Ships Archive publishes ship profiles, photographic histories and articles about maritime events. Our editorial standard is to make each article accurate, useful and traceable to the evidence supporting it.
Research and sourcing
We prioritise original records and authoritative institutional sources where they are available. These include ship registers, builder’s records, official investigation reports, naval documents, museum collections and contemporary material.
Specialist books and carefully researched secondary accounts help explain the wider history. Repeated claims on several websites are not treated as independent confirmation if they appear to originate from the same source.
Wikipedia and similar reference sites may help locate material, but consequential or disputed claims are checked against the underlying evidence wherever possible.
Identifying a vessel
We distinguish ships with the same or similar names through identifying numbers, construction details and service dates.
Former names are associated with the same vessel only when the connection is supported. A change of flag, owner or operator is recorded separately from a change of name.
Specifications and dates
Technical figures are attached to the configuration or period they describe. We distinguish launch, completion, delivery, commissioning and entry into service.
Gross tonnage, gross register tonnage, deadweight and displacement are identified separately. We state units and avoid combining specifications from different periods into an apparently consistent fact box.
Where reliable sources disagree, we describe the disagreement or omit the unresolved figure.
Accidents and losses
Accident articles distinguish the event sequence, investigation findings, witness accounts and later interpretation.
We do not treat preliminary reporting as a final conclusion. Responsibility is attributed only to the extent supported by a relevant investigation or legal finding, with the source and status made clear.
Casualty figures are checked carefully. People affected by maritime disasters are treated with dignity.
Photographs and visual material
Captions identify the vessel and explain what the image supports. Dates and locations are included when established, and uncertainty is stated when necessary.
We label models, artwork, colourised photographs, reconstructions and diagrams. We do not present generated images as documentary photographs.
Writing and editorial tools
Articles must contribute a clear explanation, useful comparison, documented history or informed reading of the evidence. Rewording another website without adding value does not meet our standard.
Research or writing software may assist preparation, but it is not a source of evidence. Any material prepared with automated assistance must be checked against reliable sources and reviewed by a responsible human editor before publication.
We do not invent quotations, sources, personal experience, qualifications or review credentials.
Corrections and updates
Readers can report an error to contact@shipsarchive.com.
We assess corrections against the available evidence. Material changes to a vessel’s identity, principal specifications, event sequence or conclusions receive a dated correction note. Minor spelling and formatting changes may be made without a separate notice.
A revised page shows an updated date when its substantive content has changed. Updating a date alone does not count as an editorial revision.
Editorial independence
Advertising does not determine our findings. Sponsored material, paid placements and affiliate relationships are identified when present.
An advertisement appearing beside an article does not constitute a recommendation by Ships Archive.
