To coincide with Women in Maritime Day on 18 May, RINA historian Mark Barton looks at the life of one of the Institution’s first women members One of the first three female naval architects to be elected to member at the 1919 AGM. Eily Keary graduated from Cambridge with a degree in Mechanical Sciences. In […]
Growing up at Pembroke Dockyard where his father worked, Bernard Waymouth served a shipwright apprenticeship before moving to London. In 1846 he joined the firm of Money, Wigram and Sons which had premises at Blackwall on the Thames and was one of the companies experimenting with iron construction. In 1853 he went to work for […]
By Mark Barton, RINA Historian This year sees two hundred years of life afloat for what is the most original old ship in the world, HMS Unicorn. Now a museum in Dundee, she was a 46-gun frigate, designed by Sir Robert Seppings. Built as the changeover started she combines the traditional wooden craftsmanship of the […]
Continuing his ongoing series looking at some of RINA’s most notable members, resident historian Mark Barton looks at the contribution of Sir John Thornycroft and his daughter Blanche Thornycroft The father and daughter team of Sir John Isaac Thornycroft (1843-1928) and Blanche Thornycroft (1873-1950) both played key roles with the Royal Institution of Naval Architects (RINA). […]
To coincide with International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month, maritime historian Dr. Jo Stanley looks at the contribution of the Institution’s women members and the challenges faced by women in the profession ‘What’s the use of nosing round seeking out anomalous women in old documents?’ That’s what any responsible historian worries about. Is their […]
To launch Women’s History Month, RINA historian Mark Barton looks at the life of a founder of the Women’s Engineering Society and one of RINA’s first female members Rachel Mary Parsons (1885-1956) was the daughter of Sir Charles Parsons, one of the key developers of the steam turbine which, at this time, was dominating propulsion […]
In a distressing turn of events, the iconic LV18, a preserved light vessel moored in Harwich, Essex, fell victim to a suspected arson attack. Emergency services rushed to the quay shortly after 9:05 pm on Friday, February 2nd, responding to reports of flames engulfing the historic vessel. Eyewitnesses reported seeing a group of individuals leaving […]
RINA Historian Mark Barton looks at the life and career of one of the Institution’s, and naval architecture’s, most influential figures William Froude (1810-1879) was the first person to formulate reliable laws for the resistance that water offers to ships (such as the hull speed equation) and thus enable ship designers to predict their stability […]
In the first in a regular series, RINA historian Mark Barton looks at some of the figures who helped shape naval architecture Up until the Napoleonic era shipbuilding remained a conservative affair; those responsible for ship design would usually begin life as shipwright apprentices, and learn their craft from their masters and hope to rise […]
By Mark Barton, RINA Historian For towns it is rare we know the exact day they came into being but that is the case for Devonport, the Royal Navy’s main home in the South West. By Royal Decree the town came into being on the 1st January 1824. This marked a step in the development […]
By Mark Barton, RINA historian In the maritime industry, we’re used to large elements of infrastructure being constructed to support dockyards, and regular disruptions to the global supply chain regularly highlight the importance of assuring that infrastructure remains resilient. 2023 marked the bicentenary of a project that was designed to do both of those but […]
Although the RINA is very much committed to serving the needs of today’s maritime industry, and our members in particular, we remain deeply proud of our long history. So it’s always nice to receive a blast from the past. Recently we’ve been ‘reunited’ with two artefacts dating back to the 19th century. Earlier this year […]