Since 1764, Lloyd’s Register has published annually what is basically the definitive list of ocean-going vessels in the world. Our office – and many other maritime offices worldwide – use these “registers” regularly, since they contain valuable, authoritative information on ship size, carrying capacity, age, builder, and equipment, to name a few. We keep our old Lloyd’s Registers, since they can serve as a valuable reference for name changes, retrofits, prior owners, or scrapped vessels in our valuation and forensic investigations. It’s interesting to see the change in style, and in size, of the Lloyd’s Registries over the years.
But my personal favorites are our 1940s Lloyd’s Registers:
Information is even more valuable in a wartime setting, and ship details could be used by the Axis nations to their advantage. Therefore, during WWII, you needed to demonstrate that you had a need for the Lloyd’s Registry information (and that you were an ally!) in order to purchase your copy.
