Britain traded with many nations throughout history and the bulk of that trade was by sea. To make this possible our merchant seafarers formed a mighty force which was large throughout the nineteenth century and reached its peak in the 1960s. Though seemingly one body, it comprised many individual companies, each of which evolved its own traditions and identity. This book is a celebration of this achievement and an attempt at chronicling these characteristics that give the industry both corporate identity and an element of individuality. The rapid diminution of the British-flagged fleet in recent years has all but extinguished this structure and those who had intimate experience of it are now ageing and their memories fading. We cannot stand in the way of progress, but it is disappointing that so little of this story has previously been recorded. Heraldry of the Oceans will, at least in part, make up for this omission.