The World Ship Society is an international society devoted to maritime and naval history. Founded in 1946 as Ship News Club in order to distribute shipping information to correspondents, the society now has thousands of members in dozens of branches across the world. It publishes the monthly magazine Marine News and the quarterly magazine Warships for its membership.

History

In 1946 Michael Crowdy started a mailing list in the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

. In order to share a growing amount of information as regards ships, Crowdy founded the Ships News Club and published two news lists covering all ships in alphabetical order. These two lists, published in 1947, are acknowledged by the WSS to be the first two editions of the Marine News.

From 50 Correspondents at the start of 1947, by the end of the year members of the Ship News Club numbered 200 and 330 in July 1948. Notable amongst its early members were the then editor of Jane's Fighting Ships

Jane's Fighting Ships

Jane's Fighting Ships is an annual reference book of information on all the world's warships arranged by nation, including information on ship's names, dimensions, armaments, silhouettes and photographs, etc...

, Francis McMurtrie, and former editor and noted naval historian Oscar Parkes. By February, 1949 there were members across Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

 and as far away as New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

.

The club's first annual general meeting

Annual general meeting

An annual general meeting is a meeting that official bodies, and associations involving the public , are often required by law to hold...

 was held on 23 September 1949 aboard HMS Wellington

HMS Wellington

HMS Wellington is a Grimsby-class sloop, formerly of the Royal Navy. During the Second World War, she served as a convoy escort ship in the North Atlantic...

 in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

. There it was resolved to change the name of the club to World Ship Society.

Present

The society now has 50 branches throughout the world which actively promote historical research. Staffed by volunteers the society maintains a Central Record and Photo Libraries, as well as a library and reading room in Chatham, Kent. As well as its magazine publications, "Marine News" and "Warships", the society has published many well-regarded books by members. The standard of research material available to members has given the society a reputation for excellence throughout the maritime community.