Last revised 20 April 2008
There's some good stuff out there, folks!
TEESSHIPS
LINKS - PAGE 2

What a debt of gratitude we owe to all those listed, and many others, who devote hours of their own precious time to entertain and inform others; and preserve past and present history for posterity.

I know! You can spend all day looking at these sites. These links represent but a fraction of the great and continually growing wealth of information there is "out there". But at least have a look and then bookmark your favourites. Most of these sites contain links additional to those I have space to mention.

IMPORTANT: From time to time websites change their address and this page may fail to keep up with such changes. If this arises please contact me to advise me of the situation and to obtain updated details. Thank you.

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Sites listed in alphabetical order within each section.

Any webmaster is welcome to contact me if they feel their site would be better placed in a different section. Similarly, to be included in this links listing, please email me with site title/subject and URL at: ron.mapplebeck1@virgin.net

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Ship History and Research

World Ship Society: http://worldshipsociety.org

Merchant Ships - Current and Historical Data

Equasis: http://www.equasis.org/ (requires free registration)
This covers current merchant shipping included in Lloyd's Register (excluding trawlers) Regularly updated. Covers name changes since May 2000. 03.02.07 Now shows ships which have become "dead" since May 2000. 12.06.07 Now also showing some fish carriers, although not conventional trawlers.

Miramar Ship Index http://www.miramarshipindex.org.nz/
Fantastic historical database of powered merchant ships (plus quite a number naval) already covering over 350,000 ship names (210,000 different ships), with continuing work in progress. Search by LR/IMO number, or by ship name. Until cross-referencing is complete ship name search may require knowing the original name when built. Career details of ships under 500gt in many cases not yet showing.

03.02.07: During the earlier part of last year I used Equasis to check my personal ship records which I had not updated for over 20 years. This enabled me to check which ships were still afloat (excluding trawlers) and their current names. Since hearing about Miramar about 4 months ago I have again been going through my records and noting subsequent renamings and disposal data (where available).
These two resources have already saved me hours (days! weeks! years!) of wading through LR Supplements, Marine News, etc., etc., although information contained therein is needed to fill out the basic Miramar/Equasis details. As with all reference material, checks should verified from other sources, where possible. (Working through just my own records covering 12,000+ ships revealed quite a few inaccuracies in my database relative, for instance, to my recording of IMO numbers. Miramar is some 30 times bigger ... and some input (human) error is unavoidable - but this in no way detracts from the enormous value of such a monumental voluntary task.)

Global Ship Number System: http://gsn.ncl.ac.uk/
Still in relative infancy for online information, although similar to Miramar in concept.

 (new 24.03.08) Vesseltracker (AIS + photos): http://www.vesseltracker.com/

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Specific Ship History and Research Websites

 (new 20.04.08) Allied Merchant Navy of World War Two: http://members.tripod.com/~merchantships/index.html
American Merchant Marine at War: http://www.usmm.org/ [not just the two World Wars!]
American Ship Registers (various 1857-1900): http://www.mysticseaport.org/library/initiative/ShipRegisterList.cfm
Aspects of South Shields (David Ord) general history site, but featuring lots of ships!: http://website.lineone.net/~d.ord/aspsosh.htm
Blue Star Line (Fraser Darrah): http://www.bluestarline.org
British Merchant Ship Losses in WW1 (Mariners' List): http://www.mariners-l.co.uk/WWI%20LOSSES%20INDEX.htm
 (new URL 20.04.08) Built at Goole (George Robinson/Yorkshire Waterways Museum): http://www.riverseainternational.co.uk/goole/goolesb.htm
 (new URL 20.04.08) Clyde Built Ships: http://www.clydesite.co.uk/clydebuilt/index.asp
Convoy Web (Mike Holdoway): http://www.convoyweb.org.uk/index.html
Empire Ships (Ted Finch): http://www.mariners-L.co.uk/EmpIndex.html
Esso tankers (Auke Visser): http://visseraa.topcities.com/
Famous T-tankers (Auke Visser): http://t2tanker.piranho.de/index.htm
Fort and other Canadian Standard Ships (list) (Angela DeRoy-Jones): http://fortships.tripod.com
Great Ships [photos/images] (Jeff Newman): http://www.greatships.net/shipslist.html
 (new 24.03.08) History of the World's Navies: http://www.battleships-cruisers.co.uk/index.htm
Hungarian Ships: http://www.papernet.hu/?t=tengeri&l=list&lang=eng
Immigrant ships: http://www.fortunecity.com/littleitaly/amalfi/13/ships.htm
International Super Tankers (Auke Visser): http://supertankers.topcities.com/
 (new URL 20.04.08) Irish Shipping (Aiden McCabe): http://www.irishships.com/index.htm
Liberty Ships (Mariners' List): http://www.mariners-L.co.uk/LibIndex.html
Maritime Heritage Project (historic American shipping): http://www.maritimeheritage.org/ships/ss.html
Merchantnavyofficers.com: http://www.merchantnavyofficers.com/indexframe.html [click on History link for brief company histories and photos]
New Zealand and Australia merchant sailing ships - maritime history and databases (Jeremy Lowe): http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~j_lowe/Maritime2.htm
 (new 24.03.08) North-East Diary 1939-1945: http://www.bpears.org.uk/NE-Diary/index.html
Norwegian Ships during WW2 (Siri Lawson): http://www.warsailors.com/freefleet/index.html
Offical Numbers (1855-1892): http://www.mariners-l.co.uk/IBON1.html
Offical Numbers (1889-1938): http://www.mariners-l.co.uk/ON1.htm
 (new URL 20.04.08) Ouse Shipbuilding Company, Hook (George Robinson/Yorkshire Waterways Museum): http://www.riverseainternational.co.uk/ouse/ousesb.htm
Paddle Steamers (Tom Lee): http://freespace.virgin.net/tom.lee/index.htm
 (new 20.04.08) Portcities Hartlepool: http://portcities.hartlepool.gov.uk/
 (new 20.04.08) Shipbuilding on the River Tees (and Hartlepool): http://www.teesbuiltships.co.uk/
Ships of the East Asiatic Line (Mariners List from Roger Hare): http://www.mariners-l.co.uk/eac/eac.htm
The Great Ocean Liners - From the Great Eastern to the QE2: http://www.greatoceanliners.net/
The Red Duster (Merchant Navy Association, from Malcolm Pickhaven): http://www.red-duster.co.uk/
TheShipsList - The Fleets (Sue Swiggum, fleet lists compiled by Ted Finch): http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/lines/index.htm
.... and ship descriptions: http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/descriptions/index.htm
 (new 24.03.08) The U-boat war 1939-45: http://www.uboat.net/index.html
Through Mighty Seas [Merchant Sailing Ships of NW England] (Tim Latham): http://www.mightyseas.co.uk/index.html
T2 tankers (A. Davis Whittaker, Jr:):  http://www.t2tanker.org/
Vessels built at John Harker Shipyard in Knottingley: http://www.knottingley.org/history/harkerbuilt.htm
Victory Ships (Mariners' List): http://www.mariners-l.co.uk/Vicindex.html
 (revised URL 20.04.08) Wrecks: http://www.divernet.com/cgi-bin/articles.pl?from=1&id=&section=5
WW1 Standard Built Ships (Ted Finch and Gilbert Provost): http://www.mariners-L.co.uk/WWlStandardBuilt.htm

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Ship History and Research (including some Genealogy based sites)
Britain's Heritage (see Maritime section) (Linda Lee and Laurie Jonas): http://www.theheritagetrail.co.uk
Commonwealth War Graves Commission: http://www.cwgc.org/
Emigration from Norway (Solem, Swiggum, and Austheim): http://www.norwayheritage.com/ships/index.asp
Genealogy, Ships and Wine (Gilbert Provost): http://www.reach.net/~sc001198/Lloyds.htm
Mariners List (Ted Finch and Debbie Beavis): http://www.mariners-L.co.uk/
Mariners Research Links (Bob Sanders): http://www.angelfire.com/de/BobSanders/Site.html
(searchable site via: http://www.glamorganfamilyhistory.co.uk/PINPOINT.html or http://www.angelfire.com/ga/BobSanders/PINPOINT.html - ignore non active link on above home page.)
Maritime Information Association: http://www.maritime-information.net/
TheShipsList Archives: http://www.oulton.org/TheShipsList
Whitby, Scarborough & North York Moors (general and maritime) (Bob Sanders): http://www.angelfire.com/de/BobSanders/WHITIND.html

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Current Shipping Information

Eureport Ship Tracking - Ships in Port: http://www.eureport.com/
Germanischer Lloyd (free ship register reference source - click client support, then registerbook online): http://www.gl-group.com/start.htm
Lloyd's List: http://www.lloydslist.com
Shipping information for the Tees and Hartlepool (PD Ports and Shipping): http://www.thpal.co.uk and http://www.pdports.co.uk/ (added 20.04.08)
(Generally updated hourly, on the hour. Please be advised that shipping movements shown for the next 24 hours are for guidance only. Correct arrival/sailing times usually do not firm up until an hour or so before the actual event. Therefore, there are wild fluctuations from the details given, which are based solely on the latest information provided.)

Please report any errors in these links to Ron Mapplebeck. Contact me at: ron.mapplebeck1@virgin.net

As at 20.04.08 it seems the following are no longer active websites. Please advise me if you know any updated details.

British Merchant Navy at War 1939-1945 (Billy McGee): http://www.british-merchant-navy.co.uk/
Famous Clyde Steamers: http://82.113.137.137/Museum_Gallery/index.php?module=article&view=126&page_num=1
Maritime History [mainly naval] (Michael and Jane Phillips): http://www.cronab.demon.co.uk/marit.htm
MaritimeData Free Area: http://www.maritimedata.com/Free/MainFrame.asp
Tides (literally!): http://www.digiserve.co.uk/ukfr/gbtide.htm

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