The Marine Technology Special Collection
British Ships and the Shipbuilding Industry
A Unique Historical Resource
Introduction
The Special Collection, now accessible for the first time, is an important resource of unique historical maritime technical documents from the British shipbuilding and related industries. It spans the mid-19th century to 2000 with an emphasis on the north east of England and includes the less well documented industries of marine engine building, shiprepairing, and shipbreaking.
Newcastle University has made a significant contribution to this industrial heritage, while its School of Marine Science and Technology is renowned throughout the world. For over a century, it has played a leading role in the teaching and research of the marine technologies including naval architecture, shipbuilding and marine engineering.
Thus the University, with its subject expertise, is well placed to help preserve and promote the north east of England and its vital contribution to the proud maritime heritage of Great Britain, for long the world’s industrial powerhouse of ships and shipbuilding..
What historical resources are in the Special Collection?
1. Unique documents including company records, company brochures and catalogues, ship and yard plans, photographs; these originating from, and associated with, the industries of:-
• Shipbuilding
• Marine engine building
• Shiprepairing
• Shipbreaking
2. Technical publications including journals and magazines, ship registers, historical textbooks, directories, statistics, rules, regulations, and standards.
3. “British Shipbuilding Database” an authoritative and uniquely detailed database of 80,000 British-built ships of the 19th and 20th century. Searchable by name (as built and later changes), date, type, size, builder, machinery, etc. Only available in-house and not via the Internet.
What sort of questions might be answered?
• What ships were built by the shipyards at Wallsend?
• What ships were broken up at Blyth?
• Can I find a description or plans of the famous Sunderland ship design the SD14?
• What rules and regulations did the TITANIC have to comply with during her building?
• What was the layout of a typical shipyard in the 1920s?
• Have you got any photographs of the battleship VANGUARD being broken up?
• What materials did they sell from MAURETANIA, during her demolition, and how much was paid for them?
• How many people did North Eastern Marine employ in the 1930s and what were their wages?
Principal documents in the Special Collection
1. Company records
• Swan Hunter, 1890s-1990s.
• British Shipbuilders, 1977-1990, and its subsidiaries.
• Shipbreaking companies, e.g. Hughes Bolckow of Blyth, T. W. Ward of Sheffield, Shipbreaking Industries of Faslane.
• North Eastern Marine of Wallsend.
• Trade brochures and catalogues.
2. Plans and photographs
• Ship plans.
• Works layout plans.
• Ship and yard photographs.
• Ship and marine engine trial records.
• Plant and equipment.
3. Trade and industry magazines
• The Engineer, 1857-1968.
• Engineering, 1862-1968.
• Fairplay Shipping Weekly, 1963-2005.
• The Marine Engineer / and Naval Architect, 1880–1932, 1945-1971.
• Mariner’s Mirror, 1912-1968.
• The Motor Ship, 1921-2000.
• Rivista Marittima (Italian), 1897-1910.
• Schiffbau (German), 1913-1939.
• Schip en Werf (Dutch), 1969-1999.
• Ship and Boat / International, 1953-2000.
• The Shipbuilder, 1906-1964, Shipping World, 1883-1896, 1945-1964, and both continuing as Shipping World and Shipbuilder 1964-2000.
• Shipbuilding and Shipping Record, 1913-1970.
• Smith’s Dock Monthly, 1919-1932.
• The Steamship, 1889-1899.
• Werft Reederei Hafen (German), 1924-1939.
• Zeitschrift des Vereines Deutscher Ingenieure (German), 1904-1939.
4. Professional technical journals
Mainly the “Transactions” of maritime professional engineering societies:-
• Barrow Association of Engineers, 1909-1934.
• Hull Association of Engineers and Shipbuilders, 1885-1896.
• Institute of Marine Engineers, 1889-1998.
• Institution of Engineers and Shipbuilders in Scotland, 1863-1998.
• Newcomen Society for the History of Engineering and Technology, 1920-1991.
• North East Coast Institution of Engineers and Shipbuilders, 1884-1992.
• Royal Institution of Naval Architects, 1860-2000.
• American Society of Naval Engineers, 1889-1967.
5. Ship registers
• Lloyd’s Register, 1925-2000 incomplete.
• American Bureau of Shipping, 1967-1991 incomplete.
• Bureau Veritas (France), 1960-1995 incomplete.
• Det Norske Veritas (Norway), 1970-1983 incomplete.
6. Historical books and textbooks
• Company histories.
• 1400 marine and engineering textbooks.
7. Rules and regulations
• Lloyd’s Register design rules.
• Board of Trade / Department of Transport.
• International Maritime Organisation.
Links to other collections
This Collection is complementary to others both regional and national, e.g. Newcastle University’s Robinson Library, Tyne and Wear Museums and Archives, Newcastle City Libraries.
It is a member of the UK-based “Archive Hub” http://archiveshub.ac.uk Our unique materials are also summarised there. A very useful link to maritime and other archives.
Donors and funding
Newcastle University’s Marine Technology Special Collection has been made possible thanks to generous support from Alumni and:-
• British Maritime Technology Ltd.
• Catherine Cookson Foundation.
• The Frederick Milburn Fund and the Prime Fund at the Community Foundation Tyne and Wear and Northumberland.
• Mark Fitch Fund.
• North East Coast Institution of Engineers and Shipbuilders.
• Sir James Knott Trust.
Opening hours
Usually Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11:00-15:00, and at other times by appointment. Please contact us to check that it will be open on the date and time of your proposed visit.
How to contact and find us
The Special Collection is housed in the Armstrong Building on Newcastle University’s central campus.
The Marine Technology Special Collection
School of Marine Science and Technology
Newcastle University
Room 3.32
Armstrong Building
Queen Victoria Road
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 7RU
United Kingdom
E-mail: marine.archive@newcastle.ac.uk
Telephone: +44 (0)191 222 3522 or 6743 or
6718 (School Office)