Admiralty Progress Books (ADM 180 series at The National Archives: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C1889). Ref PST/49: These are bound photocopies of documents held in the National Archives (catalogue reference ADM/180). They date mostly from the 18th century, and list building and repairs of all classes of naval vessels usually with time, place and cost of building, docking and undocking, graving and cleaning, fitting and refitting. Some survey information is also included. Progress books were first used c.1710, (references to ships of earlier date are backdated information), but there are serious omissions before 1725. Between c.1730 and 1780 details are very full, but are increasingly imprecise after the end of the War of American Independence, and by 1800 items may be grouped together or omitted entirely. There is a bound index to ships' names (Ref: PST/49/47) available in the reading room within the hardcopy Manuscripts finding aids section which is the chief index for this collection.

Related materials:

See research guides at https://www.rmg.co.uk/collections/research-guides/research-guide-b6-royal-navy-administrative-records and at The National Archives at: https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/royal-navy-operations-correspondence-1660-1914/