# Crew Agreements Maritime History Archive



## Willie Mac (Oct 28, 2005)

I recently got in touch with the Maritime History Archives, Memorial University of Newfoundland and received the following email.

Thank you for your e-mail requesting information for the crew agreements of the vessels Benledi - 1969, 70 and Benmacdhui - 1970-71.

The information you are requesting is possibly contained in our collection of crew agreements and official log books, 1951-76 . This series of do***ents is housed in an off campus storage site and has not been indexed. In 1990 we began the indexing project, but with staff reductions and budgetary cutbacks it was not possible for it to continue. As a result searching for do***ents in this collection is extremely difficult. These records are stored in chronological order and arranged by official number. Agreements within a box are not necessarily in order by official number as they should be, adding to the complications of the search.

We would be happy to research/photocopy/scan any of these crew agreements subject to our research charges: $35.00 per hour research fee, .50 per page for copies, $2.50 per scan and a recovery charge for postage. Please specify whether you would like your information returned by surface or airmail. Our fees are based on 1 hour to complete a search of 2 years of crew agreements for 1 vessel (or 2 vessels for 1 year). We accept Visa, Mastercard or bank drafts issued in Canadian funds.

It is essential to note that crew agreements are filed by the year in which a voyage terminated. And although the existence of crew agreements for any indicated year is confirmed by our indexes, records for all of a vessel's voyages for that year may not be part of the collection. Thus despite holding the do***ents of a vessel for the desired year, we may not have the particular voyage you require. Unfortunately there is no way to determine the existence of records for a particular voyage until we begin the research process.

Please note that the Maritime History Archive holds approximately 75 percent of the surviving crew agreements and official log books of British registered vessels for the periods 1863-1938 and 1951-1976. The Public Record Office, Kew, has retained all surviving do***ents prior to 1861, as well as a 10 percent sample in the 1861-1938 and 1951-1976 periods. All surviving do***ents for 1861-1862 and years ending in '5' (e.g. 1955 ) are held at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich

Please indicate how you wish to proceed and forward your method of payment by e-mail (site not secure, but you can send in parts), phone, fax, or regular mail and complete mailing address

The costs look pretty daunting so I would be obliged if anybody could explain what information I could expect to get from their research of the Crew Agreements

Regards
Willie Mac


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## K urgess (Aug 14, 2006)

I did this to find my great grandfather's crew agreements from 1871. The difference is that his were already listed so I knew they had them.
The result of their search cost me $137 Canadian but I thought it was well worth it.
I received 45 scans covering 11 crew agreements and one letter. I just had to stitch them together.
Attached is a sample. The resolution of the complete sheet is not good because of the need to reduce it to post it here. The one of the section shows the original emailed quality.
I did find it strange that I had to go to Canada for them. They were very helpful and the same person dealt with my queries throughout.
Cheers
Kris


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## Terry Rose (Jul 26, 2006)

I have crew agreements in the mail right now for my father's first voyage in "Rimutaka" 1926[ new zealand shipping co]. I'm very interested to see what i get for my cad dlrs 57.Found their archivist paula marshall very helpful but i cut back on my original enquiry bcz of costs tho of course it's not Paula that sets the charges.


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## treeve (Nov 15, 2005)

From a letter sent out by The Public Record Office 28th April 1978

Merchant Ships' Agreements and Crew Lists 1914 to 1938
You may recall that in 1970 the Lord Chancellor approved the presentation, under section 3(6) of the Public records Act 1958, of those crew lists and agreements and official log books of the registrar General of Shipping and Seamen for the period 1858 to 1913 which were not required for permanent preservation. After a 10 per cent statistical sample had been taken by the Public Record Office, a further 10 per cent sample, on a chronological basis, was presented to the National Maritime Museum; the remaining do***ents were disposed of to the various home and overseas record offices and other institutions which had expressed a willingness to treceive them. In the event, more than half of them passed to the Maritime History Group at the Memorial University of Newfoundland. A circular concerning arrangements for collection of these records was issued by Lionel Bell, then PRO liaison officer, to those record offices, which had submitted a claim to a selection from these records, in response to an earlier circular issued through the Society of archivists. 

Discussions have been taking place recently between the PRO and the General Register and Record Office of shipping and Seamen concerning the selection and disposal of crew lists etc for the period 1914 to 1938.

The following are approved ...
1 The PRO will again select for permanent preservation a 10 per cent random sample covering the whol eperiod; the remainder will be offered for presentation under section 3(6) of the 1958 Act as indicated below.
2 The National Maritime Museum will again take 10 per cent chronological sample.
3 The scottish Record Office and the Public record Office of Northern Ireland, as national institutions, will be given an opportunity to extract crew lists of ships registered in the areas which they serve.
4 The remainder will be offered to the Maritime History Group in Newfoundland who, as stated above, have a considerable collection of the earlier lists and are willing to accept this later material, They maintain a computerised indexing system to these records and are prepared to offer a world wide service in answering enquiries relating to them.

Local Records Offices will not have the same opportunity as before in selecting ships lists for their own area. 

Although this course of action may disappoint local record offices we feel confident after consulting academic historians who have made use of this source, no serious disadvantage to local historical research should result because it will be possible to obtain from the Maritime History Group any information that is required from the records which they will hold.
END QUOTE

You should check first to make sure your records that you want are actually not held in this country. They very likely are in Newfoundland, but this is the result of a Governement that considered such records worthy of destruction, and if it were not for the way things went, there would be no such records.
Best of Luck, Raymond


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## Nova Scotian (Jul 2, 2006)

*OLBs From MUN in Newfoundland*

I have recently received a copy of pages of the OLB of the MV "Orepton" (Houlders) from MUN in Newfoundland. The service is excellent and quick. I felt the cost was well worth the information I received. However, there was information that I really didn't require like inspections of crews accommodations, food and water inspections, and boat and fire drills etc. The next time I do this I will request copies of the OLB cover, list of crew, particulars of draught for arriving and sailing (this will identify the order of ports visited), and entries required by an act of parliament. This will provide me with all the information I need and it will also reduce the cost as MUN charge 50 cents (Can) a copy) Once I get time to get squared away I will post some copies for all the Houlder Bros people that are out there.

Cheers.


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## Mark Taxis (Dec 6, 2004)

I also used this service, you get a complete photocopy of the official logbook and the crew list for the period you requested. I found the service very good and the price reasonable considering how long it must have taken to find the file and copy the log book. one thing that does amaze is how it all all these records of British ships ended up in Canada.


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## Peter (Pat) Baker (Oct 3, 2005)

I have tried Canada for Crew Agreements of all the ships that I sailed in.
I have entered the Official Numbers as requested and in every case have had the reply that they have no records for that partucular ship.
This seems rather strage as it covers 20 ships of three different shipping companies between 1955 and 1966.
The companies in question were Palm Line, Harrisons of Liverpool and Counties Steamship Management.
Can anybody offer any explanation for this? Am I doing something wrong?
Regards,
Peter (Pat) Baker.


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## K urgess (Aug 14, 2006)

They may not have them Pat.
They only have a 10% holding for those years and they may be at Greenwich.
They also may be among those not yet fully catalogued so you may have to send an email for a guess as to who has them.
Cheers
Kris


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## Peter (Pat) Baker (Oct 3, 2005)

Marconi Sahib.

Kris,
many thanks for your reply, that could well expalin my problem.
Do you have a website address for Greenwich?
Best regards,
Pat Baker.


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## K urgess (Aug 14, 2006)

Pat
I think http://www.nmm.ac.uk/collections/ will get you in but I've not tried to find anything there.
The other option is the Public Records Office at http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/. They have a lot of records as well.
Cheers
Kris


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## Willie Mac (Oct 28, 2005)

Thanks guys for replying to my queries regarding the crew agreements.

What I really want to get is a complete list of the crew for the time I was on these ships. Would the crew agreements on their own give that information without having to copy the whole OLB. 

I have already got the Voyage Record Cards for all ports visited during that period courtesy of The Guildhall Library in London. Fantastic service and very cheap. To get a list of all the ports I went to on the three ships I was on between 1969 - 1971 (five deep sea voyages) cost just over £6.

Thanks
Willie Mac


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