Maritime books and records

The maritime collection contains comprehensive information on all aspect of merchant shipping and some information on naval history. It is particularly strong on the history of ships and shipping lines. The collection of marine registers is one of the best on open access in the UK. It includes almost complete runs of Lloyd's Registers, Mercantile Navy Lists and Board of Trade Enquiries into Wrecks.

Visit our Portcities Southampton website for a wealth of information on the history of the port of Southampton and on merchant shipping in general. The site also contains thousands of photographs and drawings of ships. The Board of Trade Wreck Reports are also being added to the site, with hundreds already available. Click on the Portcities Southampton link in the right hand column to access this site.

Sources for the history of ships and shipping lines

Discover the history of individual ships and shipping lines using our excellent collection of maritime registers. You can find out which registers we hold and how you can access them on this page.

Sources for the history of warships and merchant shipping

You can find out about the history of all kinds of shipping at Southampton libraires. The following pages give you information on what reference material we hold.

Books and other information on the Titanic

Southampton library has an excellent collection of material on the 'Titanic' visit this page to find out more.