Military Records

Home > Research Our Records > Military Records Research > United States Coast Guard Records > Records Relating to the United States Merchant Marine Personnel

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 National Archives in Washington, DC, within Record Group 41: Records of the Bureau of Marine Inspection and Navigation. Additional records are housed at the National Archives at St. Louis, MO.

Records Held by the National Archives 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, 1918–1934 (Entry UD 24A; National Archives Identifier 2642389)
  • Applications for Seamen’s Protection Certificates, 1916–1940 (Entry UD 159; National Archives Identifier 2788575)
  • Record of Placement as Special Enrolling Agent, 1918 (Entry UD 234; National Archives Identifier 2789045)
  • Personnel Records of Recruits, 1918–1942 (Entry UD 238; National Archives Identifier 2133221)
  • Records of the Legal Department Relating to Discharges, 1918–1942 (Entry UD 239; National Archives Identifier 2789049)
    • Indexes are available (see Entry UD 240 below).
  • Indexes to Records of the Legal Department Relating to Discharges, 1918–1919 (Entry UD 240; National Archives Identifier 2789052)
    • The indexes lead to Entry UD 239 (see above).
  • Transfer and Discharge Lists from Training Ships, 1918–1920 (Entry UD 242; National Archives Identifier 2789053)
  • Recruits’ Account Cards, 1918–1921 (Entry UD 243; National Archives Identifier 2789057)
  • Applications for Navigation and Engineering Schools, 1917–1921 (Entry UD 245; National Archives Identifier 2789059)
  • Record Cards for Enrollees at Navigation and Engineering Schools, 1917–1921 (Entry UD 246; National Archives Identifier 2789062)

Records Held by the National Archives at St. Louis

Additional records related to Merchant Marine personnel are housed at the National Archives 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 National Archives at St. Louis at stl.archives@nara.gov.

  • Records of Licenses Issued to Merchant Marine Officers, 1910–1946 (Entry A1 371; National Archives Identifier 567476)
  • Deceased and War Casualty Seamen, 1937–1950 (Entry A1 426; National Archives Identifier 560620)

Records Held by the U.S. Coast Guard

The U.S. Coast Guard maintains custody of merchant mariners’ 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 National Maritime Center.

Additional Resources

National Archives articles and web pages:

United States Merchant Marines web pages:

What are people asking on History Hub about Coast Guard records?

Top