United Kingdom, Merchant Seamen Records, 1918-1941
Index and images of microfiche copies of a card index originally kept by the Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen, series BT 348, BT 349, BT 350, and BT 364, now held at The National Archives. The contents of the records vary, but they usually include the seaman's name and the year and place of birth. Some cards include photographs.
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United Kingdom, Merchant Seamen Records
What is in This Collection?
This collection contains records from BT (Board of Trade) record groups 348 - Registry of Shipping and Seamen: Register of Seamen, Central Index, Numerical Series; 349 - Registry of Shipping and Seamen: Register of Seamen, Central Index, Alphabetical Series; 350 - Registry of Shipping and Seamen: Register of Seamen, Special Index, Alphabetical Series; and 364 – Registry of Shipping and Seamen: Registers of Seamen, Combined Numerical Index.
This series is the combined numerical index of the Register of Seamen maintained by the Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen. The Central Register of Seamen originally consisted of three separate card indexes (CR1, central index, alphabetical registry; CR2, central index, numerical registry; and CR10, special index, alphabetical). The fourth index was compiled from its predecessors, for reasons unknown. According to the National Archives, cards in BT 364 dating from 1913 to 1921 were destroyed in 1969 for unknown reasons. Cards in BT 364 are arranged numerically by continuous discharge A number. The cards were filed by number, ignoring the letter prefix. At the end of the series is a small collection of un-numbered cards which have been sorted alphabetically by surname. Additional records and/or images may be added to this collection in the future.
What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:
- Seaman's name
- Age or birth date
- Place of birth
- Date of service
- Rank or rating
- Ship's name
- Date of discharge
- Discharge A number
Collection Details
Location of Original Records
The National Archives
"United Kingdom, Merchant Seamen Records, 1918-1941", Database. FamilySearch. https://familysearch.org : 8 December 2025.
