Badge of the British Merchant Navy

Merchant Navy of the United Kingdom
Components
Merchant Navy International Maritime Organisation Maritime and Coastguard Agency The Marine Society Red Ensign Maritime Colleges
History
History of the Merchant Navy Maritime History of the UK
Ships
Merchant Ship Types Marine Transportation
Personnel
Notable Sea Captains Notable Sailors Uniforms Officers Ratings
Related agencies of the Merchant Navy
Department for Transport HM Revenue and Customs Royal Fleet Auxiliary
v t e

The Merchant Navy is the maritime register of the United Kingdom, and describes the seagoing commercial interests of UK-registered ships and their crews. Merchant Navy vessels fly the Red Ensign and are regulated by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA). King George V bestowed the title of "Merchant Navy" on the British merchant shipping fleets following their service in the First World War; a number of other nations have since adopted the title.

History[link]

The Merchant Navy has been in existence for a significant period in British history, owing much of its growth to British imperial expansion. As an entity in itself it can be dated back to the 17th century, where an attempt was made to register all seamen as a source of manpower for the Royal Navy during times of conflict.^[1] That registration of merchant seamen failed, and it was not successfully implemented until 1835. The merchant fleet grew over successive years to become the world's foremost merchant fleet, benefiting considerably from trade with British possessions in India and the Far East. The lucrative trade in sugar, spices and tea (carried by ships such as the Cutty Sark) helped to solidify this dominance in the 19th century.

Main articles: U-boat Campaign (World War I) and Battle of the Atlantic (1939-1945).

During the First and Second World Wars, the Merchant Service suffered heavy losses from German U-boat attacks. A policy of unrestricted warfare meant that merchant seamen were also at risk of attack from enemy ships. The tonnage lost to U-boats during the First World War was around 7,759,090 tons,^[2] and around 14,661 merchant seamen lost their lives. In honour of the sacrifice made by merchant seamen during the First World War, King George V granted the title "Merchant Navy" to the service. The Prince of Wales was made the Master of the Merchant Navy.^[3]

In the Second World War, German U-boats sank nearly 14.7 million tons of allied shipping,^[4] which amounts to 2,828 ships (around two thirds of the total allied tonnage lost). The United Kingdom alone suffered the loss of 11.7 million tons, which is 54% of the total Merchant Navy fleet at the outbreak of the Second World War. 30,000 merchant seamen were killed aboard convoy vessels during the war, but along with the Royal Navy, the convoys successfully imported enough supplies to allow an Allied victory.

The British steamer Andex sinking after being torpedoed by a U-boat.

In honour of the sacrifices made during the two World Wars, the Merchant Navy lays wreaths of remembrance alongside the armed forces during the annual Remembrance Day service on 11 November. Following many years of lobbying to bring about official recognition of the sacrifices made by merchant seaman in two world wars and since, Merchant Navy Day became an official day of remembrance on 3 September 2000.

Despite maintaining its dominant position for considerable time, the decline of the British Empire in the mid-20th century inevitably led to the decline of the merchant fleet. This is shown in the following table, comparing certain vessel types in 1957 and 2008:

As of 2005, the Merchant Navy consists of 429 ships of 1,000 gross register tons (GRT) or over; a total of 9,181,284 GRT. This amounts to 9,566,275 metric tons deadweight (DWT). These vessels can be categorised as follows:

• 18 bulk carriers
• 55 general cargo ships
• 48 chemical tankers
• 134 container ships,
• 11 liquefied gas carriers
• 12 passenger ships
• 64 combination passenger/cargo ships
• 40 petroleum tankers
• 19 refrigerated cargo ships
• 25 roll-on/roll-off ships
• 3 vehicle carriers.

In addition, UK interests own 446 ships registered in other countries, and 202 foreign-owned ships are registered in the UK.^[6]

Officers past and present[link]

A person hoping to one day become a captain, or master prior to about 1973, had five choices. To attend one of the three elite naval schools from the age of 12, the fixed-base HMS Conway and HMS Worcester or Pangbourne Nautical College, which would automatically lead to an apprenticeship as a seagoing cadet officer; apply to one of several training programmes elsewhere, or go to sea immediately by applying directly to a merchant shipping company at perhaps the age of 17 (with poor prospects of being accepted without some nautical school or other similar prior education.) Then there would be three years (with prior training or four years without) of seagoing experience aboard ship, in work-clothes and as mates with the deck crew, under the direction of the bo'sun cleaning bilges, chipping paint, polishing brass, cement washing freshwater tanks, and holystoning teak decks, and studying navigation and seamanship on the bridge in uniform, under the direction of an officer, before taking exams to become a second mate. With luck, one could become an "uncertificated" second mate in the last year.

The modern route to becoming a deck or engineer officer comprises a total of three years of which at least twelve (six for engineers) months is spent at sea and the remainder at a sea college. This training still encompasses all of the traditional trades such as celestial navigation, ship stability, general cargo and seamanship, but now includes training in business, legislation, law, and computerisation for deck officers and marine engineering principles, workshop technology, steam propulsion, motor (diesel) propulsion, auxiliaries, mechanics, thermodynamics, engineering drawing, ship construction, marine electrics as well as practical workshop training for engineering officers. Training is now undertaken at Warsash Maritime Academy, Shetland School of Nautical Studies, South Tyneside College, Glasgow College of Nautical Studies and Fleetwood Nautical Campus. As well as earning an OOW (Officer of the Watch) certificate, they gain valuable training at sea and an HND or degree in their chosen discipline. The decrease of officer recruiting in the past, combined with the huge expansion of trade via shipping is causing a shortage of officers in the UK, traditionally a major seafaring nation, and as such a scheme called Maritime UK has been launched to raise general awareness of the Merchant Navy in the modern day roles.

Another essential seagoing career was that of the radio officer (or R/O, but usually "sparks"), often, though not exclusively, employed and placed by the Marconi Company or one of a number of similar radio company employers. After the inquiry into the sinking of the RMS Titanic, and the nearby SS Californian which did not render assistance due to their radio being down for the night, it was ordered that round-the-clock watch had to be maintained on all ships over 1600 GT. Most vessels only carried one radio officer, and during the hours he was off-duty, an automatic alarm device monitored the distress frequency. Today, Marconi no longer supplies radio officers to ships at sea, because they are no longer required, due to the development of satellites. Deck officers are now dual trained as GMDSS officers, thereby being able to operate all of the ship's onboard communication systems and ETOs (Electro Technical Officer) are trained to fix and maintain the more complex systems.

COMSAT launched their first commercial satellite in 1976 and by the mid 1980s satellite communication domes had become a familiar sight at sea. The Global Maritime Distress and Safety System or GMDSS was introduced and by 1 February 1999, all ships had to be fitted, thus bringing to an end the position of radio officer. This has led to a new career path, the recently introduced electro-technical officer (ETO), who is a trained engineer with qualifications to assist the mechanical engineer to maintain vital electronic equipment such as radios and RADARs. ETOs are marine engineers given extra training. Although ETOs are relatively new, many companies are beginning to employ them, (although mechanical engineers are still employed).

Ship crews are of course made up of others, working under the eyes of the officers; the deck crew and bo'sun, responsible for general maintenance, sailing "before the mast", (which, due to exaggerated pitching motion in bad weather, is the least comfortable part of the ship). Other duties aboard ship are performed by the ship's carpenter, the cooks, the stewards, the quartermaster who steers the ship, and the below-decks crew, often referred to as "greasers". Ocean-going vessels with more than 12 passengers are required to have a doctor aboard. For ships of the British Merchant Navy on foreign service, interestingly, it used to be that each of these departments were peopled with ethnically based workers. The deck crew would often be Malay, the quartermasters Filipino, the greasers and stewards Indian, the cooks Indian but from Goa where, being Christian, they could prepare Western style food, and the ship's carpenter ("chippy") would often be Chinese. The officers would be British or Commonwealth, headed by the captain (or master, but more often referred to as "the old man"). The purser was in charge of the ship's stores. Nowadays, ships have turnaround times of less than twenty-four hours instead of several days, due to containerisation, requiring a much smaller crew. The passenger liners that once transported people now ply the oceans for pleasure seekers, cargo ships have switched to containers using efficient shoreside cranes instead of the ship's derricks, and tankers have become gigantic supertankers.

Sailing on the high seas has a long history, with embedded traditions largely inherited from the days of sail. Because of the ever-present concerns of safety for crew and passengers, the layers of authority are rigid, discipline strict, and mutiny almost unknown.

Merchant mariners are held in high esteem as a result of their extraordinary losses in times of war. The ships were often "sitting ducks" lined up in the sights of enemy combatants.

Notable people[link]

A number of notable Merchant Navy personnel include:

• Joseph Conrad: joined the Merchant Navy in 1874, rising through the ranks of Second Mate and First Mate, to Master in 1886. Left in order to write professionally, becoming one of the twentieth-century's greatest novelists.
• Arthur Phillip: joined the Merchant Navy in 1751 and 37 years later founded the city of Sydney, Australia.
• Ken Russell: directed films such as Tommy, Altered States, and The Lair of the White Worm.
• Kevin McClory: an Irishman who spent fourteen days in a lifeboat and later went on to write the James Bond movies Never Say Never Again and Thunderball.
• Alun Owen: later wrote the screenplay for A Hard Day's Night.
• Frank Laskier: WWII Merchant Navy steward who became a public icon for recruitment efforts.
• Freddie Lennon: a Merchant Navy steward whose son would later found the musical group The Beatles.
• John Prescott: a Merchant Navy steward who became Deputy Prime Minister in 1997 under Tony Blair.
• Fred Blackburn: England footballer.
• Edwin Stratton: founder of Yoshinkan UK.
• Air Marshal Sir Peter Horsley: Deputy Commander in Chief (Strike Command) from 1973 - 1975. Started work as a deck boy in 1939 aboard the TSS Cyclops.
• Gareth Hunt: actor, notably in The New Avengers, and Upstairs, Downstairs

Members of the British Merchant Navy have won the George Cross and the Distinguished Service Cross while serving in the Merchant Navy. Canadian Philip Bent, ex-British Merchant Navy, joined the British Army at the outbreak of World War I, and won the Victoria Cross.

British shipping companies[link]

The British Merchant Navy consists of various private shipping companies. Over the years many companies have come and gone, merged, changed their name or changed owners.

The following is a list of some of the British shipping companies, past and present:

• Anglo-Saxon Petroleum Company (Shell Tankers)
• Ben Line
• Bibby Line
• Blue Funnel Line
• British Tanker Company
• Clan Line
• Cunard Line
• Elder Dempster Lines
• Ellerman Lines
• Evan Thomas Radcliffe
• Fyffes Line
• Harrison Line
• Indo-China Steam Navigation Company Ltd.
• Lamport and Holt
• North Star Shipping
• Ocean Steam Navigation Company (White Star Line)
• Palm Line
• Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company (P&O)
• Ropner Shipping Company
• Royal Mail Steam Packet Company
• Silver Line
• Union-Castle Line
• United Africa Company
• Global Marine Systems, previously Cable & Wireless Marine and British Telecom Marine
• BP
• Shell International Shipping Services

See also[link]

Nautical portal

• Equivalent Royal Navy ranks in the Merchant Navy
• Ratings in the Merchant Navy
• Maritime and Coastguard Agency
• Transportation in the United Kingdom
• Royal Naval Reserve
• Master Mariner

Notes[link]

References[link]

• Blackmore, Edward (1897). The British Mercantile Marine. London: Charles Griffin and Company, Limited. http://books.google.com/books?id=LexPdi7yL4kC&pg=PA64&dq=Third+Mate#PPR3,M1. Retrieved 2007-05-29. 
• Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Shipping". Encyclopædia Britannica. 24 (11th edition ed.). http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/User:Tim_Starling/ScanSet_TIFF_demo. Retrieved 2007-04-17. 
• Hope, Ronald (2001). Poor Jack: The Perilous History of the Merchant Seaman. London: Greenhill Books. ISBN 1-86176-161-9. 
• Mission to Seafarers. "Mission to Seafarers Timeline Alongside World Events". Mission to Seafarers. Archived from the original on 16 September 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20070916090147/http://www.missiontoseafarers.org/timeline.php. Retrieved 2007-04-02. 

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Merchant Navy (United Kingdom)

• The Marine Society
• Mercantile Marine Community
• British Merchant Navy Association
• Records of World War Two Medals issued to Merchant Seamen from The National Archives.
• Search and download WW2 Merchant Shipping movement cards from The National Archives.
• Sea Sense

Historical[link]

• Photos of the Merchant Marine Memorials in London
• Tramp Steamers and Liberty Gallery

Educational and professional[link]

• The Marine Society College of the Sea
• Maritime and Coastguard Agency UK
• The Merchant Navy Training Board
• Nautilus UK

A United States World War II recruiting poster for the merchant marine

A merchant navy or merchant marine is the fleet of merchant vessels that are registered in a country, which varies in capacity. Seafarers on merchant vessels, who hold various military-like ranks and responsibilities and are sometimes members of various maritime trade unions, are required by the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers to carry Merchant Mariner's Documents. King George V bestowed the title of the "Merchant Navy" on the British merchant shipping fleets following their service in the First World War, however a number of other nations have since adopted the title. The following is a partial list of the merchant navies or merchant marines of various countries. In many countries the fleet's proper name is simply the capitalized version of the common noun.

This transport-related list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

British Merchant Navy[link]

The British Red Ensign.

The British Merchant Navy comprises the British merchant ships that transport cargo and people during time of peace and war.

For long periods of the last millennium, the Merchant Navy had the largest merchant fleet in the world, but it has slipped down the rankings. Today, there are 429 ships of 1,000 Gross Tonnes (GT) or over, making a total of 9,181,284 GT (9,566,275  tons deadweight (DWT)). These are split into the following types: bulk carrier 18, cargo 55, chemical tanker 48, container 134, liquefied gas 11, passenger 12, passenger/cargo 64, petroleum tanker 40, refrigerated cargo 19, roll on/roll off 25, vehicle carrier 3. There are also 446 ships registered in other countries, and 202 foreign-owned ships registered in the UK. (2005 CIA estimate)

Canadian Merchant Navy[link]

Canada, like several other Commonwealth nations, created its own Merchant Navy in a large-scale effort in World War II. Established in 1939, the Canadian Merchant Navy played a major role in the Battle of the Atlantic bolstering the Allies' merchant fleet due to high losses in the British Merchant Navy. Eventually thousands of Canadians served in the Merchant Navy aboard hundreds of Canadian merchant ships, notably the "Park Ship", the Canadian equivalent of the American "Liberty Ship". A school at St. Margarets Bay, Nova Scotia trained Canadian merchant mariners. "Manning Pools", Merchant Navy barracks, were built in Canadian ports.

Greek Merchant Navy[link]

According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics and the World Factbook, the Greek maritime fleet is today the largest in the world, with 3,099 vessels of 1000 Tonnes or more (December 13, 2007) accounting for 18% of the world's fleet capacity. About half of the vessels fly the Greek flag and the remainder mainly flags of convenience. Greek vessels consist about half of total EU tonnage and created 7.6% of Greece's GDP in 2007 (about 17 billion euros).^[1] Thus Greece is the largest shipping-nation in the world with a total of 141,931,000 metric tons deadweight (DWT).[30] In terms of ship categories, Greece ranks first in both tankers and dry bulk carriers, fourth in the number of containers, and fourth in other ships. In the 1970s Greece was even bigger with circa 5000 ships.

New Zealand Merchant Navy[link]

In December 1939, 3000 seafarers were employed 186 merchant vessels were on the New Zealand Registry (many larger New Zealand vessels were however registered in London for insurance purposes). Some foreign vessels were impressed, including the 4 masted barque, Pamir. New Zealand like several other Commonwealth nations created a merchant navy. Although some ships were involved in the Atlantic and North Pacific trade, mostly this involved domestic and South Pacific cargos. New Zealand owned ships involved in trade with the United Kingdom (84 % of all New Zealand exports in 1939) and the majority of New Zealand seamen had served with the British Merchant Navy. Over the course of the war, 64 ships were sunk by enemy action on the New Zealand-UK route.^[2]

Polish Merchant Navy[link]

The Polish Merchant Navy (Polish: Polska Marynarka Handlowa, PMH) was created in the interwar period when the Second Polish Republic regained independence. During World War II, many ships of the Polish Navy joined the Allied merchant navy and its convoys, as part of the Polish contribution to World War II.

After the war, the Polish Merchant Navy was controlled by the People's Republic of Poland and after 1989, by modern Poland. As of 1999^[update], the PMH controls 57 ships (of 1,000 GT or over) totaling gross tonnage (GT) of 1,120,165 tons/1,799,569 metric tons deadweight (DWT) including 50 bulk carriers, 2 general cargo ships, 2 chemical tankers, 1 roll-on/roll-off ship and 2 short-sea passenger ships.

Swiss Merchant Marine[link]

Switzerland has a civilian high seas fleet of merchant vessels, whose home port is Basel, on the Rhine. The first ships were purchased and operated by the government in order to ensure the supply of critical resources during World War II. After the war, a privately owned merchant fleet emerged, spurred in part by government subsidies that paid for the fleet's operation up until 1953. As of 2006, 26 ships (mostly container carriers) totalling 479,624 tons, operated by five shipping companies, fly the Swiss flag.

United States Merchant Marine[link]

The United States Merchant Marine is made up of the nation's civilian-owned merchant ships and the men and women that crew them. The merchant marine transports cargo and passengers during peace time. In time of war, the merchant marine^[3] is an auxiliary to the Navy, and can be called upon to deliver troops and supplies for the military.

The people of the merchant marine are called merchant mariners, and are civilian except in times of war, when, in accordance with the Merchant Marine Act of 1936 they are considered military personnel. As of 2009, the United States merchant fleet numbered 422 ships^[4] and approximately 69,000 people. Seven hundred ships owned by American interests but registered, or flagged, in other countries are not included in this number.

The International Maritime Organization[link]

The International Maritime Organization (IMO), formerly known as the Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization (IMCO), was established in Geneva in 1948,[1] and came into force ten years later, meeting for the first time in 1959. The IMCO name was changed to IMO in 1982.[2]

Headquartered in London, United Kingdom, the IMO is a specialized agency of the United Nations with 169 Member States and three Associate Members.[2] The IMO's primary purpose is to develop and maintain a comprehensive regulatory framework for shipping and its remit today includes safety, environmental concerns, legal matters, technical co-operation, maritime security and the efficiency of shipping. IMO is governed by an Assembly of members and is financially administered by a Council of members elected from the Assembly. The work of IMO is conducted through five committees and these are supported by technical subcommittees. Member organizations of the UN organizational family may observe the proceedings of the IMO. Observer status is granted to qualified non-governmental organizations.

The IMO is supported by a permanent secretariat of employees who are representative of its members. The secretariat is composed of a Secretary-General who is periodically elected by the Assembly, and various divisions such as those for marine safety, environmental protection, and a conference section.

See also[link]

	United States Merchant Marine portal
	Nautical portal

• Maritime history, maritime history by country
• Ship transport
• Merchant vessel
• List of merchant marine capacity by country
• Affreightment
• Flag of convenience
• USA Maritime

References[link]

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