The List is a newspaper covering shipping movements, casualties and news items, which dates from 1734. It was not indexed until 1838, though indexes have since been created for some early issues.

The main series of indexes, covering ship movements and casualties 1838 to October 1927, are on microfilm at the National Maritime Museum, the Guildhall Library, Merseyside Maritime Museum and the National Library of Scotland.

Using the Indexes to Lloyd's List

The shipping movements and casualties section of Lloyd's List is indexed from 1838. The main series of indexes runs from 1838 to October 1927, and originally took the form of huge manuscript ledgers which were not for publication. Lloyd’s later microfilmed these ledgers and discarded the originals, with the exception of four sample volumes which are now in the Guildhall Library.

Each index covers one year, and is arranged alphabetically by the names of the vessels, with similar names (such as Marie or Maria) grouped together. Steamers are distinguished by the abbreviation Str., later shortened to /s/, and are usually listed after sailing vessels of the same name.

The name of the ship’s master, if known, is given in smaller letters following the ship’s name. Where there are several vessels of the same name, the name is usually listed only once, and the following entries are arranged roughly in alphabetical order by the names of the masters, with sailing vessels first, followed by steamers.

If the ship’s name is a common one, there may be a few entries at the end for vessels which have not been clearly identified, either because the name of the master was not given in the report, or because the vessel is of a type not ordinarily included in the List, eg. a coaster or fishing vessel. In the later indexes other pieces of information are added to distinguish between different ships bearing the same name, such as the vessel’s net registered tonnage, port of registry, nationality, type or owners.

Because of the manuscript format, the clerks sometimes ran out of space to add information. If they could not fit additional entries into the line above or below the original line assigned to a particular ship, information was sometimes made on an extra folio at the end of the section for that letter of the alphabet.

Before 1908, the index entries refer to issues of Lloyd’s List, and do not give the actual date of the movements or of casualty reports. The earliest entries (1838 to mid-1839) give only the date of the issue. The amount of information included was gradually extended, as the following examples illustrate:

Example 1:

 June 2

3

Example 2:

June 2

Liv 3

Example 3:

June 2/3

Liv 1/6

Example 1

indicates an entry in Lloyd's List for 2 June, column 3, between 1839 and 1847.

Example 2

indicates an event (an arrival, sailing or casualty) occurring at Liverpool, reported in Lloyd's List on 2 June, column 3, between 1848 and 1907.

 

Example 3

indicates an event at Liverpool which occurred on 1 June and was reported in Lloyd’s List on 2 June, column 3, between 1908 and 1927.

Several devices were used to distinguish the different types of event: sailing, arrival, speaking, casualty. Between 1839 and 1848, these were put into separate columns. After 1848, a system of colour coding was adopted, initially using black for arrivals and red for the other categories, with a d added over the entries for casualties. Later the casualty entries were written in blue. These colours are unfortunately lost on microfilm, although the entries in red and blue are usually paler than those in black.

The port abbreviation (see below) is sometimes enclosed in brackets. This usually only happens in the case of casualty reports, and indicates that the report was dated from that port, the ship being elsewhere.

In the indexes for 1914–1916, references prefixed by c.c. refer to a series of confidential circulars which have not survived.

Entries in the indexes for 1926–1927, where the column number is replaced by a letter, refer not to Lloyd’s List but to the unpublished Supplementary Mail Advices, which are in the Guildhall Library as part of the Lloyd's Marine Collection.

Recording voyages

Voyage Record Cards, 1927–1975

In the Voyage Record Card system which replaced the Annual Index in 1927, each ship has one or more cards on which its movements, casualties and other incidents are reported. Until 1946, cards were completed by hand. After 1946, they were cut from Lloyd's Voyage Record (see below), pasted onto the card and further amendments were made by hand. The cards can be consulted at the Guildhall Library if requested in advance.

Lloyd's Voyage Record, 1946 to date

Published weekly, it reprints the movements of ocean-going ships (in alphabetical order) from Lloyd’s List, showing all movements on the voyage. From September 1975, it has also shown extra details of tonnage and owner manager. The Record is held on microfiche (mostly available at the Guildhall Library).

Abbreviations commonly used, A–K

ss = signal station

Aar = Aarhus

Abad = Abadan

Abbs = St Abb's Head ss

Adl = Adelaide

Ald = Alborough

Alg = Algiers

Algec = Algeciras

Ali = Alicante

Alx = Alexandria

Amst = Amsterdam

Anc = Ancona

Anj = Anjer

Antof = Antofagasta

Arc = Archangel

Ard = Ardrossan

Arend = Arendal

Ast = Astoria

Auck = Auckland

B A = Buenos Aires

Bah B = Bahia Blanca

Bahr = Bahrain

Balb = Balboa

Balik P = Balik Papan

Balt = Baltimore

Bandar A = Bandar Abbas

Barb = Barbados

Barc = Barcelona

Barranq = Barranquilla

Bat = Batavia

Bchy = Beachy Head ss

Beaum = Beaumont

Belaw = Belawan-Deli

Belf L = Belfast Loch

Berg = Bergen

Belling = Bellingham

Bft = Beaufort

Bly = Blythe

Bms = Beaumaris

Bnk = Bankok

Bom = Bombay

Bor = Bordeaux

Bos = Boston

Bre = Bremen/Bremerhaven

Brehvn = Bremerhaven

Brin = Brindisi

Bris = Brisbane

Brla = Braila (Ibrail)

Brs = Bristol

Bsbtl = Brunsbuttel

Busr = Busrah

Byp = Burryport

Bzta = Bizerta

C Cod Can = Cape Cod Canal

C Pal = Cape Palmas

C Truj = Ciudad Trujillo

C Vds = Cape Verdes

Cagl = Cagliari

Cal = Calcutta

Casa = Casablanca

Cdz = Cadiz

Cey = Ceylon

Cff = Cardiff

Chbg = Cherbourg

Chesa = Chesapeake

Chtn = Charlestown

Ciu Truj = Ciudad Trujillo

Cls = Calais

Coch = Cochin

Con = Constantinople

Coos = Coosaw

Cor = Corunna

Cpn = Copenhagen

Crf = Corfu

Crist = San Cristobal

Crk = Cork

Crnl = Coronel

Cstza = Constanza

Ctga = Cartagena

Curac = Curacao

Cux = Cuxhaven

Cvecchia = Civitavecchia

Dak = Dakar

Dar es S = Dar es Salaam

Dem = Demerara

Dnk = Dunkirk

Dns = Downs (Deal)

Dov = Dover

Dppe = Dieppe

Drt = Dartmouth

Dss = Downs (Deal)

Dthm = Drontheim

Dub = Dublin

Dun = Dunkirk

Duned = Dunedin

Dunnet = Dunnet Head ss

Durb - Durban

Dvpt = Devonport

Dzg = Danzig

E Lo = East London

Elles P = Ellesmere Port

Els = Elsinore

Esbj = Esbjerg

Esquim = Esquimalt

Esthm = Eastham

F de F = Fort de France

Fal = Falmouth

Ferr = Ferrol

Finis = Finisterre

Flam = Flamborough Head ss

Flsh = Flushing

Foo = Foo-chow

Fow = Fowey

Fran = San Francisco

Fre = Freemantle

Garst = Garston

Gat = Gaeta

Gbg = Gothenburg

Gdy = Gdynia

Gee = Geelong

Gen = Genoa

Gib = Gibraltar

Gij = Gijon

Glas = Glasgow

Glg = Glasgow

Gmo = Grangemouth

Grays H = Grays Harbour

Green = Greenock

Grms = Grimsby

Guant = Guantanamero

Guayan = Guayanillo

Hal = Halifax NS

Hald = Halden

Ham = Hamburg

Harw = Harwich

Hav = Havana

Hbg = Hamburg

Hhd = Holyhead ss

H J = Half-Jack

Hkg = Hong Kong

Hlva = Huelva

Hlvt = Helvoet

Hono = Honolulu

Houst = Houston

Hpl = Hartlepool

Hurst = Hurst Castle ss

Hvr = Le Havre

I W = Isle of Wight

Imming = Immingham

Iqui = Iquique

Istan = Estanbul

Ja = Jamaica

K G S = King George=s Sound

Kar = Karachi

Key W = Key West

Khorr S = Khorram Shahr

Koper = Kopervik

Ktn (Ja) = Kingstown, Jamaica

Kurra = Kurrachee (Karachi)

L Ewe = Lock Ewe

Abbreviations commonly used, L–Z

L M = Lourenco Marques

Las P = Las Palmas

Lderry = Londonderry

Leg = Leghorn

Lgrad = Leningrad

Lis = Lisbon

Liv = Liveropol

Liz = Lizard ss

Lndy = Londonderry

Lo = London

Longv = Longview

Los A = Los Angeles

Lth = Leith

Lynas = Point Lynas ss

Lytt = Lyttelton

M V = Montevideo

Mac = Macao

Mad = Madagascar

Mag = Magallanes

Man = Manchester/Manila

Mars = Marseilles

Mau = Mauritius

Mayag = Mayaguez

Mbls = Mumbles ss

Mbro = Middlesborough

Mchr = Manchester

Mda = Madeira

Melb = Melbourne

Mess = Messina

Meth Rds = Methil Roads

Milf H = Milford Haven

Mlt = Malta

Mob = Mobile

Momb = Mombasa

Mon = Monrovia

Mque = Martinique

Mtrl = Montreal

Murm = Murmansk

Mypt = Maryport

N B = New Brunswick

N Fore = North Foreland

N O = New Orleans

N S = Nova Scotia

N S W = New South Wales

N West = New Westminster

Nff = Nieuw Waterweb

N Y = New York

Nap = Naples

Naz = St Nazaire

Need = Needles ss

Newc = Newcastle

Nfld = Newfoundland

Nflk = Norfolk, Va

Npt = Newport

Nts = Nantes

O Cal = Old Calabar

Ods = Odessa

Op = Oporto

Ost = Ostend

P Alb = Port Albert

P Ang = Port Angeles

P au P = Port au Prince

P Cab = Puerto Cabello

P Cost = Port Costa

P Eliz = Port Elizabeth

P Nat = Port Natal

P Said = Port Said

P Stan = Port Stanley

P Talb = Port Talbot

P Town = Port Townsend

Pauill = Pauillac

Pen = Penang

Pensa = Pensacola

Pern = Pernambuco

Phihl = Philadelphia

Pir = Piraeus

Plm = Palermo

Ply = Plymouth

Pmbo = Paramaribo

Pnz = Penzance

Pmoar = Pomarao

Pors = Porsgrunn

Prov = Providence RI

Pres = Preston

Ptld = Portland ss

Pts = Portsmouth

Pwle = Prawle Point ss

Qbro = Queenborough

Que = Quebec

Qtn = Queenstown

R G = Rio Grande

R J = Rio de Janeiro

R Mers = River Mersey

Reu = Reunion

Reyk = Reykjavik

Rn = Rouen

Ros = Rosario

Rott = Rotterdam

Runc = Runcorn

S Diego = San Diego

S Geo = South Georgia

S Ork = South Orkney

Sag = Sagres

Saig = Saigon

Sandh = Sandheads

Sarps = Sarpsborg

Sav = Savannah

Seat = Seattle

Sfd = Seaford

Shls = Shields

Shng = Shanghai

Sill = Silloth

Sing = Singapore

S L = Sierra Leone

Snd = Sunderland

Sou = Southampton

Soura = Sourabaya

Spit = Spithead ss

Spurn = Spurn Head ss

St H = St Helena

Sta F = Santa Fe

Stav = Stavanger

Stet = Stettin

Stkm = Stockholm

Sul = Sulina

Sws = Swansea

Syd = Sydney NSW

Table = Table Bay

Tac = Tacoma

Tail = Tail of the Bank

Takor = Takoradi

Tamp = Tampico

Tarra = Tarragona

Tex = Texel

Tffe = Teneriffe

Tgmo = Teignmouth

Tocop = Tocopilla

Trin = Trincomalee

Trn = Troon

Trnto = Taranto

Trond = Trondheim

Trst = Trieste

Ush = Ushant

Val = Valparaiso

Vanc = Vancouver

Vcruz = Vera Cruz

Vict = Victoria

Villa R = Villa Real

Wab = Wabana

Well = Wellington

Weymo = Weymouth

Wind = Windau

Woo = Woosung

Work = Workington

Xsand = Christiansand

Yar = Yarmouth

Ymui = Ymuiden

Yoko = Yokohama

Zanz = Zanzibar

Zeeb = Zeebrugge

B = Bay

C = Cape

Est = Estuary

Hbr = Harbour

Hd = Head

P = Port

Pt = Point

Rds = Roads

Next steps

Other guides in the series which may be useful for using Lloyd's documents as a research tool are:

Research guide H1: Lloyd's: Lloyd's List: Brief history
Research guide H3: Lloyd's: Lloyd’s Captains' Registers
Research guide H5: Registers held at the National Maritime Museum
Research guide H6: Lloyd's Register survey reports

For general research help see:

Research guide A2: Principal records for maritime research at the National Maritime Museum
Research guide A3: Tracing family history from maritime records


Although care has been taken in preparing the information contained in this document, anyone using it shall be deemed to indemnify the National Maritime Museum from any and all injury or damage arising from such use.