Introduction
Mr. W. Allen and his son Frank collected about six thousand photos of ships over a period of 60 years. When they died, the collection was offered to the Martello Tower/Museum at Pembroke Dock (shown above). The story of how the collection was saved from obscurity or destruction by a group of dedicated volunteers, who wanted to make it available to everyone with an interest in Merchant Navy history, is told on the Background to Collection page. The website first went live in 2007.
The Allens catalogued most of the photographs under shipping companies and recorded basic details of the ships on the backs. They did their best in the days before the Internet, but we have found many errors and gaps in their data. Over time the site is being enhanced with more accurate information and I am cleaning up the images. These enhancements started in 2016 and it will be many years before they are completed.
What's New?
14 December 2025: Enhancements to 1800+ photos, added detailed information for ships from 14 companies, new pages for Atlantic Transport Line, completion dates added to all ships for which detailed information is recorded.
Click HERE for full website change history.
Brian Watson
14 December 2025