The world's merchant fleets 1939 : the particulars and wartime fates of 6000 ships /Roger W Jordan.

"At the outbreak of war in 1939 over 6,000 ships, which trades across the world's oceans, became the quarry in a global conflict which permeated the operations of every shipping line on every continent. The new book gives the details of all ocean-going ships which were extant in 1939 and also describes the fate of those which were lost. The book is divided by country and by shipping company. Here can be found the ships of those great companies such as British India and the United States Lines whcih are now no more than a memory. Details of the builders, dimensions, funnel markings, propulsion, routes, passengers and cargoes are all given and 300 photographs illustrate a representative selection. Details of the losses of around 3,000 of these vessels in the War are also given. For merchant ship enthusiasts as well as Second World War historians this encyclopaedia will hold pride of place on any bookshelf. It is a magnificent tribute to that era's merchant fleets, portraying both a golden age of ship design as well as the terrible repercussions of the War."--Provided by the publisher.