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Richard McKenna lived for collecting information about ships and shipping, freely sharing his vast knowledge and information with anyone who sought his assistance. It was his wish that, what took him a lifetime to collect, would remain publicly accessible. After Richard's death in 1995, his family, following out his wishes, donated the McKenna collection to the Western Australian Maritime Museum. Throughout his lifetime, Richard was a great friend and supporter of the Maritime Museum and its staff, many of whom frequently turned to Richard for obscure information. The Richard McKenna Memorial Collection comprises library books, shipping registers, ship's photographs, maps and charts; shipping memorabilia; ship's plans; and other maritime paraphernalia - it is a truly generous donation made with the intention that Richard McKenna's information and knowledge remains available to whoever seeks it. The transfer of the Richard McKenna Memorial collection was facilitated by Richard's wife, Coralie. Sadly, Coralie McKenna has since passed away. The McKenna Pictorial Shipping Collection is a step towards fulfilling Richard and Coralies' wishes - to allow anyone and everyone to be recipients of the information and data that Richard collected. The Richard McKenna Memorial Pictorial Shipping Collection aims to provide pubic access to the wealth of photographs and shipping information collected by Richard. Information about the design and history of each vessel featured is being researched and collated, and the images digitized for presentation through a comprehensive on-line database. At the present time, the Maritime Museum does not have the resources to copy photographs for distribution to the public so please do not make requests because refusal may offend. When we are in a position to copy photographs for distribution to the public we will advertise this on this website. The database is currently under redevelopment to provide access to an even greater range of information from varying sources. The estimated 40,000 images from the Richard McKenna Memorial Pictorial Shipping Collection remain the core of the database but the focus now being the integration of these images with research on the vessel history and details and some 32,000 records of shipping arrivals at Western Australian ports since 1829. Much of the work is being done by a dedicated team of volunteers, including members of the World Ship Society, WA Branch, and Richard and Coralie’s grandson. The Maritime History Department is enormously grateful for the assistance of these volunteers to fulfil Richard's wishes and keep his memory alive through the legacy of his donation. The project is supervised by Michael Gregg of the Maritime History Department |
