How to use merchant navy records at Southampton Archives

This page is a guide to the Merchant Navy records held both at Southampton Archives and Local Studies and around the world.

Our collections include the Central Index Register of Merchant Seamen, 1918-1941, which contains a million and a quarter index cards related to the men and women of the Merchant Navy, showing their date and place of birth, the jobs they did on ships and their careers as seafarers.

We also hold crew lists dating from 1863-1913, providing lists of crew members, their ports of embarkation, what they were paid, and which ships they had previously served on. The lists also give information about the vessels which powered the Merchant Navy, including when and where they were built, and who owned them.

Lastly, we hold many photographs of Southampton’s dockland areas and the ships which sailed from them, providing a window into the city’s seafaring past.

Personnel of the British Merchant Navy, 1918-1941 SHOW


The Central Index Register of Merchant Seamen, 1918-1941 SHOW


More personnel of the British Merchant Navy, 1918-1941 SHOW


Crew lists and logbooks, 1863-1913 SHOW


Other resources

There are many other sources of Merchant Navy records, both online and in archives around the world.

Merchant Navy personnel serving after 1941 SHOW


Crew lists SHOW


Medal records SHOW


Ship movement cards, 1939-1945 SHOW


Contact us

If you had a family member who served in the Merchant Navy during the years 1918-1941 and want to find out more, please get in touch with us using the following contact information:

  • Email: archives@southampton.gov.uk
  • Telephone: 023 8083 2251

If you are interested in viewing shipping registers and maritime journals and periodicals, please contact the Local Studies and Maritime Library at Southampton Central Library using the details below:

  • Email: archives@southampton.gov.uk
  • Telephone: 023 8083 2205