19^th Century Register Books

The cross pattée (often referred to as Maltese cross) first appears in the 1853 edition of Lloyd's Register of Ships, meaning that the vessel had been 'Built under Special Survey'. It has been used ever since to mark ships built according to Lloyd's Register's Rules and Regulations.

The introduction of this symbol arose from the necessity to supervise the entire shipbuilding process in the British Dominions, particularly Canada, to ensure that the experience matured in Britain would be reflected in the rest of the Empire.

See Infosheet no. 36 for more information.

This column lists the ships alphabetically and includes details on her rig. The rig abbreviations are:

The necessity of protecting hulls from corrosion intensified with the introduction of iron in shipbuilding. This was reflected in the Register Books with a detailed account of the methods employed to ensure the safety of the vessel in the long term, including the last two digits of the year they were applied. The abbreviations mean:

This column contains the name of the ship's captain. Where applicable, it could also include notations on machinery and the last two digits of the year when it was fitted.

The notation [year] AP. [Horse Power] H. refers to sailing vessels equipped with auxiliary steam engines of the specified Horse Power. Please note that this column could also contain hull abbreviations listed in the previous point.

This column contains the ship's tonnage, together with an indication of the number of decks (e.g. 1D.).

This column lists the length, breadth, and depth of the ship in feet and tenths of a foot. If the vessel had undergone any repairs or modifications, these would be recorded underneath and the last two digits of the year would be specified. The abbreviations mean:

Before 1836 depth was not taken into account, hence many unscrupulous shipowners had their vessels deepened, leading to stability problems and numerous cases of capsizing in bad weather.

Alongside the dimensions, it is possible to find construction materials or other hull specifics in italic. Different wood would be marked with the following abbreviations:

This column indicates the location where the vessel was built. If known, the name of the shipbuilder would be recorded in italic.

This column contains the year of build and, until August 1887, the month of launch. After 1887, the life of iron and steel vessels was measured from when the hulls and machinery entered service (upon completion).

This column contains the name of the person or company owning the majority of the 64 shares of the ship (see Infosheet no. 25).

The new Lloyd's Register of Ships published in 1834 after the amalgamation of the Shipowners and Underwriters Registers contained all British registered vessels of over 50 tons, courtesy of the Board of Trade Masterlist. Not many have full details as the new Lloyd’s Register required re-survey of all existing ships before these could be entered. From 1837, the Register Books stopped listing vessels under 50 tons and not surveyed, and from 1839 any ships, regardless of tonnage, that had not been surveyed since 1834 were removed.

The first abbreviation of this column refers to the port where the ship was surveyed, and is followed by the scheduled destination.

The notation A.&C.P. indicates that anchors and chains were tested.

British North American vessels built according to Lloyd's Register Rules and Regulations presented the notation S.S. [year of survey] and the number of years before another survey was needed (e.g. S.S.69-3yrs). This notation can also be present in red (see above), in which case the ship has not been re-surveyed within the assigned time limit but is still known to be in good conditions. To keep the class, the ship would have needed a Special Survey.

The notation B.S. denotes that the vessel is classed subject to Biennial Survey. Expl. B.S. signifies that the vessel is built experimentally and classed subject to Biennial Survey. The notation ts. [year] indicates that the ship has been submitted to Triennial Survey as prescribed by the Rules for Iron Ships. The notation s.s.[survey number][year] means that the ship has been submitted to periodical surveys as required by the Rules for Iron Ships (e.g. s.s.No.3-69).

In the 19^th Century, shipbuilding went through radical changes, from the introduction of new materials such as iron and steel, to the development of steam assisted and steam powered vessels. Lloyd's Register adapted to the rapid changes developing a series of Rules and Regulations to support surveyors in their work. A variety of notations and glyphs sprang, making the classification column in the Register Books seem somewhat chaotic.

The following table helps to navigate the 19^th Century notations:

The dates under the classification notation (month, year) indicate when the ship was last surveyed. When printed in red, they indicate that the survey has reference to the supplies and equipment only.

*The notations AA, AB, and AC are represented by the following glyphs:

For more information on classification notations see Infosheet no. 42.