref: 0101 Publication Date: 1995 Member’s price: £4+p&p (£1.50 UK address or £2 outside of UK). Non-member’s price: £6+p&p (£1.50 to UK address or £2 outside of UK) [05.2010]
During its 85-year existence, the Norwegian America Line has gone from being Norway's major transatlantic passenger carrier to its present position as one of the world's premier vehicle-carrying shipping companies. This short, but authoritative, history, written by one of the company's vice-presidents, and fleet list contains within its 80 pages 114 photographs and 3 line drawings of the 108 vessels with which the company has had an ownership or chartering interest. A5 softback.
Author: F.W. Perry, W.A. Laxon ISBN: 0-905617-62-2, Ref: 0085, Publication Date: Oct 1991 Member’s price: £2+p&p (£1.50 UK address or £2 outside of UK). Non-member’s price: £3+p&p (£1.50 to UK address or £2 outside of UK) [05.2010]
Captain James Nourse took delivery of his first ship, the GANGES, in 1861 and went on to build up one of the last great fleets of sailing ships. It was not until 1904, long after the founder's death, that the Nourse Line took delivery of its first ocean-going steamer. The coolie trade from Calcutta to the West Indies was the basis of the company's success, and the abolition of this trade in 1914 was a factor in the company selling out to P&O in 1917. Even so, the Nourse Line retained its identity until its owner's rationalisations in the 1960s. In 56 pages, Nourse Line outlines the company's history, provides full details of its 38 sailing and 31 powered ships, and includes 59 illustrations including a drawing of the tug HUGHLI. Appendices explain the origin and termination of the coolie trade, examine the extraordinary casualty rate which Nourse ships suffered, give full details of the ships' livery and explain the origins of their names.
Obdurate to Daring: British Fleet Destroyers 1941-1945 (hardback)
SOLD OUT
Author: John English, ISBN: 978 0 9560769 0 8, Ref: 0155, Publication Date: Oct 2008 Member's price: £22.00 + p&p (£5 to UK address or £8 outside of UK . Non-member's price: £33.00 + p&p (£5 to UK address or £8 outside of UK. [05.2010]
The majority of the ships discussed in this volume were intermediate destroyers, based on the pre-war J-class hull and machinery, with a Tribal bow and an armament that could be supplied by the reduced number of ordnance works that had survived the depression. The Os and Ps had been designed pre-war and were ordered on the outbreak of war, as part of the War Emergency programme and provided the first reinforcements, other than the HUNT class destroyers, for the decimated destroyer flotillas during 1941-42. The Os were the basis of a series of 72 destroyers that were to be completed during 1942 - 1946. These ships were adequate, but their AA armament was weak and they were criticised for their short endurance when compared with USN vessels. The Z - C classes were nearly obsolete, when completed. Fortunately, their relatively late entry into service, and the complete air supremacy of the Allies, meant that their losses were limited. From 1942 these standard destroyers were replaced in the construction programme by the radically bigger Battles and later Darings while the smaller destroyer yards were to be kept busy building the Weapon class intermediate-size destroyers. Many of these vessels were cancelled at the end of the war, including the whole of the projected Gallant class, intermediate destroyer which was a development of the Weapon class. These destroyers provided the backbone of the Royal Navy's destroyer and frigate squadrons into the 1960’s when age and obsolescence finally caught up with them. Fortunately they were amenable to conversion and the Type 15 conversion programme was one of the most successful ever undertaken. T Created and built to wartime specifications, they gave sterling service for the Royal Navy and other navies for over 30 years.
This hardcover, 216 page A4 book, which describes the origins, specifications and development of each design, contains the service histories of 113 destroyers and is illustrated by 170 black and white photographs. The volume is completed by a ship index and seven appendices detailing building dates and the various conversions undertaken or proposed post-war.
Ritsons' Branch Line: The Nautilus Steam Shipping Co Ltd of Sunderland
Author: Malcolm Cooper, ISBN: 0-905617-99-1, Ref: 0125, Publication Date: Sep 2002 Member’s price: £10+p&p (£2 UK address or £3 outside of UK). Non-member’s price: £15+p&p (£2 to UK address or £3 outside of UK) [05.2010]
This book provides a fascinating insight into the lost history of one of the medium-sized companies that flourished in the heyday of British steam shipping, but failed to survive the twin challenges of war and economic depression in the first half of the 20th century. The Ritson family of Sunderland entered ship owning in the 1820s, gradually building up a small fleet through the middle years of the century. In 1881, they entered steam when they formed the "Nautilus Steam Shipping Co Ltd" and adopted the Branch nomenclature with which they were to be associated for the next 50 years. In common with most early steam concerns, Nautilus started in European before moving to more distant waters, and by the end of the century Branch ships were trading worldwide. The company then moved into the liner trade by taking over the "Gulf Line" service to the east coast of South America, and by the First World War was exclusively devoted to this challenging and often dangerous business. Branch ships were heavily involved in the Great War and suffered heavy losses, the first to a surface raider in 1914 and the last in a heroic action as a Q-ship in 1918. Post was renewal placed a heavy financial burden on Nuatilus and the company struggled to make a profit thereafter. Bankruptcy finally ended Nautilus's 50-year history in 1931, although some of it's well maintained fleet sailed on into the 1950s under other colours. This Quarto sized softback book has 104 pages with 67 illustrations.
Author: Rev. A Huckett, ISBN: 0-905617-97-5, Ref: 0132, Publication Date: Feb 2002 Member’s price: £6+p&p (£2 UK address or £3 outside of UK). Non-member’s price: £9+p&p (£2 to UK address or £3 outside of UK) [05.2010]
Well known for their oil and chemical tankers with names such as RUDDERMAN and TANKERMAN, Rowbothams had a surprisingly long history. Their first wooden sailing ship was launched in 1879, and dry cargo coasters were acquired in 1899. The company specialised in carrying heavy cargo for the Admiralty, and only when this business declined after the First World War did they turn to the coastal tanker trades. In this they were particularly successful, and built up a business, which made their tankers common sights in British and European oil ports. The ships kept their distinctive names through sale of the company to US concerns and to P&O, who renamed the company P&O Tankships. Rowbotham Shipping tells the history of the company and lists all ships owned up to late 1996 when acquisition by James Fisher and Sons saw the tankers renamed. Fleet list data is correct to May 2001. As well as 62 owned vessels, also detailed are the 78 vessels, which were managed during war or peace, including a remarkable variety of craft, from tugs, X lighters, hopper barges and tankers. There are three fascinating accounts of service in Rowbotham vessels during and just after the Second World War. Every possible ship is illustrated, and there are eight pages in colour. This 120-page, A5 softback, Rowbotham Shipping makes a worthy addition to the library of every shipping enthusiast
Safmarine, (The South African Marine Corporation Ltd.), A Group History (hardback)
[05.2010] Very limited copies available
Author: W J Harvey, C R Mackenzie ISBN: 0-905617-98-3, Ref: 0133, Publication Date: May 2002 Member’s price: £16+p&p (£5 UK address or £6 outside of UK). Non-member’s price: £24+p&p (£5 to UK address or £6 outside of UK)
This 160 page, company history sees the authors provide an intriguing insight into the activities and development of the South African Marine Corporation Ltd., from its inception in 1946, through numerous restructuring processes, until finally being split-up and sold in 1999 after only 53 years. Within its A4 laminated hardcover, are 246 photographs and details of the lengths to which the company, long associated with Cayzer, Irvine (Clan Line) and later the British & Commonwealth Group, was prepared to go to maintain its trading position during South Africa's political exile. Apart from the front-line fleet, the group also operated a secondary "ghost" fleet, comprising, tankers up to and including the VLCC type, passenger vessels, cargo-liners, refrigerated cargo vessels, bulk carriers, and ore carriers, all of which were registered outside South Africa to over seventy companies. Other vessels were also operated, as equal or majority partnerships. All of the foregoing vessels are detailed in a single chronological fleet, listing 132 vesels that carried over 220 names for the company. The few managed, and 40 or so other vessels, contained in five appendices, include the associate Safocean Group, the German controlled, Globus Reederei and their subsidiary South African Lines Ltd., both acquired by Safmarine in 1973 following years of competition, chartered vessels that carried company name style and, finally, the container liner fleet of Safmarine (Pty) Ltd., after its sale to A.P. Moller of Denmark.
Author: R H Greenwood, F.W. Hawks ISBN: 0-905617-76-2 Ref: 0097 Publication Date: Apr 1995 Member’s price: £1+p&p (£1.00 UK address or £1.50 outside of UK). Non-member’s price: £1.50+p&p (£1.00 to UK address or £1.50 outside of UK) [05.2010]
This booklet tells the story of one of the pioneer British Shipping Companies, dating from 1822, which ran services on the Irish Sea and across the North Sea between Hull and Continental ports. Within its fleet were vessels which became the first steamships to cross the Atlantic and to go to Australia, and the first steam merchant ship to be seen in New Zealand waters. The 24 pages give the history of the Company and details of 44 vessels which made up the fleet.
Author: D.C.E. Burrell, ISBN: 0-905617-29-0 Ref: 0053 Publication Date: Dec 1983 Member’s price: £3+p&p (£1.50 UK address or £2 outside of UK). Non-member’s price: £4.50+p&p (£1.50 to UK address or £2 outside of UK) [05.2010]
An important and fascinating A5-size book for anyone interested in ships and shipping in the immediate pre-war years. It describes the attempts made by government to aid the depressed British shipping industry in the 1930s -- both the "Scrap and Build" scheme introduced in 1935 and the Shipping Loan scheme of 1939. There is much historical background to the schemes, an assessment of their success and much additional information in 10 appendices. A major part of "Scrap and Build" comprises full details and careers of ships built under the schemes, listed by owners, and details of the vessels scrapped - many of which were bought for the purpose from overseas. There are also 70 photographs, many of considerable historical interest.
Author: W J Harvey, ISBN: 0-9543310-3-6 Ref: 0142 Publication Date: 2004 Member’s price: £14+p&p (£4 UK address or £5 outside of UK). Non-member’s price: £21+p&p (£4 to UK address or £5 outside of UK) [05.2010]
Thomas Jack was a multi faceted figure within the maritime fraternity of Larne. From 1888 he participated in collier owning, through numerous companies that, in 1897, united as Shamrock Shipping, and became associated with J. T. Duncan of Cardiff. Thomas Jack was also involved in yacht building and brokerage. David Dorman, in 1881, commenced business in the timber trades with sailing vessels, before withdrawing from the ship-owning aspect through involvement with Glen & Company of Glasgow. In 1976, the Belfast based Dorman Timber Group rescued the struggling Shamrock Shipping Company and through that action returned to ship-owning. This A4 - hard laminate colour cover volume, contains 128 pages of facts and figures, on both the aforementioned companies together with their fleets, totalling 94 vessels. Profusely illustrated with over 100 illustrations and photographs, this work gives an insight into the vagaries of the coal transportation and timber trades from the late 19th Century, through two World Wars, The Depression, a brief venture into deep sea shipping, onto the modern day coastal container and bulk trades, the latter continued today through the Dorman Family investment in several ship-owning partnerships.
Author: Henry C. Spong & Richard H. Osborne, ISBN: 978 0 9560769 3 9, Ref: 0158, Publication Date: 2012 Member's Price: £32 plus postage/packing of £7 if delivered to UK address, or £11 to other than a UK address, or £12 Airmail to Europe, £21 Airmail ROW Non-Member Price: £48 plus postage/packing of £7 if delivered to UK address, or £11 to other than a UK address, or £12 Airmail to Europe, £21 Airmail ROW [01.2012]
Shaw, Savill together with Henderson’s Albion Line were the senior companies in the trade between New Zealand and the UK until the advent of the New Zealand Shipping Co Ltd in 1873. The founding of the latter partly contributed to the merger of 1882 and the formation of Shaw, Savill & Albion Co Ltd. Without the merger, both concerns would have probably fallen by the wayside and be lost to history. Instead, thanks to the involvement of the White Star Line, the new company prospered and for nearly one hundred years traded successfully until overtaken by the decline of the British Empire, the rise of the European Common Market and the introduction of the container ship. Shaw, Savill & Albion was considered by some to be very Victorian in its attitude to staff and conservative in the design of its ships leading to the well-known phrase ‘Slow, Starvation and Agony’. However, the company’s ships were designed to transport large specialised cargoes over some of the longest and loneliest routes in the world and, in most cases, they did it efficiently. Shaw, Savill & Albion had one of its ships, GOTHIC, chosen as a Royal Yacht and introduced the engines aft passenger liner SOUTHERN CROSS which became the fore-runner of the modern cruise ship.
This 264 page, A4 case-bound book starts with consideration of the Albion and Shaw, Savill Lines before discussion of the merger of 1882 and the subsequent history of Shaw, Savill & Albion Co Ltd from 1882–1918. Thereafter, the authors discuss the company in the inter-war period, including the collapse of the Royal Mail group and Shaw, Savill & Albion’s acquisition by the Furness Withy and the company’s role in World War 2. The post-war passenger and cargo ships are discussed along with the final demise of the company. The book, which is illustrated by 170 black & white and 50 colour photographs, contains comprehensive fleet lists including those ships managed and chartered by the company.
Author: Jack M. Dakres, ISBN: 0-905617-71-1, Ref: 0090, Publication Date: Jan 1993 Member’s price: £3+p&p (£2 UK address or £2.50 outside of UK). Non-member’s price: £4.50+p&p (£2 to UK address or £2.50 outside of UK) [05.2010]
The first WSS publication devoted to a single shipbuilder looks at the history and output of a yard on the River Ribble which built an astonishing number and variety of small craft. In the 1860s, Richard Smith and Co. began building sailing ships, cargo steamers, tugs and yachts, mainly for British owners. In 1893 the yard became the Lytham Shipbuilding and Engineering Co. Ltd. and diversified even further, building coasters for the Irish Sea, sternwheelers for East and West Africa, river steamers for India and South America, tugs and lighters for practically everywhere. Wartime output included launches, minesweepers, a variety of tugs, water boats and landing craft. The yard had its own engine works, which supplied other builders. A History of Shipbuilding at Lytham traces the origins of the local shipbuilding industry, and describes how the Lytham yard developed, building itself a fine reputation for workmanship and delivery. There is background material on the South American and African industries whose development provided the yard with so many orders. Lytham's prolific output is listed, with details of all the many hundreds of ships known to have been built locally. Each entry gives yard number when known, name, type, original owner, launch and trials dates, principal dimensions and details of machinery. Photographs and illustrations of representative vessels and constructional scenes make this 144-page, A5 book a valuable contribution to the history of British shipbuilding.
PLEASE NOTE: The paper format edition of this publication is no longer available. Instead, it is now available on CD.
Author: Rowan Hackman, ISBN: 0 905617 96 7, Ref: 0130, Publisher: World Ship Society, Feb 2002, Status: Out of Print, but now available on CD direct from World Ship Society, 101 The Everglades, Hempstead, Gillingham, Kent ME7 3PZ United Kingdom. Members price for CD: £13 (mailed to UK address) or £14 (mailed to other than a UK address) Non-member price: £19 (mailed to a UK address) or £20 (mailed to other than a UK address) [Prices include postage and packing] [09.2011]
Rowan Hackman, who died in 2001, devoted many years to researching the ships owned by the Honourable East India Company, and this book is the fruit of his work. In 344 A5 pages it lists many thousands of ships, giving for each name, rig, major dimensions, builder, owner, a list with dates of voyages in East India service, and details of her fate where known.
Ships are listed in the following sections: major ships 1600-1708, major ships of the united company 1708-1834, ships chartered 1708-1834, 'interlopers', company warships and pilot vessels. There is a brief chronology of the main events in the company's history and a full bibliography. The book includes three reproductions of contemporary illustrations, but essentially is a reference work.
Short Sea: Long War (Cross-Channel Ships' Naval & Military Service in WWII)
Author: John de S. Winser, ISBN: 0-905617-86-X Ref: 0108 Publication Date: May 1997 Member’s price: £8+p&p (£2 UK address or £3 outside of UK). Non-member’s price: £12+p&p (£2 to UK address or £3 outside of UK) [05.2010]
In its 160 pages, Short Sea: Long War tells the comprehensive World War II story of the Belgian, Dutch and French cross-Channel ships, as well as those of Britain's railways, the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company and Coast Lines' Liverpool and Glasgow fleets. This is the story of 119 merchant vessels, switched from peacetime short sea crossings to diverse naval and military roles during the long war years. The book describes the extraordinary variety of duties these ships performed: they served in more than 40 different roles from blockships to depot ships, as minelayers and netlayers, for helicopter training and radar training, from balloon carrying to landing craft carrying, convoy escorting to convoy rescuing. The book outlines the operations involved, few British amphibious operations in World War II were without some cross-channel ship involvement. The book gives the overall view in clear narrative form, then zooms in with graphic detail on specific events. It contains 132 illustrations, the majority unpublished previously.
Author: Arnold Hague, ISBN: 0-905617-67-3 Ref: 0091 Publication Date: May 1993 Member’s price: £4+p&p (£2 UK address or £3 outside of UK). Non-member’s price: £6+p&p (£2 to UK address or £3 outside of UK) [05.2010]
This third book in the WSS series on British destroyer and escort types in World War II gives the background to the first sloop design post-1918, and the subsequent development of the type up to 1939, with an explanation of the thinking behind the resultant ships. The later developments, in the "Modified Black Swans", and the wartime modifications to the pre-war types are fully covered. This detailed review is accompanied by individual ship histories for all 71 units built for the Royal Navy, Royal Australian and Royal Indian Navies, 124 pages in total forming a comprehensive description of these important ships. The text is supported by 153 photographs, many published for the first time, and illustrating the numerous changes effected during the ships' lives. Included in the text are a number of tables: lists of lady sponsors at launching, ultimate fates and disposals, pennant numbers and a list of submarine sinkings updated from the latest MOD (Navy) research.
Author: W J Harvey, ISBN: 0-9543310-7-9, Ref: 0153, Publication Date: 2006 Member’s price: £25+p&p (£5 UK address or £8 outside of UK). Non-member’s price: £37.50+p&p (£5 to UK address or £8 outside of UK) [05.2010]
Overshadowed by the outbreak of the Second World War, Sten A. Olsson in 1939, established a trading company in Gothenburg and in doing so, laid the foundations for today’s multi-faceted, international trading group, with a diverse portfolio ranging from metals recovery, property, diagnostics, through to ship design, ownership, management, chartering – both in and out, these activities covering cargo vessels, tankers, oil rigs and ferries. Sten diversified into ship owning in 1946 when he purchased an old whaler, converted her into a cargo vessel named DAN after his son, now Chief Executive of the Stena Group, which over the past 15-years has enjoyed a rapid growth in both size and strength, achieved through acquisition of other companies, such as Sealink-British Ferries, Sweferry Ab, and Universe Tankships, together with a carefully structured development of core activities, controlled from Sweden, the U.K. and U.S.A. At the request of, and with assistance from the Stena Executive’s representative, this 256 page, A4 book with laminated colour, hard cover, has been produced to commemorate their achieving sixty-years in the shipping business, and is illustrated with 325 monochrome and 54 colour images. It has been designed as four chronological-books within one, rather than our normal single chronological fleet. An overview of the Stena Group development, leads the reader into part one which provides an introductory narrative about the dry-cargo operation, followed by that fleet. Part two, similarly laid out, covers tanker operations and that fleet, part three ferry operations and finally, part four covers the offshore oil industry activities, and is followed by a comprehensive index and a 16-page colour photograph section. Of the fleets, including vessels under construction or on order, there are no less than 420 vessels detailed, of which over 270 were owned, 130 chartered or either commercially or technically managed through Stena subsidiaries – Swedish Caledonian, now Northern Marine Management, and the remainder part-owned through associated companies.
Author: K S Garrett, ISBN: 0-905617-84-3, Ref: 0134 Publication Date: Jul 2002 Member’s price: £10+p&p (£2. UK address or £3. outside of UK). Non-member’s price: £15+p&p (£2. to UK address or £3 outside of UK) [05.2010]
Most enthusiasts will know Thomas Watson (Shipping) Ltd. for their fleet of coasters and larger vessels with 'Lady' names and interesting histories - most of them were bought second-hand. But there is much more to this Rochester-based company. As well as their 39 coasters, they owned 55 sailing barges, which became familiar along the Medway and the Thames. Dutch coasters were also managed during the Second World War, and the book also includes full details of the 37 sailing barges built by Edmund G. Watson. This excellent book is from an author who knows the area and its shipowners well, and tells how the Watson and Bradley families built up the business, through their intimate acquaintance with local commerce and industry. Indeed, it takes the story to its finale, as Thomas Watson (Shipping) Ltd. closed down in 2000 in the face of a further downturn in the market for their type of ships. The book serves as a memorial to a small but well-run company. With 96 quarto-size pages, "Thomas Watson" includes details of some 136 vessels, with illustrations of all the steam and motor vessels, and many of the sailing vessels. Softcover containing 86 black and white and 4 colour photographs.
Trades Increase, The: A Centenary History of Norex, plc (founded in 1893 as the 'Hindustan' Steam Shipping Company Limited, managed by Common Brothers
Author: John Lingwood, Kevin O'Donoghue ISBN: 0-905617-74-6 Ref: 0093 Publication Date: 1993, Member’s price: £5+p&p (£2 UK address or £3 outside of UK). Non-member’s price: £7.50+p&p (£2 to UK address or £3 outside of UK) [05.2010]
The ships and companies managed by Common Brothers and their successors are the subject of the latest Society history of a major shipping company. Formed in 1893, the Hindustan Steam Shipping Co. Ltd. was the first of a number of tramping companies whose success meant that managers Common Brothers developed into one of Britain's major shipping companies. After the Second World War, Common Brothers became involved in the liner trades through the Australia China Line, and managed a considerable fleet of tankers and ore carriers. Efforts to enter the Ro-Ro and cruise ship trades were fraught with difficulty, however, and resulted in control passing to the Norwegian Norex Corporation, although the Common family are still involved. The 200 pages of the "Trades Increase" tell the fascinating story of the company's ups and downs and in the usual W.S.S. fashion give full details of around 170 owned and managed ships, most of which are illustrated.
Author: M.J. Witley, ISBN: 0-905617-39-8 Ref: 0063 Publication Date: Mar 1986 Member’s price: £1+p&p (£1.00 UK address or £1.50 outside of UK). Non-member’s price: £1.50+p&p (£1.00 to UK address or £1.50 outside of UK) [05.2010]
In this 24-page booklet the author traces the design considerations of the Type 35s and details the careers of the 12 ships involved. They were lightly-built sea-going craft of about 860 metric tonnes displacement powered by high-pressure steam turbines which gave them a speed of 35 knots. War circumstances prevented their employment in the designed role, with the result that much of their service was as escort vessels. They did, however, perform well as minelayers and in this role carried 60 mines. Details are given of the ships' war-time activities and the various engagements in which they were involved. There are 13 half-tone illustrations of Type 35s at various stages of the war, showing the changes in armament and different styles of painting and camouflage. The centrespread is an elevation and plan showing the original design and the work is completed by a table giving details of builders, dates and fates.
Warships for Export - Armstrong Warships 1867-1927
Author: Dr Peter Brook, ISBN: 0-905617-89-4 Ref: 0116 Publication Date: Jun 1999 Member’s price: £12+p&p (£3.50 UK address or £4.50 outside of UK). Non-member’s price: £18+p&p (£3.50 to UK address or £4.50 outside of UK) [05.2010]
This WSS warship monographs deals not with a single class or type of ship but with the products of a single shipbuilder, Armstrongs. In the Pre-Dreadnought and Dreadnought eras Armstrong's were warship builders to the world supplying most smaller navies and some major ones with battleships and armoured cruisers, submarines as well as a few destroyers and torpedo craft. In many cases Armstrong's designers were untrammelled by demands from naval staffs, and showed what the naval architect could produce when allowed his head. The book contains design and in-service histories of each ship built, from the Rendel gunboats of the 1860s and 1870s to the armoured gunboat for Thailand and the submarine for Yugoslavia completed in the 1920s, besides details of the many unbuilt designs, particularly the Dreadnoughts offered to South American and smaller European navies in the years of the great arms race before the Kaiser War. There is also a history of the firm and biographical details of the Chief Designers. This is a softback, quarto-size book of 243 pages, it is fully illustrated with 160 photographs (some never published before) of every ship plus 93 line drawings, 73 of which were drawn by Ian Sturton. The latter include drawings of the unbuilt designs as well as a table of Armstrong guns and a full bibliography and index.
Author: Ken S. Garrett, ISBN: 0-905617-90-8 Ref: 0118 Publication Date: Dec 1999 Member’s price: £2+p&p (£1.50 UK address or £2 outside of UK). Non-member’s price: £3+p&p (£1.50 to UK address or £2 outside of UK) [05.2010]
For the relatively few years of its existence as a shipping company, Weston Shipping exerted a considerable influence on the U.K. and near continental coastal trades. Conceived as a means of ensuring supplies of grain to the mills of the parent company, Associated British Foods, the fleet became an expensive luxury when freight rates declined and the U.K. became a net exporter of wheat. The good looking ships will be remembered for their attractive livery and the Sunblest funnel motif. "Weston Shipping" is published in A5 softback format and contains 48 pages plus 4 pages of colour photographs of representative ships. Full details are provided of 19 ships, 2 sailing barges and 6 canal craft. There is at least one photograph of each ship and sometimes more.
Author: G.E. Langmuir, G.H. Somner ISBN: 0-905617-42-8 Ref: 0067 Publication Date: Mar 1987 Member’s price: £1+p&p (£1.00 UK address or £1.50 outside of UK). Non-member’s price: £1.50+p&p (£1.00 to UK address or £1.50 outside of UK) [05.2010]
William Sloan and Co. Ltd. was best known for its passenger and cargo service between Glasgow, Belfast and the Bristol Channel. This book outlines the history of the company, from its early days transporting chemicals between Glasgow and Hull, Newcastle and London, through the introduction of steamers and the changes that took place over the years on the Bristol Channel service until the final voyage in 1968. During its 143 years the company was served by 22 sailing and 36 powered vessels, and all are fully detailed. There are 23 photographs and the cover depicts the house flags and funnel colours used over the years.
Author: John Harrower, ISBN: 0-905617-72-X, Ref: 0114, Publication Date: May 1998 Member’s price: £8+p&p (£5 UK address or £7 outside of UK). Non-member’s price: £12+p&p (£5 to UK address or £7 outside of UK) [05.2010]
Superlatives surround Wilson Line: the largest privately-owned shipping company, Hull's biggest enterprise, and a company which largely kept its identity for 140 years. Thos. Wilson, Sons and Co. Ltd. could trace its history as shipowners from 1830. Bought by John Ellerman in 1917, the company became Ellerman's Wilson Line but retained a high degree of autonomy, keeping its distinctive colour and naming schemes, routes and management in Hull. The WSS book is something of a record breaker, too, having been on the stocks for a number of years. But it has been well worth the wait for this A4-sized, 216-page hardback. A detailed and very readable history of the company is followed by full details and careers of 365 owned vessels. These range from tugs, through many short-sea cargo and passenger ships and deep-sea cargo liners, to ro-ro and container carriers, the majority of which are illustrated. The 69 managed ships are even more diverse, including a number of Scandinavian flags and funnels including those of the major companies taken over, and an attractive full-colour dust jacket. Wilson Line was a major part of the British merchant navy, and in “Wilson Line” it at last has a history which does it full justice. Contains 319 illustrations.
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PLEASE NOTE: The paper format edition of this publication is no longer available. Instead, it is now available on CD. 
