Maritime Weblinks
Text enclosed in inverted commas is quoted from the website concerned. Inevitably, there is some ‘overlap’ between the categories used in this set of weblinks.
Maritime History Organisations
British Commission for Maritime History – “… aims to enhance knowledge and understanding of human societies’ relationship with the sea throughout the past … including social, political, economic, naval, coastal, and technological history, as well as nautical archaeology”.
Centre for Maritime Historical Studies, University of Exeter – “seeks to promote research into economic, social, political, naval and environmental aspects of the British maritime past from the earliest times to the present day, drawing also on European and international experience.”
Maritime Heritage Trust – “national membership body for the maritime preservation sector”, supporting the conservation of heritage vessels in the U.K.
Naval Dockyards Society – “Exploring the civil branches of navies & their material culture”. The NDS “primary aim is to stimulate the production and exchange of information and research into naval dockyards and associated organisations.”
Naval Records Society “publishes in print and online rare and original documents on naval history. Since 1893 it has produced over 160 printed volumes. These constitute an invaluable source for students and scholars.”
Society for Nautical Research “…the world’s oldest society dedicated to the study and preservation of maritime heritage”. Home of the Mariner’s Mirror journal. Also offers a series of podcasts, and a monthly free ‘featured article’.
SHIPS Project – “a volunteer non-profit organisation that undertakes research and exploration of maritime historical sites and events, both on land and underwater22 – based in Plymouth. Includes Hulks and Foreshore Wrecks (around Plymouth).
Ports and Harbours of the UK – “…lists over 950 ports, harbours, jetties and piers around the coastline of the UK. Much of the information for each location is historical, but in some cases up-to-date information is provided on current usage, access etc”.
Nautical Archaeological Society – “Promoting the preservation, protection and research of our nautical heritage.”
European Maritime Heritage – “non-governmental organization for private owners of traditional ships, as well as for maritime museums and other interested bodies. … objectives are to encourage mutual cooperation between the extensive community of organisations in Europe… involved in keeping maritime heritage alive, to act as a conduit for the flow of advice and assistance between such organisations to contribute to the mutual understanding of different maritime cultures and increase public awareness of those cultures”.
Heritage Vessels
National Historic Ships UK – there are “… over 1300 vessels on the National Register of Historic Vessels (NRHV). The database includes details of designer, builder, dimensions, construction, propulsion, service history, current location and ownership, as well as images of many of the vessels.” Of the vessels on the National Register, “… around 200 vessels are in the National Historic Fleet”. These vessels “being of pre-eminent national or regional significance”.
Agnes – “Launched in 2003 from Luke’s yard in Gweek, Cornwall, 46ft Agnes was built along the lines of the original pilot cutter for St.Agnes in the Isles of Scilly”. In the Working Sail fleet.
Bessie Ellen – “one of the last surviving West Country trading ketches from a fleet that once stood at nearly 700”. A superb survivor, built by W.S.Kelly in Plymouth in 1904, and still offering sailing experience trips. See also Bessie Ellen entry in National Historic Ships Register .
Britannia – the Britannia Sailing Trust, based at Winkleigh, Devon, “cares for the last remaining Class 1 East Coast Smack. Having discovered her in a state of severe disrepair, the Britannia Sailing Trust … has succeeded in saving her from destruction. With a rigorously applied maintenance programme, we will ensure she never falls into that state again”. Excellent website about an impressive maritime conservation project.
Freshspring – “built in 1946 as one of fourteen ‘Fresh’ class shore-to-ship water carriers for the Navy. Now being conserved and restored near Bideford. The Freshspring Trust intend that “… that by 2025 the SS Freshspring will be fully restored to working order and a nationally recognised attraction, both as a maritime resource and as an educational facility and tourist attraction to North Devon”.
Grayhound – Built at Millbrook, Cornwall and completed in 2013, Grayhound is a “replica of a Cornish three masted Lugger, commissioned for the collector of customs in St Ives – … in 1776. Built in Cornwall by John F Parkin, she only worked as a revenue lugger for a few years and then went on to work as a privateer from 1780 onwards and carried a letter of Marque.” See also Grayhound entry in National Historic Ships Register .
SS Great Britain – one of the most important conserved historic vessels in the world and the centrepiece of a major tourist attraction in Bristol. The story of the ship is remarkable for its pioneering role in the evolution of steamships, its indelible association with Brunel and the recovery from the Falklands and subsequent superb restoration. See also SS Great Britain entry in National Historic Ships Register
Irene – ketch, built at Bridgwater in 1907. She traded mainly in the Bristol Channel and Irish Sea, often carrying bricks and tiles from her home port. Another remarkable survivor, she now offers cruises and day sail experiences. See also Irene entry in National Historic Ships Register .
Johanna Lucretia – now operated by Classic Sailing, she is “…currently the only UK flagged topsail schooner in sail training”. Built at Ghent, Belgium in 1945 as a fishing vessel, but converted for ‘recreational use’ in the Netherlands. Passed to the British flag in 1989.
Kathleen and May – built by Ferguson and Baird at Connahs Quay in Northeast Wales in . She spent most of her career sailing ‘The UK’s last working wooden hulled three-masted topsail schooner’ as well as “the last surviving Welsh-built merchant sailing vessel.”. After retirement form a long career spent mainly running form the Bristol Channel to southern Ireland, she spent time in Plymouth and Bideford, but is now resident in Liverpool. See also Kathleen and May entry in National Historic Ships Register
Kingswear Castle – “the last remaining coal-fired paddle steamer in operation in the UK”, operating on the River Dart. Built on the Dart in 1924 by Philip & Son, although the engine is older (built by Cox & Co, Falmouth in 1904). See also Kingswear Castle entry in national Historic Ships register.
Lynher – built at the James Goss yard opposite Calstock on the Tamar, she is one of only two surviving Tamar barges, she was miraculously saved from dereliction in the 1980s, and more recently has been restored to fine sailing condition. See also Lynher entry in National Historic Ships Register
Mascotte – “the largest surviving Bristol Channel pilot cutter” (60ft). Based at Charlestown, with Classic Sailing. Offers sail experiences: “If you want to pay homage to these incredible working vessels, built to withstand some of the wildest seas around our coast, then a few days sailing Mascotte would be a perfect pilgrimage.” Mascotte entry in National Historic Ships Register
Matthew – “modern reconstruction of the original Matthew that John Cabot sailed to Newfoundland in 1497… built between 1994–1996 on Redcliffe Quay, in preparation for the 1997 voyage to celebrate the 500th anniversary of Cabot’s most famous journey to Newfoundland.” Based at Bristol. See also Matthew entry in National Historic Ships Register
Moosk – built in 1906 as “a classic gentleman’s cruiser”, with yawl rig. Sails in Classic Ships fleet. Moosk entry in National Historic Ships Register
Pellew – “Newly launched in 2020, Pellew is a faithful recreation of the Falmouth Pilot Cutter Vincent, originally built in 1852”. Pellew entry in National Historic Ships Register
Phoenix – “…a two masted Brig, period rig, all wood construction,. star of numerous television productions and big screen movies”. Operated by Square Sail, who ‘provide marine services to the film industry’.
Pilgrim – Brixham sailing trawler BM45 built by Upham’s Shipyard, Brixham in1895. Now the “oldest surviving sailing trawler that was built and rigged in the port.” Operates daily sailing and longer trips. See also Pilgrim entry in National Historic Ships Register .
Shamrock – built by Hawke at Stonehouse (Plymouth) in 1899, she is one of only two surviving Tamar barges (see Lynher), although she is unusual in being ketch-rigged. Rescued and restored in the 1970s, she is currently under repair at her long-time base at Cotehele in the Tamar Valley. See also Shamrock entry in National Historic Ships Register .
Tectona – built of teak at Calcutta in 1928. Now based at Plymouth with Sailing Tectona, which “… aims to inspire positive change in people’s lives by providing sail training experiences for people of all ages and backgrounds.”, along with the Bristol Channel Pilot Cutter, Olga dating from 1909.
Vigilance – Brixham sailing trawler, “the last of a long line of beam trawlers or smacks built at Upham’s Shipyard in Brixham” in 1926”. Now offers charters or day sail experiences. See also Vigilance entry in National Historic Ships Register .
Heritage Vessel Organisations
Brixham Heritage Sailing Trawlers Archive – “A key component of the archive is the Lanfear Brixham Sailing Trawler database, which contains the records of all the Sailing Trawlers that were registered in Brixham.”
Mount’s Bay Lugger Association – “a charity that has lovingly restored an old Cornish lugger, the ‘Happy Return’ back to its former glory.”
Old Gaffers Association “…set up in 1963 to preserve our distinctive traditional rig, and in the early days this entailed rescuing or preserving lovely old gaffers. Now gaff rigged boats are being built again; some using traditional methods and others using modern materials. We work to encourage interest in gaff, lug and spritsail rig but we welcome all types of boats and their owners as long as they share our enthusiasm for those traditional rigs.” Excellent, interesting website, with section on South West Gaffers.
Cornish Pilot Gig Association – governing body for pilot gig rowing.
Island Trust – “provide life-enhancing residential and day-sailing activities for young people with special needs, disabilities, and those experiencing hardship and deprivation. We award disadvantaged young people the opportunity to not only widen their horizons but also develop their skills and capabilities through the joy and challenge of learning to sail. Beneficiaries are aged primarily from 14 – 18…”. Vessels include Pegasus, Moosk and Johanna Lucretia.
Steamboat Association of Great Britain – “promotes the enjoyment of steamboats and steamboating – and to represent the interests of steamboat owners.”
Maritime History
Salcombe: Schooner Port – excellent, superbly-illustrated monograph by Roger Barrett for the Salcombe History Society, celebrating the port’s remarkable 19th century maritime history. Downloadable as a pdf file.
Salcombe Maritime History Papers – impressive set of documents on the Salcombe History Society website, all downloadable as pdf files. Worth exploring! Includes the Newfoundland Cod Trade,
William Date, Shipwrights Yard and the Fruit Schooners – copious information and illustrations on the renowned William Date shipyard at Kingsbridge. The yard was especially renowned for its output of topsail schooners that were employed in the fruit trade from the Azores. Pdf file.
Fowey Harbour Heritage Society – ‘Fowey harbour… includes the communities of Fowey, Bodinnick and Polruan has been a significant international trading port since the medieval period and is still a working port today, exporting china clay. … aim is to encourage exploration of the area and find out more about the places and people that have contributed to its heritage.’
History of Pilot Cutters in the Scillies – summarises the story of the pilot cutters that were based in the Isles of Scilly in the 19th century. By Classic Sailing.
The Pilot Gigs of Cornwall and the Scilly Isles – article in ‘The Pilot’, 2007.
Cornish Fishing Luggers – quite ‘text heavy’ but contains much interesting information on the history of Cornish luggers.
Sailing By – South West England ‘Tales from our oceans, seas coasts and inland’. Features a fine variety of interesting articles “from Weymouth round Lands End and up to the Bristol Channel estuary. The Channel Islands and Isles of Scilly are also included…”. Much else from further afield: see Sailing By.
Maritime & Historical Research Service (‘Books, Boxes and Boats’) – offers access to an impressive range of maritime history information sources. Content includes: Lloyd’s Registers online – provided by the Maritime & Historical Research Service. Gives access to digitised copies of Lloyd’s Registers, as scanned by Google. Many years in 19th century available; Lloyd’s Lists for many years in the period 1741-1826, listing vessels over 100 tons ‘regardless of their country of registration’; Mercantile Navy List (1849-1920), which “records all British registered vessels one quarter of a ton and over”; Shipping Company Fleet Lists and Histories – links to various websites covering shipping company lists and databases.
Maritime Views: Maritime History from the Bartlett Martime Research Centre – contains a fine variety of interesting material. Includes: Falmouth Packet Service, Smuggling and Wrecking, Penzance Fishing Boats, Last of the Sailing Cutters and ‘Focus on Falmouth‘.
Shipwrecks UK – “the most comprehensive source of information about shipwrecks in the sea areas surrounding Great Britain and Ireland”, covering “well over 50,000 shipwrecks. Developed by Richard and Bridget Larn and taken on by Alan Jones, its foundations comprise the entire dataset of the six volumes of the Lloyd’s Register Shipwreck Index of the British Isles (and Shipwreck Index of Ireland) series”. The full resource is not yet publicly available, but individual queries are possible.
Submerged: Plymouth and Devon Shipwrecks – details and photos of many individual wrecks. Website of the late Peter Mitchell, maintained by his son, Chris. Also ships in difficulties that ‘got away’, and tombstones of those lost in wrecks, plus more interesting content.
Crew Lists of the British Merchant Navy – 1915 “…a project using volunteers to transcribe and make available online, all the surviving Merchant Navy crew lists from 1915. … these records are of international significance in highlighting the vital contribution made by the Merchant Navy during the First World War. Approximately 39,000 crew lists featuring over 750,000 names were photographed and transcribed.”
North Devon and Newfoundland: a Four Hundred Year Story – interesting and thorough research article on this topic.
Bude Haven: a Pen-and-Ink Sketch with portraits of the principal inhabitants (1863) – pdf file.
Naval History
Historic Naval Ships Association (HNSA) – “links the public with historic ships from around the world.” It is a “… a non-profit organization whose membership is comprised of naval ship museums and memorials around the world”. Includes a focus on ‘marine planning’
Naval Records Society – “publishes in print and online rare and original documents on naval history. Since 1893 it has produced over 160 printed volumes. These constitute an invaluable source for students and scholars.”
Royal Navy History – on Royal Navy’s own website. Outlines of many historical topics, arranged in chronological order.
Three Decks – Warships in the Age of Sail “…web resource for researching naval history during the Age of Sail. Features detailed information on vessels, crew, shipyards, dockyards, naval actions, geographical locations and much more”.
Yacht Clubs
Axe Yacht Club
Beer Sailing Club
Brixham Yacht Club
Burnham-on-Sea Motor Boat and Sailing Club
Cargreen Yacht Club
Christchurch Sailing Club
Clevedon Sailing Club
Dartmouth Yacht Club
Exe Sailing Club
Helford River Sailing Club
Newquay Sailing Club
North Devon Yacht Club
North Haven Yacht Club, Poole Harbour
Padstow Sailing Club
Penzance Sailing Club
Plym Yacht Club
Poole Yacht Club
Portishead Yacht and Sailing Club
Restronguet Sailing Club
Royal Cornwall Yacht Club, Falmouth
Royal Dart Yacht Club
Royal Dorset Yacht Club
Royal Fowey Yacht Club
Royal Motor Yacht Club, Sandbanks
Royal Plymouth Corinthian Yacht Club
Royal Torbay Yacht Club
Royal Western Yacht Club
Salcombe Yacht Club
Saltash Sailing Club
Swanage Sailing Club
Starcross Yacht Club
St.Mawes Sailing Club
Tamar River Sailing Club
Thornbury Sailing Club
Torpoint Mosquito Sailing Club
Weir Quay Sailing Club
Weymouth Sailing Club
Marine Conservation
Devon Maritime Forum – “…independent, not-for-profit partnership organisation…bringing together the broad and diverse range of organisations and individuals who have a stake or interest in marine and coastal issues in Devon and the wider South West peninsula. 750+ members, representing over 250 organisations across all maritime sectors. The key role is that of neutral broker and informed facilitator, bringing together cross sectoral interests and linking local practitioners with national policy makers”. A focus on ‘marine planning’ offers “a new approach to the management of our seas. It aims to ensure a sustainable future for estuarine, coastal and off-shore waters by managing and balancing the different activities, resources and natural features of our marine environment.”
Dorset Coast Forum – “an independent strategic coastal partnership, which looks at the long term, broad-scale issues facing the Dorset coast and its inshore waters. The overriding aim of the Forum is to promote a sustainable approach to the management, use and development of Dorset’s coastal zone to ensure that its inherent natural and cultural qualities are maintained and enhanced for the benefit of future generations.”
Exe Estuary Management Partnership – “…As organisations with responsibility for managing aspects of the estuary we work together in voluntary partnership, alongside local communities, balancing competing demands and addressing any conflicts as they arise, to help ensure that the estuary retains its magic far into the future.”
Solent Forum -“ an independent coastal partnership, established to develop a greater understanding among the many local and harbour authorities, user groups, marine businesses and agencies involved in planning and management of the Solent. It assists and advises them in carrying out their functions”.
Tamar Estuaries Consultative Forum – “partnership of organisations and local authorities with statutory responsibility towards the management of the Plymouth Sound & Tamar Estuaries Marine Protected Area (MPA)”. With its partners, “provides an effective and collaborative framework for managing the MPA whilst recognising the commercial, defence and recreational importance of the site”.
Western Channel and Approaches Marine Conservation Zones – “includes waters from south of Dartmouth, stretching around Cornwall and encompassing the north coast waters of the south west until St David’s on the Welsh coast. There are now 31 MCZs designated to protect rare and vulnerable wildlife and habitats in this region”.
Seaquest Southwest – “a citizen science marine recording project run by Cornwall Wildlife Trust’s Living Seas Team”. A project of the Cornwall Wildlife Trust. Aims: “to engage people with the marine environment; to collect data on marine wildlife, and to better understand and conserve marine wildlife”.