Ships contains 300 mercantile and military vessels arranged in chronological order, from ancient times to the present day. Every type of vessel from every part of the world is featured, from Phoenician war galleys from 1500BC, through the graceful trading clippers of the nineteenth century, to the sophisticated and heavily-armed submarines of the nuclear era.

Each ship is illustrated with a colourful artwork, while lively text offers a concise service history of the ship and a specification box provides comprehensive technical data, including displacement, dimensions, machinery, armament, speed and complement.