Something entirely new for ship lovers is quit rare today, but Merchant fleets in profile present the history of some of the world's most famous (and not so famous) shipping lines in a unique way. Each section will contain a chronology of the main events in the company's history, an index of the ships, together with the actual fleet list, also in date order, which includes every vessel above 100 gross tons owned by the line. The fleet list alone is of immense value to maritime historians as it includes detailed information on the ships, including tonnage, dimensions. engines, hull, accommodation and service, plus a brief history of each vessel. Years of careful and methodical research have enabled Duncan Haws to illustrate with constant-scale drawings (all to 150 feet to the inch) almost all the ships listed - the illustrations themselves being a major feature of the series. The first volume covers ships of the farnous P&O Group, and includes the P&O itself with more than 400 ships, the Orient SN (with PSNC chartered ships) and the Blue Anchor Line. This authoritative series of reference works covering shipping companies, past and present, is certain to be welcorned by shipping enthusiasts the world over.