Related Resources

Your research on ships may be supported by the resources and links suggested below, some of which can be found at the Library of Congress and some through other websites and institutions.

Other Library of Congress reading rooms have resources related to ships, as described below.

Ships and Ship Registers Guide: Science, Technology & Business Division
This guide mostly contains sources that provide information on the specifics of ships—from dimensions, weight, tonnage, when and where it was built, who owned it etc.
Newspaper & Current Periodicals Reading Room Guides
The Newspaper & Current Periodicals Reading Room has guides for ship related topics such as Ironclads, the sinking of ships such as the Titanic & Lusitania, and Battleships & the Naval Arms Race.

You can learn more about visual materials at other institutions that are strong in their coverage of ships by following the links below.

National Archives
The official repository for military photographs in the United States. They will have photos taken by official government photographers, making this the best place to search for military ships.
Naval History & Heritage Command
The US Navy's historical branch. They have scanned a large number of their photos which can be searched online.
The Mariners' Museum Library External
With over 600,000 ship related images, they are richest source of photos in the United States.
NavSource External
Privately run database of US Naval ship information and photos.
ShipSpotting.com External
A good source for photos of contemporary ships.

The guides below, made by other organizations, provide information about published sources that may support your research on ships.

Ships: A Navy Bibliography
A list of books compiled by the Naval History and Heritage Command which are good sources of information on military ships.
Northwestern Michigan College Maritime Guide External
A guide focusing on sources of information on Great Lakes ships.
Eastern Carolina Maritime Studies Guide External
A guide that includes information on sources of all aspects of maritime history with an emphasis on ships that sailed off the North Carolina coast.

Ships: Navigating for Images at the Library of Congress

Prints & Photographs: Ask a Librarian

Related Resources