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Merchant Navy (United Kingdom)

The British Merchant Navy is the collective name given to British civilian ships and their associated crews, including officers and ratings. In the UK, it is simply referred to as the Merchant Navy or MN. Merchant Navy vessels fly the Red Ensign and the ships and crew are regulated by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), a specialist agency of the UK Department of Transport. British merchant ships are registered under the UK or Red Ensign group ship registries. British Merchant Navy deck officers and ratings are certificated and trained according to STCW Convention and the syllabus of the Merchant Navy Training Board in maritime colleges and other training institutes around the UK.

For the steam locomotives, see SR Merchant Navy class.

British Merchant Navy

1835–present

Civilian

  • Create wealth for the crown, country and shipowner
  • Support any war effort
  • To help create and maintain diplomatic relationships

10th Largest;

  • 30 Million Gross Registered Tonnage
  • 40.7 Million Deadweight Tonnage
  • Merchant Navy Day (3 September)[1]
  • Battle of the Atlantic (May)
  • Trafalgar Day (21 October )
  • Cargo
  • Passenger
  • Special purpose vessels

King George V bestowed the title of "Merchant Navy" on the British merchant shipping fleets following their service in the First World War;[2] a number of other nations have since adopted the title. Previously it had been known as the Mercantile Marine or Merchant Service, although the term "Merchant Navy" was already informally used from the 19th century.


The British Merchant Navy was historically one of the largest ship registries and source of crew in the world, with 33% of global tonnage registered in 1939. However, since the mid 20th century, the number of shipowners, ships, officers and crew have declined dramatically as a result of globalisation and the rise of flags of convenience. As of 2023, the British Merchant Navy numbered 1,054 ships.

Flags[edit]

Ensigns[edit]

Ensigns are displayed at the stern of the vessel or displayed on the gaff, on a yardarm. Red Ensigns can be defaced, those can only be flown with a warrant on board the vessel. Bermuda (historically part of British North America, but left out of the Confederation of Canada) flies the red ensign also as a territorial flag on land, as did other British North American colonies that still do so as Provinces of modern Canada, including Ontario (other British Overseas Territories that fly a nautical ensign as the territorial flag on land use the Blue Ensign which in Bermuda is only flown from civil government vessels such as ferry boats).

: England footballer.

Fred Blackburn

(c. 1885–1944): seafarers' organiser and Pan-Africanist.

Chris Braithwaite

: 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 20th century's greatest novelists.

Joseph Conrad

: FRS. (1728–1779) British explorer.

James Cook

: Naval frogman, cadet at HMS Conway 1923-1925.

Lionel 'Buster' Crabb

: MBE, (1894–1978) Britain's first woman ship's engineer.

Victoria Drummond

Politician. Cadet at HMS Conway 1968-1972.

Ian Duncan-Smith

: founder of the Social Democratic and Labour Party in Northern Ireland

Gerry Fitt

Air Marshal Sir : Deputy Commander in Chief of RAF Strike Command 1973–75. He started work as a deck boy in 1939 aboard TSS Cyclops.

Peter Horsley

GC FRS FRSE (1906–1941), Earl of Suffolk and of Berkshire. Apprentice officer on the windjammer Mount Stewart; bomb disposal expert in World War II.

Charles Howard

: actor, notably in The New Avengers, and Upstairs, Downstairs

Gareth Hunt

: stewardess who survived the Titanic sinking, and author of autobiography about sailing.

Violet Jessop

: WWII Merchant Navy steward who became a public icon for recruitment efforts.

Frank Laskier

: Merchant Navy steward whose son John later founded the musical group the Beatles.

Freddie Lennon

: Irishman who spent 14 days in a lifeboat and later went on to write the James Bond movies Never Say Never Again and Thunderball.

Kevin McClory

: served in Merchant Navy in 1890s: Cadet at HMS Conway 1891-1894. later Poet Laureate.

John Masefield

7th Earl Nelson

Henry Nelson

: GM. "The Man From Timbuctoo", The "de Neumann Way" named for him.

Peter de Neumann

: later wrote the screenplay for A Hard Day's Night.

Alun Owen

: VC. Merchant Navy recipient of the Victoria Cross.

Frederick Daniel Parslow

: joined the Merchant Navy in 1751 and 37 years later founded the city of Sydney, Australia as the First Governor of New South Wales, which then included the eastern half of the Australia we know today, plus New Zealand.

Arthur Phillip

: Merchant Navy steward who became Deputy Prime Minister in 1997 under Tony Blair.

John Prescott

: directed films such as Tommy, Altered States, and The Lair of the White Worm.

Ken Russell

: VC. Merchant Navy Victoria Cross recipient.

Archibald Bisset Smith

Captain : (19 January 1848 – 24 July 1883) Cadet at HMS Conway 1860-1862 was the first recorded person to swim the English Channel without the use of artificial aids.

Matthew Webb

A number of notable Merchant Navy personnel include:

Equivalent Royal Navy ranks in the Merchant Navy

His Majesty's Coastguard

List of merchant navy capacity by country

Ratings in the Merchant Navy (United Kingdom)

Royal Naval Reserve

Transport in the United Kingdom

United States Merchant Marine

Witherby Publishing Group

The Marine Society

Community

Mercantile Marine

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.