# Merchant Navy ship records



## arnoldsinoz

Hello everyone,

I am helping my friend trace her dad's movements in the merchant navy. She has obtained his seaman's pouch which states which ship he was on and the dates. How can I find out where the ships went etc? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Manistee - 1/8/53 to 1/9/53
Manistee - 5/9/53 to 6/10/53
Manistee - 10/10/53 to 9/11/53
Manistee - 20/11/53 to 21/12/53
Largs Bay - 26/1/54 to 19/5/54
Largs Bay - 14/6/54 to 8/10/54
Chepnan - 4/11/54 to 21/11/54
Haparangi - 29/11/54 to 18/3/55
Haparangi - 19/4/55 to 29/9/55
Loch Gowan - 21/10/55 to 9/2/56
Sts Hadra - 2/3/56 to 16/6/56
Caprinus - 30/6/56 to 7/8/56
La Orilla - 20/8/56 to 27/3/57
Verena - 30/4/57 to 14/8/57

thanks
Katy


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## Banni

I went to the city of london archive centre, but contacted them before I went with a list of ships and dates I wanted voyage records for and they had them for me when I went there, I then photocopied them. there is a cost for the photocopier, 20p or 10p, so if you have a lot to do take a pile of change. I am not sure if they are available online.

Have a look at the SN Directory here, http://www.shipsnostalgia.com/guides/Nautical_Websites
and scroll down the page to "City of London Libraries: Guildhall Library". Click on the link to Lloyd's Voyage Record Cards and there is a comprehensive guide, with contact information. Either that google Guildhall library London.


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## Ron Stringer

The SN Directory link no longer works. It appears that the two Guides (M6 & M7) that described the Voyage Record Card access, have recently been removed and no longer appear on the Guildhall Library website. 

I have asked the Library if they intend to restore the two Guides and have asked if we may reproduce them (I have copies) on the SN website in the event that the Library does not wish to do so. I will post information about the outcome.


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## Ron Stringer

I have had a reply from the Guildhall Library as follows:

*Jes 31849

Dear Roy Stringer

Thank you for your e-mail about our maritime help sheets. Unfortunately the City’s website no longer supports pdf do***ents and so we are currently unable to provide the links to them. 

We are exploring publishing them in other ways, but in the meantime we would be grateful if you could let your users know that if they contact us by e-mail at [email protected] we are happy to send them the guides in Word or pdf format.

The guides available are:

M1. Marine sources at Guildhall Library

M2. Passenger and crew lists

M3. Immigration records in Australia and New Zealand

M4. Immigration records in North America

M5. Titanic

M6. Voyage Record Cards 1927-c1975

M7. Voyage Record Cards: abbreviations used

M8. Lloyd's List Indexes

M9. Casualty returns and reports in the British Parliamentary Papers

M10. Shipping loss information in the Lloyd's Marine Collection

M11. Shipping records of ownership and salvage

M12. UK Shipwreck Computer Index

M13. “Mignonette” references

M14. Captain Cook - biographies, journals & bibliographies

M15. Lloyd's Marine Collection photocopying rules

M16. Useful addresses for maritime research

M17. E-resources for maritime research at Guildhall Library

Many thanks for your interest in these guides, we are still adding port abbreviations as we discover them and have every intention of continuing to produce them.

Yours sincerely,

Jeanie Smith

Assistant Librarian & Keeper of the Lloyd’s Marine Collection

Guildhall Library

Aldermanbury

London

EC2V 7HH

Telephone: 020 7332 1868 or 1870

Visit our website at http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/guildhalllibrary

You can also follow Guildhall Library on Facebook and Twitter*


The two relevant do***ents as far as checking the movements of ships are M6 and, to a lesser extent, M7.

I will post any further information as it becomes available.


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## tsell

Thanks for that useful information Ron.

Taff


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## umbra

arnoldsinoz said:


> Hello everyone,
> 
> I am helping my friend trace her dad's movements in the merchant navy. She has obtained his seaman's pouch which states which ship he was on and the dates. How can I find out where the ships went etc? Any help would be greatly appreciated!
> 
> Manistee - 1/8/53 to 1/9/53
> Manistee - 5/9/53 to 6/10/53
> Manistee - 10/10/53 to 9/11/53
> Manistee - 20/11/53 to 21/12/53
> Largs Bay - 26/1/54 to 19/5/54
> Largs Bay - 14/6/54 to 8/10/54
> Chepnan - 4/11/54 to 21/11/54
> Haparangi - 29/11/54 to 18/3/55
> Haparangi - 19/4/55 to 29/9/55
> Loch Gowan - 21/10/55 to 9/2/56
> Sts Hadra - 2/3/56 to 16/6/56
> Caprinus - 30/6/56 to 7/8/56
> La Orilla - 20/8/56 to 27/3/57
> Verena - 30/4/57 to 14/8/57
> 
> thanks
> Katy


Katy, I was on the Largs Bay on it's last trip to Australia in 1957 and stayed on board until it reached the scrapyard. I would imagine that most of the previous trips would be the same, which was London to most of the Australian ports.
Hope this will help. J.B.


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