One of the two documents required for a freight contract made between ship owner and merchant (for the other, see: Charter Party). Specified the agreement upon which the cargo is carried (either as a whole or in parts).
Charter Party
One of the two documents required for a freight contract made between ship owner and merchant (for the other, see: Bill of Lading). Specified the agreement upon which the vessel is hired.
Freight Rate
Price paid by the charterer of a vessel for cargo space.
Sixty-fourth share system
The traditional system of sharing the risk of making an investment in a single merchant vessel involved a division of ownership into sixty-fourths. Sixty-four is a number easily divisible by halving. The system preceded by centuries the introduction of limited liability and of corporate business financing, but it continued as a way of raising shipping capital into the twentieth century
An experienced seaman who performed all regular and emergency duties required in the deck department of a ship: handled sail; stood watch; communicated information to the bridge; steered the vessel as directed by the Mate; made minor repairs to deck and deck equipment. In the merchant marine, he had to have served satisfactorily on deck as an Ordinary Seaman for four years (before 1906) and three years (after 1906) to be promoted to Able Seaman.
Apprentice
An individual indentured to an individual or company for a specified period in order to learn a trade. In the mercantile marine, apprentices were usually indentured for a period of 4 years, and this allowed them a faster track towards becoming an officer.
Boatswain [Bo’sun]
A skilled and experienced petty officer who supervised the seamen of the deck department. Sometimes referred to as the third or fourth mate, he was responsible for the boats, sails, rigging, anchors and cables.
Cattleman
A man who fed and attended cattle during the voyage.
Chief Engineer
The senior engineer officer, responsible for the working and maintenance of the machinery on board ship.
Chief Mate
A certificated member of the crew and head of the deck department. He was next in rank below the Master. The chief mate was in charge of both the crew and the cargo. He was also responsible for the safety of the captain and the crew.
Donkey Man
The individual responsible for the Donkey engine, a steam-powered winch engine, which could be used to load or unload cargo, raise larger sails, or power pumps. It was invented in 1881
Engineer
Certificated officer in charge of a vessel’s engines who also made repairs and adjustments to the machinery.
Firemen
A hand belonging to the engine room of a steam vessel. His duties included feeding and attending to the furnace. In coal-burning vessels, he shoveled coal into the furnace and spread it evenly so that it might burn efficiently. He also assisted in disposing with ashes overboard.
Marconi operator
A wireless radio operator. A member of the ship's staff who controlled the operation of the ship's radio transmitting and receiving equipment. He regularly received and recorded weather and position reports, as well as handling all ship-to-shore and shore-to-ship communications. The wireless radio began appearing in vessels in the early 1900s.
Master
The commanding officer of a merchant vessel. The master of a vessel had general charge of the ship. He had to be certificated for his position with the Board of Trade. His duties included starting the ship at the proper time and enlisting a competent crew. He managed the vessel during the voyage and navigated.
Ordinary Seamen
A seaman who was not qualified to be rated an Able Bodied [A.B.] seaman. He performed general maintenance and repair tasks on board.
A man who stowed cargo. This was more specialist work than unloading which was done by dockers or, in the term more common in North America, longshoremen.
Steward
A member of the ship’s company who did domestic work. In a cargo vessel, the duties of the steward were mostly provisioning and catering for the officers and crew. In passenger vessels, they were responsible for the passengers and crew.
Stewardess
A woman who waited upon female passengers on board ship.
Stowaway
A person who hid on a departing vessel, for the purpose of obtaining free passage.
Trimmer
A man employed in the boiler room who shoveled coal from the bunker to the firing platform. He assisted the firemen in cleaning fires and in the removal of ashes from the fire room.
Terms Used by the Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen
Account
(See Crew List) refers to the list of crew names for a Foreign-Going voyage or Home Trade six-month engagement.
Articles - a collection of documents that cover one voyage or six- month period.
Articles of Agreement or (Particulars of Engagement) - refer to the particulars of engagement, or the specifics of what the seafarer accepted in signing the Agreement, including the job title, time to be on board, and wages.
Crew List
(See Account) Refers to the list of crew as filled out by the master. Crew lists included reports on the character and ability of each crew member.
(Particulars of) Discharge - refers to the section of the Agreement detailing the date, place and cause of each crew member’s leaving the ship (whether by mutual consent, desertion, failure to join, sickness, or death). This section was filled out by the Master.
(Particulars of) Engagement
refers to the hiring of seafarers a single voyage, or for a six month period on a Home Trade ship. Signed by the crew, otherwise filled out by the master.
Foreign-Going
Refers to the voyages of vessels engaged in international trade. Home Trade - refers to the voyages of vessels engaged in inland coastal trade at the ports of the British Isles and to the closest Continental ports on the English Channel (between the ports of Elbe and Brest).
List - See Crew List Mercantile Navy List
a comprehensive, alphabetical list of all British registered Merchant vessels, whether sail or steam. For each vessel, the MNL contained the name of ship and port of registry, the official number, rigging, year and port of build, international code, registered tonnage, and the name and address of the Registered or Managing owner.
Official Number [ON]
Unique number assigned to each vessel for its entire life, regardless of changes of name or purpose.
(Particulars of) Release
this document concluded a seafaring contract. Signatures of crew and a witness were required. If released, the two contracting parties were free from further obligation.
Registrar-General of Shipping and Seamen (RGSS) (previously the Registrar-General of Shipping)
Refers to the position, the office, and the department under the Board of Trade. The primary objective of the RGSS, which was established by the 1854 Consolidated Merchant Shipping Act, was to enforce this legislation (and later 1894). The office of the RGSS received British Empire Merchant Shipping Articles related to Ships, Masters, Voyages, and Crew, checked them for infractions, and in such cases demanded clarification, retained records, and produced them for the courts if required. The office also maintained registers of Ships, Masters, Mates and Engineers. Its information was gathered from the various types of records. It annually published the Mercantile Navy List. The main office of the RGSS was in London, whence it oversaw multiple merchant shipping offices in the major ports of the UK and the British Empire. Documents of Ships, Voyages, and Crew submitted to the various mercantile marine offices were mailed to the main office for review and storage.
Registry of Seamen
A general register and record office of seamen in the Mercantile Marine under the direction of the Registrar-General, and guided by the Merchant Shipping Acts. The register was compiled from the crew agreements and lists, and transmitted to the office of the Registrar-General.
Voyage
Refers to the passage in time and space from first to last port of call. In the Foreign-Going Trade, a Crew Agreement is defined as chronicling one voyage. In practice, one voyage could be made up of multiple smaller voyages, which could include the signing off of some crew and the engagement of substitutes, and a much-changed composition of crew before the last port of call. Six month “running” crew agreements for the Home Trade allowed masters to hire crew for any voyage over a six-month period in one document.
Additional weight carried in a ship to provide stability, or to provide satisfactory trim fore and aft.
Barque
Sailing vessel with three, four, or five masts square rigged on all except the after mast which is fore-and-aft rigged.
Brig
Sailing vessel with two masts, square rigged on both fore and main.
Bunker
A compartment for storing coal below deck.
Convoy
Group of merchant vessels assembled for a passage and escorted by warships to protect them from enemy attack.
Donkey engine
Small winch used to reduce the number of men required weighing anchor, pump water and load or unload cargo.
Dunnage
inexpensive or waste material used to protect and load securing cargo during transportation.
Forecastle [Fo’c’sle]
The fore part of a vessel under the deck, where crew bunks were located.
Merchant marine
The ships and vessels belonging to a maritime nation and employed in commerce and trade.
Poop
The highest part of the vessel’s hull, forming a cabin over the quarter deck.
Schooner
Sailing vessel with two to six masts, fore-and-aft rig.
Shifting Boards
Boards placed in cargo holds to prevent cargo from shifting and endangering vessel stability.
Ship
Sailing vessel with three masts, all square-rigged.
Stokehold
The space in a ship’s furnace room where the fires were fed and cleaned. The stokehold was separate from the engine room.
Tonnage
The measurement of a ship that is not one of weight. It derived from cubic capacity. The principle ship tonnages were gross, net, deadweight and displacement. Gross tonnage referred to the total internal cubic capacity of the ship. Net tonnage was the gross tonnage minus the deductible spaces that did not produce revenue, for instance, spaces occupied by crew, propelling machinery and fuel. Deadweight was the tonnage which referring to the total carrying capacity of a ship in tons, including, cargo, fuel, fresh water and stores.
Tramp
A freight vessel that did not run in any regular line or to a schedule but took cargo wherever the shippers required. Tramp vessels were hired to carry cargo of any kind not requiring vessels of special design. They were chartered either for a particular trip or for a specific period of time.
