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Searchable Vessels Database

Try typing in a name or keyword such as - Princess, or Princess Maquinna (the more you type in the more narrow the search results will be) - and follow one of the links for details. (Try different spellings for greater success.)

Search Vessels

Enter Search Term (3 characters or more):

Apply Search to one of these:


Notes to Viewer:

Searches must begin with at least three letters and do not need to be capitalized. The more specific the search item entry the fewer the returns you will get from the database. Searches currently return ten items per page. Try searches with different spellings or insertion of spaces and punctuation marks to increase success.

Disclaimer: The information on this site is for informational purposes only - for the enjoyment of floating heritage. The Nauticapedia Project, its volunteers and its contributing authors assume no liability for any inaccurate or incomplete information, nor for any actions taken in reliance thereon. The information contained about each individual, vessel and firm has been checked to the best of our ability but may contain unintended inaccuracies.

Searches for HMC Ships are now available – the search must include the complete vessel name e.g. HMCS Yukon without any periods.

Search also available for CCGS, CCGC, HMS, USCGC, and USS.

What are the abbreviations used in the searchable databases?

Here is documentation of the abbreviations in use, and their expanded meanings.

List of Abbreviations in Use in the Searchable Database

Most of the measurement data comes directly from the Canada List of Shipping. Some comes from other written sources or from anecdotes by owners and others.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

How do I go about finding out what happened to a vessel at the end of its life?

Entries in the vessel database often indicate the ultimate fate of the vessel. There is no requirement for an owner to report what happened to their vessel and sometimes the only indication that something has happened to it is that it is not re-regeistered. The most common fate is simply "struck from registry" meaning that it has probably actually been broken-up for scrap or beached.

List of vessel fates

Can two vessels have the same name simultaneously?

Currently no two registered vessels in Canada may have the same name. In past Shipping Registers some common names were in use by several vessels simultaneously. Licenced vessels may use the same names - and even the same name as that of an existing registered vessel as these names are not 'official'. This can be very confusing for the researcher.

Why are there gaps in the vessel ownership records for some of the vessels?

The vessel ownership records in the database are drawn from many different sources and are slowly being compiled. This means that frequently there are gaps in the records that will be eventually filled-in, some day in the future.

How Complete is the data?

The process is on-going - it would be difficult to ever say that the recorded data for a vessel is ever 'complete'. Some entries are complete - that is to say there is some data covering most attributes over the entire span of its life. Others are still in a preliminary form. It represents the "best available data to date" approach. Updates are being made constantly to make the database more complete and more accurate. This will carry on indefinitely.

What are the prefixes used in the vessel names?

They usually denote their status as naval or government vessels. A complete list can be looked up in the abbreviations section below.


What are the numbers in parentheses in the vessel names?

If the number following the vessel name are enclosed in parentheses this indicates that the identical name has been used by other vessels. The number in parentheses distinguish one vessel so-named from another. Other names (arabic or roman numerals) the numbers are part of the official name of the vessel.

The other terminology used in the databases is defined the table link below.

Vessel Hull Materials

A list of the terms used to classify the materials used in the construction of the vessel hull.

Vessel Types

A list of the terms used to classify vessels in the searchable database and descriptions of how the terms are applied.

Vessel Measurements

Detailed description of the terminology used for describing the displacement, dimensions and other aspects of a vessel.

To quote from the search of this database please cite:

MacFarlane, John M. (2014) The Nauticapedia Project Vessel Database Nauticapedia.ca 2014. http://www.nauticapedia.ca/dbase/Query/dbsubmit_Vessel.php

Nauticapedia

Site News: December 21, 2024

The vessel database has been updated and is now holding 94,824 vessel histories (with 16,274 images and 13,929 records of ship wrecks and marine disasters).

Vessel records are currently being reviewed and updated with more than 45,000 processed so far this year (2024).

The mariner and naval biography database has also been updated and now contains 58,599 entries (with 3996 images).

Thanks to Ray Warren who is beginning a long process of filling gaps in the photo record of vessel histories in the database. Ray has been documenting the ships of Vancouver Harbour for more than 60 years.

Thanks to contributor Mike Rydqvist McCammon for the hundreds of photos he has contributed to illustrate British Columbia’s floating heritage.

My very special thanks to our volunteer IT adviser, John Eyre, who (since 2021) has modernized, simplified and improved the update process for the databases into semi–automated processes. His participation has been vital to keeping the Nauticapedia available to our netizens.

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