The British Barquentine Alaska, trading to the Ellis and Gilbert Islands. From The Romance of the Merchant Ship, published 1931.

A carrack or nau, three or four-masted sailing ship from about 1470. From The Romance of the Merchant Ship, published 1931.

Henry Grace àDieu Henry Grace of God, aka Great Harry. English carrack or great ship of the 16th century. From The Romance of the Merchant Ship, published 1931.

HMS Victory, Lord Nelson's flagship, in drydock at Portsmouth, England in 1922 for restoration. From The Romance of the Merchant Ship, published 1931.

Vasco Da Gama's fleet of ships which left Lisbon, Prtugal in 1497 on the first expedition to sail around the Cape of Good Hope to India and back. From The Romance of the Merchant Ship, published 1931.

Worker using a Thor Pneumatic drill, the photograph shows the utility of the drill when working in a corner. From The Romance of the Merchant Ship, published 1931.

Infante Henry, Duke of Viseu, 1394 – 1460, aka Henry the Navigator. Portuguese explorer. From The Romance of the Merchant Ship, published 1931.

The Paddle Steamer SS Sirius leaving Cork harbour on April 4 1838, with ninety four passengers, she arrived at New York on April 23 1838. From The Romance of the Merchant Ship, published 1931.

SS Great Western, an oak-hulled paddle-wheel steamship, the first to be purpose-built for crossing the Atlantic. She left Bristol on April 7 1838 and arrived in New York Harbour on April 23. From The Romance of the Merchant Ship, published 1931.

An English ship of around 1540. From The Romance of the Merchant Ship, published 1931.