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Records Relating to the United States Merchant Marine Personnel

The United States Merchant Mariners (USMM) are an important part of the country's history in establishing overseas trade and commerce. Merchant Marine personnel were administered by the Bureau of Navigation within the Department of the Treasury beginning in 1884. From 1903 to 1913, the Department of Labor and Commerce oversaw Merchant Mariners. When these departments split in 1913, the Department of Commerce continued to oversee Merchant Mariners until 1942, when Executive Order 9083 transferred the Merchant Marine to the United States Coast Guard. Even though the Coast Guard has since been transferred from the Department of Commerce to the Department of Transportation and finally to the Department of Homeland Security, it continues to oversee Merchant Marine personnel.

Records relating to Merchant Marine personnel are housed at the 威尼斯人娱乐场 in Washington, DC, within Record Group 41: Records of the Bureau of Marine Inspection and Navigation. Additional records are housed at the 威尼斯人娱乐场 at St. Louis, MO.

Records Held by the 威尼斯人娱乐场 in Washington, DC (Archives 1)

Records related to Merchant Marine personnel at Archives 1 are found in Record Group 41: Records of the Bureau of Marine Inspection and Navigation. A finding aid for Record Group 41 is available in the research consultation room on the Coast Guard/Maritime bookcase. For questions about these records, please contact the Archives 1 Reference Branch at archives1reference@nara.gov.

  • Steamboat Inspection Service Payroll Cards, 1918鈥�1934 (Entry UD 24A; 威尼斯人娱乐场 Identifier )
  • Applications for Seamen鈥檚 Protection Certificates, 1916鈥�1940 (Entry UD 159; 威尼斯人娱乐场 Identifier )
  • Record of Placement as Special Enrolling Agent, 1918 (Entry UD 234; 威尼斯人娱乐场 Identifier )
  • Personnel Records of Recruits, 1918鈥�1942 (Entry UD 238; 威尼斯人娱乐场 Identifier )
  • Records of the Legal Department Relating to Discharges, 1918鈥�1942 (Entry UD 239; 威尼斯人娱乐场 Identifier )
    • Indexes are available (see Entry UD 240 below).
  • Indexes to Records of the Legal Department Relating to Discharges, 1918鈥�1919 (Entry UD 240; 威尼斯人娱乐场 Identifier )
    • The indexes lead to Entry UD 239 (see above).
  • Transfer and Discharge Lists from Training Ships, 1918鈥�1920 (Entry UD 242; 威尼斯人娱乐场 Identifier )
  • Recruits鈥� Account Cards, 1918鈥�1921 (Entry UD 243; 威尼斯人娱乐场 Identifier )
  • Applications for Navigation and Engineering Schools, 1917鈥�1921 (Entry UD 245; 威尼斯人娱乐场 Identifier )
  • Record Cards for Enrollees at Navigation and Engineering Schools, 1917鈥�1921 (Entry UD 246; 威尼斯人娱乐场 Identifier )

Records Held by the 威尼斯人娱乐场 at St. Louis

Additional records related to Merchant Marine personnel are housed at the 威尼斯人娱乐场 at St. Louis in Record Group 26: Records of the U.S. Coast Guard. Specific series are listed below. For questions about these records, please contact the 威尼斯人娱乐场 at St. Louis at stl.archives@nara.gov.

  • Records of Licenses Issued to Merchant Marine Officers, 1910鈥�1946 (Entry A1 371; 威尼斯人娱乐场 Identifier )
  • Deceased and War Casualty Seamen, 1937鈥�1950 (Entry A1 426; 威尼斯人娱乐场 Identifier )

Records Held by the U.S. Coast Guard

The U.S. Coast Guard maintains custody of merchant mariners鈥� records for the World War II era.

When seeking a personnel file or service record for a mariner who was discharged by the U.S. Coast Guard, submit a records request to the .

Additional Resources

威尼斯人娱乐场 articles and web pages:

United States Merchant Marines web pages:

  • U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA),

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