SHIPS MAIL

THE HAIN THAT NEVER REALLY WAS

There was a time, not so very long ago, when many of us, seeing a ship on the horizon, could report with confidence her owners and perhaps her name, such were the unique designs of most shipowners. The layout of superstructure and funnels, masts and kingposts, made distant recognition easy and almost an exact science for those concerned.

Generally, the overall grey paint of wartime made it no less easy to identify ships. However, taking World War II as an example, there were many ships delivered from their builders at the