UK ships register

[orion50]

Hello,
I recently acquired a old yacht which has spent several years in the south of england. There is a wooden plaque in the cabin with the following inscription

ON 123456 RT 11 01/100

Am I correct in thinking this relates to the UK Registry of Shipping? If so can I obtain any information on the life of this boat before it came into my hands? Typically what type of records are held by the register and are they available for interrogation?

I am assuming the RT stands for Registered Tonnage. Does the last bit mean my boat can carry a load of 11 tons (or tonnes?)

Thanks

 

[Evadne]

Yes and No.
It is the registration No. (part 1) and the registered or Thames tonnage. On my own boat it is carved into the main bulkhead, the regulation specifies the main beam or somewhere else similar, a plaque is just as common. This is a volume measurement that probably related to how much hay a Thames barge could carry, it is often close to the displacement of a yacht (well, it is mine anyway). Yours is 11.001 tons.

 

[Tranona]

If you contact the registry in Cardiff they will be able to tell you the original details. The registration needs to be renewed every 5 years so if you did not get the certificate with the boat it could well have lapsed.

 

[KellysEye]

>hay a Thames barge could carry

No it's the number of tuns (big barrels) of wine the boat/ship can carry. For commercial ships they don't include living space, for yachts they can't do that. If you contact the Ship Register at tel no 029 2044 8800 they have a list of previous owners. You can find out about Part One at http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Boatingandtravellingbywater/PleasureCraft/DG_180557

 

[Billjratt]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thames_Measurement

gives about the same answer as my "carving".
I was led to believe it was the weight of wool that the calculated volume could carry. - not that I'm considering the Australia run you understand.

Notice that the aft overhang gets lost, so theoretically you should save on berthing.

 

[vyv_cox]

The surveyor who measured mine also told me the wool version. The value given for my Sadler is about 1.5 times the displacement.

 

[ianat182]

If your yacht is Part 1 registered you could still have the original registration and the Bill of Sale details of purchase and ownership. The Number you quote is the Registered Number.

MCA have now discontinued the book issue and supply a laminated registration document based on the original and updated information you give them.

ianat182

 

[VicS]

The tonnage, 11 1/100 is the registered tonnage. Presumably the gross tonnage.

Simply put, the gross tonnage is a measure of the volume of all the below decks space expressed as tons where 1ton is equal to 100 cuft

For a ship a net tonnage is also calculated . It is the gross tonnage minus the space occupied by engines , boilers fuel, crews accommodation navigation space etc etc leaving just the space available for cargo or passengers. Ie the space that represents the earning capacity of the ship.

Thames measurement is something totally different, It is calculated purely from the length and the beam. It was devised as a more suitable means of comparing yachts for racing purposes.

The 1 ton and fractional ton cups you see referred to in connection with yacht racing is something different yet again.


At one time once a ship was on part 1 of the ships register it was there forever but some years ago all that was changed and the registration was made renewable at 5(?) year intervals on payment of a fee. Many people then allowed the old part 1 registration to lapse and if registration was required used the small ships register ( where applicable) instead.

 

[orion50]

If you contact the registry in Cardiff they will be able to tell you the original details. The registration needs to be renewed every 5 years so if you did not get the certificate with the boat it could well have lapsed.

This search is making me and my new to me boat feel old!!

Got on to Cardiff MCA, who asked me the Official Number and when they inputted that into their computer thay informed me that that number has lapsed and that they do not hold records of that vintage (1979-1980?). they asked if i knew the port of Registry (no) so I was then referred -wait for it - to National Archives. The nice gent in National Archives knew nothing about boats or about the Register of Shipping so i was invited to write in by email and my query would be referred to someone knowledgable in these matters. i did this and yesterday got what looks like a proforma reply back by email (condensed version "here is how you search our catalogue"). Tried poking around under sub heading "Shipping" where a world of naval battles and merchant shipping and discussions on old charts opened up in front of me but sadly no mention of Registry of Shipping Part 1 that I could see.
At this stage I am concluding that the time and effort and possibly £ (as NA genteely put beside their "do you want the assistance of a researcher) will not be rewarded with sufficient information on boats early life.
Back to my gel coat filler and paint pots.!

 

[Evadne]

If you have an old radio license with the boat's call sign on, you may be able to get more information via that route.

 

[earlybird]

I asked the Registry for any information on my boat which has been registered continuously since 1970.
I was told that no records existed prior to "computerisation" which took place in the early 'nineties.
I was told however that my number seemed about right for a boat of that age.

 

[penfold]

I enquired with Lloyds back in 2002 about researching the history of a motor yacht for a customer; they offered copies from the archive for about £40 as I recall(presumably just scans from each year's Register). You could do it yourself; just find a library with a set of Lloyds Register and transcribe by hand(or photograph if no-one is looking). The Mitchell Library in Glasgow have a set, as will the British Library in 'that London'; other significant libraries may have sets available, especially university libraries.

 

[ianat182]

Further to your original enquiry, is your yacht of the Classic genre Pilot cutter or similar,if so it might be worth a query on the Classic Yachts Forum,for their recognition of the name and type, although you mention vintage 1979-80 I see.
Small Ships Register may have the information if the name hasn't been changed from the original. Also she may be known by forum members if you identify the location in the South that she frequented.
Useful to have these in your profile if you need advice in the future.

ianat182

 

[blade11]

uk small ship register

Hi
I'm a new entry. Live in Italy, small ship Bostrom B31 MKII and a great desire to fly the red ensign. I think that the part III of UK small ship register would be good but despite being a european citizen I don't work in UK! Any suggestions? Can anyone help me? Thanks a lot.

 

[pathfinderstu]

go on to their web site they have all the requirements there.
i do think now you have to live part of the time in the uk.

 

[Ariadne]

Yes the good old SSR and foreign nationals moaning they can't get one! It's turning the UK registry into a flag of diminished responsibility.

It should be scrapped and replaced by making everybody go Part 1, thus proving you are actually British and you do live here. We're talking about the UK national registry here, not Vanuatu, Liberia, Monrovia or Panama FFS!

You don't need to be a UK national or even live here to get one anymore, and then you wonder why there are so many Red Dusters around Europe with no Brits on board!!!!

Anyway, rant over and back to the OP, try posting on the ships forum, Ships Monthly or any of the shipping weeklies and monthlies. There is a mine of info from those magazines, if you could send/post a picture you could be surprised what may turn up on here as well.

Good luck.

 

[onesea]

I think you will find it the other way round anyone can get part one. For the SSR you have to be in UK 6 months of the year...

Yes the good old SSR and foreign nationals moaning they can't get one! It's turning the UK registry into a flag of diminished responsibility.

It should be scrapped and replaced by making everybody go Part 1, thus proving you are actually British and you do live here. We're talking about the UK national registry here, not Vanuatu, Liberia, Monrovia or Panama FFS!

You don't need to be a UK national or even live here to get one anymore, and then you wonder why there are so many Red Dusters around Europe with no Brits on board!!!!

Anyway, rant over and back to the OP, try posting on the ships forum, Ships Monthly or any of the shipping weeklies and monthlies. There is a mine of info from those magazines, if you could send/post a picture you could be surprised what may turn up on here as well.

Good luck.

 

[Seajet]

Orion 50,

may be worth trying old book shops, + Abe Books UK and Amazon secondhand searches.

Some friends had a 1920's motorsailer but had no history on her, by pure luck I found a copy of the Register of Shipping going at Midhurst indoor market,( where one come across anything, old postcards, books, general junk, antiques etc ) and there were the boats' details; just try to search for the time period you think applicable, good luck.

 

[vyv_cox]

Yes the good old SSR and foreign nationals moaning they can't get one! It's turning the UK registry into a flag of diminished responsibility.

It should be scrapped and replaced by making everybody go Part 1, thus proving you are actually British and you do live here. We're talking about the UK national registry here, not Vanuatu, Liberia, Monrovia or Panama FFS!

You don't need to be a UK national or even live here to get one anymore, and then you wonder why there are so many Red Dusters around Europe with no Brits on board!!!!.

The same seems to be the case with the stars and stripes. We are seeing far more USA flagged boats in the Aegean these days, surprisingly many of them registered in Delaware. The reality is that they are Israelis, never keen to advertise their presence and more numerous since Turkey expelled them all a few years ago. We have come across a few with other flags but only ever one flying their own.

 

[Ex-SolentBoy]

Orion 50,

may be worth trying old book shops, + Abe Books UK and Amazon secondhand searches.

Some friends had a 1920's motorsailer but had no history on her, by pure luck I found a copy of the Register of Shipping going at Midhurst indoor market,( where one come across anything, old postcards, books, general junk, antiques etc ) and there were the boats' details; just try to search for the time period you think applicable, good luck.

As your post is to a question posed 6 months ago the guy may be a UK citizen by now!