How to use merchant navy records at Southampton Archives

The Central Index Register is the most extensive Merchant Navy resource at Southampton Archives. Containing 1,250,000 records, it is recognised all over the world as being a major source of information on the British Merchant Navy from the end of the First World War to the early years of the Second.

Over the next few pages, we’ll explore the different types of record in the register, but first it’s worth knowing the kind of information that will make searching the collection all the easier.

A seaman’s name, date and place of birth are a good starting point. It’s also helpful to know their discharge number, but this isn’t essential unless searching the CR2 cards and the Combined Series, both of which are organised by discharge number rather than name.

CR1 - Harry Chalk

1. Discharge number (top right) - referred to as a ‘Dis. A. No.,’ a discharge number was issued to every seaman after his first voyage
2. Name and surname (top left) - CR cards also give the seaman’s name, as well as his date and place of birth and rank or role on board a ship. Harry was a ship’s fireman
3. Appearance (bottom left) - details about the way the seaman looked, including his height, eye, and hair colour
4. Distinguishing marks (bottom right) - details of any distinguishing marks on the seaman, such as bruises, scars, or tattoos. Harry had a tattoo on his right forearm showing “2 crosses in memory of father & sister,” and another on his left which read “Buffalo Bill and Amy”

The first type of card in our collections is a CR1 card. This one belongs to Harry Chalk, a ship’s fireman born in Southampton in 1884.

A CR1 card was created when a seaman was issued with a discharge book, either at the time of his first voyage or when another discharge book was issued (after one book was full or a book was lost).

Although CR1s began to be issued from 1913 onwards, most of the pre-1921 cards were destroyed during the 1960s.

CR2 card - Edna Russell

1. Name and official number of ship (middle left) - CR2 cards often have the name and the official number of the ship the sailor was currently serving on. The number 146555 is the official number for the Majestic
2. Date of engagement stamp (middle right) - this stamp shows the date on which Edna started serving on the Majestic, 4th May 1926
3. Ships previously served on (second image) - CR2s often include details of previous ships a seaman served on. In Edna’s case, only one ship is recorded on the back of the card, Olympic, which Edna began serving on in February 1926. The date next to the number indicates when the seafarer began serving on the ship

This is a CR2 card belonging to Edna Russell, who served in the Merchant Navy as a ladies’ hairdresser. Edna was born in Southampton in 1902.

CR2 cards have the same covering dates as CR1 cards. A CR2 card was created every time a seafarer signed onto a new ship. Eventually, all the information was transferred to one card and the others were destroyed.

CR2s are organised according to discharge number rather than name. They often list previous ships the individual served on.

CR10 card - William Ashbolt

1. Number of identity certificate (first image, top right) - CR10s often list a seaman’s number of identity certificate, which was unique to the individual
2. Nationality (first image, middle left) - where the sailor originally came from. People from all over the world served in the British Merchant Navy. Due to the fact that the records were created in the early 20th century, some countries listed on the cards no longer exist or are now self-governed, so the info on the records may not always be entirely accurate in this sense
3. Ships number and dates (second image, top left) - as with CR2 cards, CR10s often have lists of ships a sailor previously served on. The ships on William’s card are Soudan, Saxon, Balmoral Castle, Kenilworth Castle, and Edinburgh Castle
4. Photo (second image, centre) - CR10s usually include a photo of the seaman, as shown here with William’s picture

Finally, we have CR10 cards. This record is for William Ashbolt, an ordinary seaman born in Southampton in 1901.

CR10 cards were originally produced during the First World War to issue Merchant Navy personnel with identity certificates. This meant that there were far fewer women included in the CR10 series than men. CR10 cards are useful because they usually (though not always) feature a photo of the individual, giving researchers a glimpse of an ancestor they may never have seen before.

CR10s continued to be produced until 1921.

We hold crew lists and logbooks for the period 1863-1913. Crew lists provide information on the crew members who served aboard ships and yachts, including the date and place they signed on, their wages, and what their role on board the vessel was. They also include the name of the previous ship the sailor served on, enabling you to trace their career backwards through the lists.

Crew lists also include details of when and where a ship was registered, who owned it, and technical details such as its tonnage.

Logbooks are often bundled with crew lists and record any incidents which occurred during a voyage, such as desertions, illnesses, deaths, and disciplinary matters.

Crew list - Fortunate

Crew lists are a useful source of information, particularly for Merchant Navy personnel serving before 1918. As we shall see over the page, crew lists note the previous vessel a seaman served on, enabling you to trace their career backwards through the lists. The below list is for an 1879 voyage involving the Fortunate, which was originally registered in Southampton. Six men served on the voyage, which ended in March 1880.

1. Ship details (top left) - Details of the ship's name (Fortunate) and official number (13923)
2. Port of registry (middle top) - Which port the ship was registered in (Southampton)
3. Wages (top right) - The wages paid to the ship's personnel. For this voyage, the crew was paid 15 shillings at the start of the journey and another 15 at the end
4. Ship's owners (middle left) - The owner(s) of the ship (John Ransom) and the location at which they were based (Southampton)
5. Scale of provisions (middle left, inside box) - A schedule showing when provisions were to be given to the personnel on board the ship. The provisions included bread, beef, pork, flour, peas, rice, tea, coffee, sugar, and water
6. Dates voyage commenced/terminated (bottom left) - The dates on which the voyage commenced (2 May 1879) and ended (4 March 1880)
7. Ports at which voyage commenced/terminated (bottom left) - The ports at which the voyage commenced (Cardiff) and terminated (Goole)
8. Master's signature (middle bottom) - The signature of the master of the ship (John Swain), confirming that the information in the crew list is accurate

Fortunate, page two

This is the second page of the Fortunate crew list. The inside of a list notes the personnel who took part in the voyage, when and where they were born, the previous ship they had served on, what their role was, when they joined the ship, how much they were paid, and when and where they left the vessel. It also contains the crew’s signatures.

1. Signatures of crew (first column) - The crew’s signatures, showing the names of the people who served on the ship. The master’s signature is first, followed by the rest of the crew
2. Date and place of birth (second and third columns) - When and where the crew member was born
3. Previous ship (fifth column) - This shows the previous ship the seafarer served on and when the voyage occurred. This is a useful resource for piecing together the career of a sailor, as you can trace their previous service backwards through the lists
4. Date and place of joining this ship (third column from right) - When and where the crew member joined the ship
5. Role on ship (second column from right) - This notes the sailor’s role on board the ship, giving you an idea of the jobs they would have done during the voyage

Fortunate, page three

The third and final page of the Fortunate crew list contains further information about the personnel on board the ship, including how much they were paid and when, where, and why they left the ship.

1. Wages paid (left) - The wages the crew were paid for their service. Shows the amount of wages per week, calendar month, share or voyage, the amount of advance wages paid to the sailor, and the weekly or monthly allotment paid
2. Particulars of discharge (middle) - Details of when, where, and why the crew member left the ship. In most cases, it would be because the voyage had ended, though occasionally illness, death or desertion will be listed as the reason
3. Details of release (right) - The crew would then have to sign to release the ship, its owners, and the master from all responsibility of paying further wages

Records of personnel who continued serving after the year 1941 can be found in the Fifth Register of Merchant Seamen, which covers the years 1941-1972 and is held by The National Archives, at Kew.

For records of personnel serving after 1972, you will need to contact the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

The following locations also hold crew lists and logbooks:

• The Maritime History Archive, Newfoundland - The MHA holds 75% of the surviving crew lists for the years 1857-1942 and 1951-1976
• The National Archives, Kew - The National Archives hold all the surviving crew lists for the period 1939-1950, and 10% of those left for the years 1861-1938
• The National Maritime Museum, Greenwich - The National Maritime Museum holds 10% of the surviving crew lists for 1861-1938 and 1951-1976. The NMM crew lists tend to be for years ending in ‘5’ (1875, 1885, etc), but they do have some for other years
• Local record offices - Local archives hold crew lists up to 1913 for ships registered in their areas

For information on ships, including official numbers and where crew lists are located:

• Crew List Index Project (CLIP) - You can search for ships by name and number, as well as for seafarers' names on crew lists

The National Archives website has a useful guide to finding records of medals awarded to Merchant Navy personnel during both world wars, as well as information on medals awarded for service before World War One.

Visit the National Archives website.

During the Second World War, masters of ships were forbidden to record destinations or ports on crew lists for security reasons. To keep track of the movements of merchant ships, cards were created recording where a ship was going, when it would get there, and which ports it stopped at during the voyage.

These cards are now held by The National Archives.