# Pension Age



## double acting (Sep 14, 2008)

The obituary for Robert Bay DSC,Chief Engineer says he was 58 and retired when he died in 1937. What age did company pension pay out around that time? 

Old age pensions didn't pay out till you were 65, how did he live?


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## Nick Balls (Apr 5, 2008)

Under MNOPF the age was 58 but this would have been before that date. 
I think you are looking back to a time before people thought about pensions. 
I know from my own families seafaring history that the idea was to make your money when you where young and hopefully have enough in retirement which in those days would have been short! The family was also there to support, otherwise it was the workhouse for you.


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## alan ward (Jul 20, 2009)

My Great Uncle Arthur Ward was on deck with Burmah Oil when he died in 1926.His widow lived on her own in Hull until she died aged 98 having drawn a pension for over 65 years,still taking in students from the uni.It must have been jars out in the pension deprartment when she died.


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## WilliamH (Jul 9, 2007)

Nick Balls said:


> Under MNOPF the age was 58 but this would have been before that date.
> I think you are looking back to a time before people thought about pensions.
> I know from my own families seafaring history that the idea was to make your money when you where young and hopefully have enough in retirement which in those days would have been short! The family was also there to support, otherwise it was the workhouse for you.


When I joined the MN in 1961 I think the age for aMNOPF pension was 64 or 65. Over the years the age came down and I was able to start drawing my pension at the age of 61. I have never heard of it being as low as 58, though I think it was possible to obtain a reduced pension at an earlier date on health grounds.


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## Nick Balls (Apr 5, 2008)

In the 1970/80's it went down to 58 then returned to 61.


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## WilliamH (Jul 9, 2007)

All I know Nick from old statements is that in 1972 the pension age went down to 63 years old and by 1986 it had dropped to 62 years old, in 1988 it went down to 61 and I think remains at that. I have never heard of it being as low as 58 years.


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