Tons of tankers in enjoyable BP history
BP Shipping Pictorial: the Golden Years 1945-1975, by Ray Solly
Fans of ships of the past are in for a Christmas treat with BP Shipping Pictorial, a well-written company history featuring some 200 tankers.
Author Ray Solly was once a seafarer, and this shows in his interest in how the crew members on the tankers experienced their vessels. With the company already having a reputation as a good employer committed to training, the increasing size of the ships led to ever-more spacious and comfortable crew quarters, he explains.
Single cabins became commonplace, and onboard facilities could include swimming pools and bars. Seafarers are pictured in the book enjoying games of table tennis in their quarters and cricket on the vast deck above the tanks.
Solly also looks at the design and construction of tankers, starting in the late 19th and early 20th century and continuing to the era of VLCCs (very large crude carriers). He reports the relief of crews when their accommodation was moved aft – no longer above the tanks – and notes the step change in safety when inert gas systems were introduced to help prevent explosions.
Illustrated throughout with high-quality photographs and diagrams, the book also benefits from an index of ships so maritime readers can look up the vessels they served on. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to have been possible to name the seafarers pictured in many of the photos, but there's a strong chance that some of these will be reading this review as retired Nautilus members, so if you buy the book and spot yourself, please let us know at telegraph@nautilusint.org.
BP Shipping Pictorial: the Golden Years 1945-1975
By Ray Solly
Whittles Publishing, £18.99
ISBN: 978 18499 54747
Buy this book in the Nautilus Bookshop
While you're there, why not browse the rest of the titles in our unique maritime bookshop, which sells all the books reviewed on these pages.
Buy nowMore Books
Salvage story told through a treasure trove of images
In the Wake of the Empress of Ireland, by David Saint-PierreThe sinking of the Empress of Ireland in 1914 remains the worst peacetime disaster in Canadian history. Of the 1,477 people onboard, 1,012 died as the ocean liner went down in just 14 minutes.
Fighting on after D-Day
Normandy: The Sailors’ Story, by Nick HewittTo tie in with the 80th anniversary of D-Day last year, Yale University Press published this detailed and readable book by veteran ship restorer and historian Nick Hewitt, which puts the efforts of the Allied navies in the Battle for France centre stage.
Scotland's WW2 supply crews
Never to Return, by Roderick G MacleanAs remembrance season approaches, we often look out for new titles on the Merchant Navy in wartime, and Never to Return fits the bill this year.
New northern take on the Titanic tragedy
Titanic: The Greater Manchester Connections, by James W BancroftFew maritime tragedies have held such a place in the public imagination as that of the Titanic. The tales and testimonies of passengers aboard that doomed voyage in 1912 have inspired countless books and several film adaptations, some more fictionalised than others.