Naval Marine Archive - The Canadian Collection
Library Catalogue Ships database Research Collections Bibliography About us Donate

The Mills List supplementary information

Changes to The Mills List as of December 2006

Preface

This listing comprises information gained during my years of research, which did not fit into the format adopted for the published "New Mills List". It is not intended to stand alone, but it must be read in conjunction with the published "New Mills List", particularly its Introduction. Data given there is usually not repeated here unless it can be amplified or improved in some manner.

Considerable space is devoted here to names of owners. Note:This is neither complete nor necessarily correct, particularly in early years when the only sources of such information are newspapers. In many cases the names are taken from the annual "List of Shipping". These were analyzed in detail for the years 1874, 1877, 1886, 1895, 1898, 1901, 1917, 1921, 1928, 1935 and 1945, hence the frequency with which these dates appear. The formulation "to J.Smith 1921, 1927" means that J.Smith became the owner in 1921, and was still shown as owner on the 1927 List. It is to be noted that the appearance of a vessel on a List of Shipping is no guarantee of her existence at that date, as the entries were carried on from year to year unchanged until the authorities were notified (or finally assumed) that the vessel had ceased to exist, which, surprisingly often, was many years after the event (15 years is not uncommon).

I have given rather sketchy treatment, particularly as regards ownership, to the later entries in some areas, as it will be obvious that my research has concentrated on the earlier years and the less-known regions. In this regard, the detailed knowledge of twentieth-century Great Lakes shipping possessed by Mr. Viktor Kaczkowski, now of Regina Saskatchewan, has been of great assistance. It is from the early period that the newspaper quotations are taken; I hope they add a little spice to the mix.

I have used the word "Dominion" throughout, since this was normal practice in the years covered. Similarly, I have ignored the existence of the metric system. Converting tens of thousands of numbers was too agonizing to contemplate, and the custom of showing both metric and Imperial versions of every figure is something that I find unendurable. Where vessels were transferred from other countries, dimensions and tonnages are given as in Canadian records. The expression "Custom-House measure" is explained on page ix of the printed Introduction. Comparison of these tonnages with the "resurveyed" figures in the printed List is interesting, especially for large passenger boats where the difference can be enormous. Dates are given in dd/mm/yy format.

I have tried to give the correct date for wrecks and sinkings, but this is hard to do, particularly if there are two "official" dates (see page vii). I have tended to believe the newspapers where their dates differ from "official" ones, unless the papers disagree among themselves. It is possible to have three or even four dates for the same event; in which case one can only do one's best.

John M. Mills, Toronto, September 2002.

       Quickly find a ship name.

 

 



Naval Marine Archive – The Canadian Collection
205 Main Street, Picton, Ontario, K0K2T0, Canada
Telephone: 1 613 476 1177
E-mail: for comments, queries and suggestions.



Copyright © 2025
Naval Marine Archive
The Canadian Collection™

Revised: 8 February 2023