Shipping

The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company is the oldest continually operating passenger shipping company in the world, having began operations in 1830. Today the company carries some 600,000 passengers annually, 170,000 cars and is the Island’s lifeline for freight.

This book includes a history of the company year by year, including the takeover over of the operation by the Isle of Man Government in 2019 and details of the new purpose-built flag ship to be introduced in 2023.

Formed in 1913 and based in the Isle of Man, the Ramsey Steam Ship Company had a long and illustrious history operating relatively small coastal vessels until its sad demise shortly after reaching its centenary in 2013. The names of all the ships owned by the company were prefixed with 'Ben' meaning girl, woman or lady in Manx Gaelic and they became known affectionately as the 'Ben-boats'.

In this book, drawing on his wealth of previously unpublished photographs, the author tells a personal story of not only its history , but his own unique involvement and association with this fine company, and of many of the conscientious, dedicated, loyal and professional people, afloat and ashore, who served in it, during a period of many changes in Manx shipping.

A history of RNLI motor lifeboats.

The story of the motor lifeboat is one of continual development, the implementation of technological advances, improvements in design and construction, and the provision of ever faster and more sophisticated rescue craft to keep the volunteer crews of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution safe as they go about the task of saving lives at sea.

This comprehensive volume provides details of every RNLI motor lifeboat that has seen service in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

The individual lifeboat types are described in detail, with the text accompanied by numerous diagrams and line drawings, as well as outstanding and unusual photographs, many of which have never been published before.

This book takes a nostalgic look at many of the favourite ferries and pleasure steamers which have plied the rivers, lakes and seas all around Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man, Wales, the Irish Republic, the Scillies, the Channel Islands, and England. It comprises around 260 photographs taken over the last eighty years, most never previously published, accompanied by detailed and informative captions. This round Britain trip ends with ‘Cruising BR Style’, showing views of railway-owned ferries in distant cruise ports and in the far north, well above the Arctic Circle, where in years gone by British Railways used to operate popular trips. There are biographies of those photographers who have now passed away, and a complete index.

Local author Richard Danielson, a well-published maritime writer and historian, has selected some of the best and most interesting images from his collection, which includes slides and negatives taken by some of the leading maritime photographers of the age. From the largest ferries of the era to some of the smallest trip boats, all much-loved and fondly remembered, this book will help to keep alive those happy memories of local trips and excursions to sea, reminding us of those photographers who ventured out in all weathers to leave us with this splendid pictorial legacy.

This book tells the story of R.R Portus & Sons who carried domestic coal between the Isle of Man and the mainland using tugs and sea-going cargo barges. It also outlines the tragic circumstances surrounding the sinking in 1948 of the tug Toxteth.

This book celebrates an often overlooked part of Manx maritme history. The wooden steam barge Sirdar has been a feature of island coastal life since the early 1920s and its story, ably told by Captain Stephen Carter, paints a picture of working life in the sea and harbour waters surrounding the Isle of Man.

In this book, the author reveals the story of a fleet of Castletown registered ships that traded worldwide from 1860 until 1913. Where possible, he also tells details of each ship before and after its service with the Karran Fleet and includes photographic images that have not been seen for over a hundred years.

The author's research explains many personal facts, sometimes heartbreaking for the people involved.

In 2010, the world's oldest steamship line celebrated its 180th anniversary. For 183 years, the Isle of Steam Packet Co. has been the lifeline to the Isle of Man, providing passenger and freight services for the island. Almost into the 20th century, the ships were primarily paddle steamers but screw steamers took over then. In 1962, the first ro-ro ferries arrived and then by the late 1990s catermarans were being used, offering a huge increase in speed.

In this book the author, who has written many books on the Mersey and its ships, tells the story of the Steam Packet through time and he has included a fascinating selection of photographs that traces some of the many ways in which the company has changed overt he last century.

This book is a revision and update of “Ferries of the Isle of Man Past and Present” and includes a number of photographs not previously published. In addition to presenting a pictorial record of the island’s passenger shipping over more than half a century, it also records the significant changes which have taken place around the ports of the Isle of Man.

With the help of some rarely seen photographs and from the vantage of a lifetime's experience working on passenger boats from Douglas the author traces the history of these Victorian and Edwardian tourist enterprises.

This is the official 175th Anniversary book for the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company. It charts the fascinating history of the company from its earliest days until the present time and features every ship that it has owned. The book contains much previously unpublished material.