The Iron Ships: A Maritime History of BHP 1885–1992
Transportation History Australian History Antiquarian & Collectible Maritime History Business & Corporate History Industrial History Nautical & Naval Reference
The Iron Ships: A Maritime History of BHP 1885–1992 is the only complete photographic and narrative record of every vessel owned or operated by Australia’s steel and mining giant. Compiled by maritime historian Denis M Riley, this 1992 first-edition hardcover charts BHP’s fleet from the 1885 iron barque to the 270 000-tonne bulk carriers of the 1990s, showing how the company’s ships literally built the nation by hauling iron ore, coal and steel along Australian coasts and across the globe. Collectors prize the book for its 200-plus rare photographs, line drawings, yard plans and detailed fleet lists that are unavailable anywhere else.
What makes this copy especially appealing is its pristine, unread interior: no inscriptions, tears or cracked hinges, just crisp pages and tight binding. The dust jacket shows only light shelf rubbing—remarkable for a 30-year-old industrial reference—and the illustrated boards are still square and bright. It is the definitive reference for modellers, genealogists, maritime auction houses and anyone restoring or researching Australian coastal trade, BHP employment records or shipbuilding at Whyalla, Newcastle and Port Kembla.
As BHP has now exited shipping entirely, The Iron Ships is a finite window on a vanished fleet. First printings in this condition seldom surface, making the book both a collectible and a practical archive for engineers, historians and investors tracing the evolution of Australian heavy industry.
Refer to our eBay listing for a full condition report and many more high-quality pictures of this item.
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