Ships category: 1007 books

The untold history of the maritime branches of two giants of early-twentieth-century Canadian railroads. The Grand Trunk Pacific Railway and the Canadian Northern Railway, two giants of Canadian rail transportation, each operated maritime shipping ventures during the early twentieth century. Numerous...

The Port of Holyhead has a long history and is now operated by Stena Line Ports Ltd. The company took over ownership of the port from Sea Containers in 1990, which only six years previously assumed control of the harbour as part of the Sealink privatisation. Ranked as the United Kingdom's third-busiest...

The Royal Mail has, for over 500 years, provided a crucial service in keeping people connected by land, sea and air. As the British Empire grew, so too did the need for a fleet of liners to service it, and in 1839 Queen Victoria granted the initial Royal Charter incorporating the Royal Mail Steam...

The launch in 1606 of HMS Dreadnought, the worlds's first all-big-gun battleship, rendered all existing battle fleets obsolete, but at the same time it wiped out the Royal Navy's numerical advantage, so expensively maintained for decades. Already locked in the same arms race with Germany, Britain...

First published in 1768, this remarkable collection of sophisticated line drawings offers a fascinating look at the maritime world of the eighteenth century, documenting merchant and naval ships from various countries. Seventy detailed illustrations chart vessel dimensions, crew size, storage capabilities,...

This vintage book is authentic tales of nineteenth-century seafaring adventures and experiences. These exciting stories will appeal to those with an interest in maritime history and would prove invaluable for research purposes. Contents include: “Allen, of the Chesapeake”, “Reuben James, Able...

In 1908, the White Star Line announced it was constructing a pair of sister ships at the Harland & Wolff yard in Belfast. The new behemoths would dwarf even the largest ships of the time, being fully one-third larger than any ship afloat. They would also be the most sumptuous vessels built to...

At the beginning of the last century it was possible to sail from London to Glasgow via the south coast ports and Belfast, returning along the east coast from either Dundee or Leith for as little as five pounds. Those were the days when 300 passengers were landed twice weekly at Grangemouth or Dundee...

Like its highly successful predecessors, French Battleships and French Cruisers, this beautifully presented book blends technical and historical analysis to produce the only comprehensive study of French destroyers in the English language. Between the world wars, France produced some of the largest...

In 1897, a revolutionary new type of ship blasted its way through the Royal Review at an unprecedented 30+ knots. This small vessel, still extant in Newcastle, was the Turbinia, and she was powered by the world's first marine steam turbine. Developed by Charles Parsons, in one fell swoop she revolutionised...

Since the dawn of steam navigation, people have taken pleasure cruises in Britain’s rivers and estuaries and along the coast. Andrew Gladwell takes us on a tour of the south coast of England, illustrating the story of the paddle and pleasure steamers from south Devon to Sussex. Southampton and Bournemouth...

When Arthur Anderson invited William Makepeace Thackeray to take a cruise in 1844, and to write about it, British shipping lines offered passage on their vessels for no other reason than leisure. By the 1880s, passenger ships designed solely for cruising were being built, and the cruise ships kept...

In 2010, the world's oldest steamship line celebrated its 180th anniversary. For 183 years, the Isle of Man Steam Packet Co. has been the lifeline to the island, providing passenger and freight services for the island. Almost into the twentieth century, the ships were primarily paddle steamers but...

During World War I, the American Merchant Marine meant dangerous duty. Sailors on cargo ships faced the daily threat of enemy submarines, along with the usual hazards of life at sea, and help was rarely close enough for swift rescues. Pre-war shipping in America depended mainly on foreign vessels,...