Information Sheets

Lloyd’s Register cannot always help with your enquiries, so we have compiled this list of suggested sources to help you, when we are unable to. Download the information sheet here.

Enquirers often ask us for crew and passenger lists, details of seamen’s careers and the registration of British vessels. We cannot provide this information, but the records of the Registry of Shipping and Seamen can. This information sheet explains the sources briefly and gives contact details for the institutions that hold them. Download the information sheet here.

Contrary to popular belief, Lloyd’s Register and Lloyd’s of London are two completely separate organisations, sharing only the origin of their names. The Lloyd’s Marine collection, held at the Guildhall Library, contains archive records from Lloyd’s of London, such as the Lloyd’s Captains’ Register, Lloyd’s List and voyage record cards. This information sheet explains the records briefly and gives contact details for the Guildhall Library. Download the information sheet here.

Addresses for research institutions, libraries and museums in North America and Canada. Download the information sheet here.

Historical information about the development of yacht racing and Lloyd’s Register’s Rules for the Classification of Yachts. Download the information sheet here.

The ships of the Honourable East India Company (HEIC) were the largest merchantmen of late 18th and early 18th centuries. Download this information sheet for a guide to records available on the HEIC and its ships. Download the information sheet here.

Addresses for research institutions, libraries and museums in Ireland. Download the information sheet here.

Heritage & Education Centre does not keep a library of ships’ photographs or drawings, so we have compiled the list of contact addresses for collections accessible to the public in one form or another. Download the information sheet here.

This is a guide to the sources held in the Heritage & Education Centre reference library and the information that they yield. It is intended to help enquirers decide whether or not Lloyd’s Register’s publications can help with their research. Download the information sheet here.

Details of Richard and Bridget Larn’s computerised index of shipwrecks around the British Isles. Download the information sheet here.

Beyond the Lloyd’s Register Casualty Returns (published since 1890) and a few reference books, Heritage & Education Centre does not keep a great deal of information on shipwrecks. This information sheet lists contact details for those organisations that can be of greater help to divers and others interested in shipwrecks. Download the information sheet here.

This information sheet outlines the work and records of the Hydrographic Department and gives the contact details of its counterparts overseas. Download the information sheet here.

Contact details for companies that operate cruise liners and facilitate freighter travel. Also contacts details of related information/advice bodies. Download the information sheet here.

Contact details for the major classification societies. Download the information sheet here.

This information sheet gives contact details for some of the institutions throughout the UK and Ireland that hold collections of the Lloyd’s Register of Ships. Download the information sheet here.

Lloyd’s Register did not class the Titanic, but she did appear in the 1912/13 edition of the Lloyd’s Register of Ships. This information sheet contains factual information extracted from the Register as well as notes and statistical data from other sources. Download the information sheet here.

Contact details for booksellers in the UK plus some other useful websites. Download the information sheet here.

This information sheet lists contact addresses for some of the major maritime museums across Europe. Download the information sheet here.

Contact addresses and course details for educational and training establishments specialising in marine subjects, including history, business, seamen’s courses, engineering, etc. Download the information sheet here.

Contact details of associations in the UK. Download the information sheet here.

Some sources for information on merchant shipping, shipbuilding and maritime history. Download the information sheet here.

Explanation of the terms relating to registering the ownership of a British vessel. Download the information sheet here.

Addresses for research institutions, libraries and museums in South Africa. Download the information sheet here.

Addresses for research institutions, libraries and museums. Download the information sheet here.

This information sheet explains the character and origin of Lloyd's Register's Coat of Arms. Download the information sheet here.

Sources for locating ships’ passenger lists. Download the information sheet here.

This Classification Committee has been in existence since 1837 and is still the only body entitled to assign, suspend or withdraw class. Download the information sheet here.

The Lloyd’s Register Ladybadge was the original symbol of Lloyd’s Register. This information sheet gives a brief history of the Lloyd’s Register Ladybadge and of our subsequent logos. Download the information sheet here.

This information sheet contains abbreviations and advice for researching the early editions of the Lloyd’s Register of Ships. Download the information sheet here.

Some notes on Lloyd's Register and ship classification. Download the information sheet here.

The Maltese Cross is the symbol used to signify that a ship and/or its machinery has been built to Lloyd’s Register class. This information sheet explains the origin of the symbol. Download the information sheet here.

The first decade of the 1900s proved to be a time of experimentation and success in the area of diesel engine design and manufacture. This infosheet looks at advances and developments in diesel engine design. Download the information sheet here.

This information sheet offers a list of contact addresses for relevant institutions and suggested reading for genealogists and those interested in immigration and emigration. Download the information sheet here.

The first turret steamer was built in 1892, by William Doxford and Sons Ltd, at Pallion Shipyard in Sunderland. The last was completed in 1911. This information sheet explains the origin and development of this ship type. Download the information sheet here.

Since Lloyd’s Register was founded in 1760, many symbols have been used to denote classification. This information sheet highlights the progression of the symbol and character of classification between 1764 and 1994. Download the information sheet here.

Brief introduction to this Board of Trade publication which records all British registered vessels over one quarter of a ton, including coastal vessels and pleasure craft. Details of institutions that hold reference copies of the Mercantile Navy List in the UK. Download the information sheet here.

A guide for researchers using the Lloyd's Register of Ships. Download the information sheet here.

An explanation of Lloyd’s Register’s unique ship identification number, which was adopted by the IMO. Download the information sheet here.

This information sheet gives contact details for some of the institutions overseas that hold collections of the Lloyd’s Register of Ships. Download the information sheet here.

Details of where to access sources for statistical research. Download the information sheet here.

Summary of some online sources for research. Download the information sheet here.

Addresses and sources for information on the offshore and energy industries. Download the information sheet here.

Details on the historic library of the Institute of Marine Engineers, Science and Technology which is now held at Lloyd’s Register’s Heritage & Education Centre in London. Download the information sheet here.

Paper about the early technical staff of Lloyd’s Register including the different types of surveyor (exclusive and non-exclusive) and their later specialisations as technology progressed. Also includes sources available for research. Download the information sheet here.