Lloyd's Register's 250th anniversary

Lloyd's Register is a ships classification society widely known in all marine shipping areas, which this year is celebrating its 250th anniversary, so I join the chorus of congratulations from the whole maritime family with my wishes they continue working for many years in their usual fields, and in those that technological progress will gradually be opening.

 

 

 It is known that there exist several ship classification societies in the world, although not many, certainly, but I have to admit that for me Lloyd's Register has a special meaning because it was the first I met when I started working at the shipyard "La Naval" in Sestao (Spain)  more than 50 years ago and this created a feeling, an experience, a special relationship. I supose same could happen to many others, and I remember that at those times it was usual in the yard workshops hearing "Lloyds has come", when referring to the surveyor of any classification society, belonging or not to Lloyd's Register.

As we commemorate this anniversary it seems obligatory to recall a little history of this venerable institution, but for this I have taken the liberty of taking data and information from the excellent and documented article that José Antonio Reyero (MSc MCQI CQP), a former director of Lloyd's Register, published in June and July / August issues of the magazine Ingeniería Naval, of great interest to anyone who wants to know and enjoy a lot of data and anecdotes relating to Lloyd's Register and therefore to shipbuilding.

The name Lloyd, besides being very common in England, was that of Edward Lloyd, who owned a café in the City of London in the second half of the seventeenth century, the "Lloyd's Coffee House", which served as the starting point of two independent, but related, organisations "the Lloyd's Insurance Market" (Lloyd's of London) and "the Society for Ships Register or Classification" (Lloyd's Register of Shipping). So there were two independent organizations, the first one for vessels insurance and the second for vessels registry and classification. Functions were different, but related, as a vessel´s insurer needs to know her quality and condition, informations that can be afforded by a vessel´s register. That is, in the atmosphere of that café, that I imagine bustling and friendly, they met and did business the various maritime stakeholders, shipowners, shippers, sailors, auctioneers, shippers, insurers ... and I suppose that shipbuilders would also take a drink over there.

Following picture, taken from " "Find a grave" (see here) shows the E. Lloyd coffee house, that I did not imagine so serious, indeed.

 

Information on ships at first circulated by word of mouth but by the end of the seventeenth century they began to print a newsletter called the "Lloyd's List", with details of ships and their crews, who served as information for the various businesses that were brewing in the café. Later on this newsletter was expanded with more detailed data from ships until it became the Lloyd's Register Book, which since 1760 (250 years) has been published annually by the Lloyd's Register. The "Commitee of Lloyd's" was formed in the year 1760, that is considered the founding year of this organization.

It is curious that in those early days of ships registration, those built in the Thames got a better rating than the others, something that was subsequently removed. Also to note is the secret nature of the Register Book, and their owners were forbidden to show it to anyone who would not paid for their subscription.

   Lloyd's Register has issued throughout its history many documents, standing out among them the mentioned Register Book and the Rules for Construction and Classification of Ships, published nowadays on CD-ROM.

In Spain, the first committee of Lloyd's Register was created in 1950, and was chaired by D. Ernesto Anastasio  Pascual, former President of "Transmediterránea" shipping line and of "Union Naval de Levante" shipyard, being  secretary  D. Augusto Miranda Maristani, former General Manager of shipbuilding group "Sociedad Española de Construcción Naval ("La Naval").

To honour this 250th anniversary, the King of Spain received in audience a representation of the Lloyd's Register headed by the Group Chairman, David Moorhouse, accompanied by several members of the Spanish Committee (See ref. here). Jorge Aldegunde, General Manager of Lloyd's Register in Spain told the press that "it is our great pride that His Majesty the King has graciously granted us a hearing. This encourages us further to continue our work towards the safety of goods and people."

Here below I will briefly list the most important milestones in the history of Lloyd's Register, that J.A. Reyero explains in detail and precision in the mentioned Ingeniería Naval paper.

* 1813 Registration begins for iron anchoring chains
* 1822 First register of a steamship, James Watt, although she was not the first built.
* 1835 Classification of wooden ships
* 1836 Registration of the first iron built ship, the 77 tons dredger Golliat
* 1855 Rules for building and classification of iron ships
* 1862 The Committee states that the anchors and chains have to be tested and checked in a public establishment and in 1873 the Government granted Lloyd's Register as the sole entitled to do these tests and certification. 

In this regard it is interesting to know that the famous ocean liner Titanic was not classified by Lloyd's Register but their anchors and chains did, based on governmental rules. J.A. Reyero does not indicate who classified this ship and I have been unable to find out, through Google, so if anyone knows it I would appreciate telling to me.
* 1867 Rules for Building and classification of mixed iron and wood ships.
* 1878 Rules and registration of yachts
* 1886 First register of an oil tanker, the 1669 tonnes Bakuin
* 1888 Classification Rules for steel vessels
* 1898 Rules for refrigeration equipment on ships
* 1899 First time Spain appears as approved steel maker, with Metallurgical Society Duro y Cia. of Asturias
* 1909 Specific rules for construction of oil tankers
* 1916 Final Rules for installation of electricity on ships
* 1920 The ship Fullagar is registered with the notation "electrically welded. Experimental"
* 1924 Rules for navigation in ice waters
* 1931 Rules for aluminum construction
* 1944 Circular for inspection of weld quality with X-ray
* 1949 Special rules for minimizing the risk of brittle fracture, as a consequence of the fractures in Liberty    ships
* 1950 Rules for paints and primers
* 1956 Construction with glass reinforced plastics
* 1964 High-strength steels. Provisional rules for the transport of liquefied gas
* 1972 Inert gas systems on tankers
* 1974 Nuclear Propulsion
* 1995 Double-hull oil tankers
* 2000 Rules for classification of warships

250 years of history of good performance are a good guarantee of a bright future, which is my the desire for Lloyd's Register.