How to use the Mercantile Navy List
How to Read an Entry
This is a typical entry in Mercantile Navy List, whose format
remained unchanged from 1871 to 1977. Entries for sailing ships
included the rig [definition] but were otherwise less detailed,
omitting the date of registration, dimensions and material.  Part of the entry
for `Quedoc` in a Mercantile Navy List
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Official number The unique number given to
every British registered ship. It does not change during its life
under the British flag. It is even restored if the ship comes back
to British ownership after a period under a foreign flag. Name Footnotes show any names previously
carried by the ship. International code signal A unique
four-character code which a ship could use to signal its name by a
flag hoist or, later, by radio. Port and year of registry Every British vessel
had to be registered in one of a number of customs ports. Here an
official registrar would keep an up-to-date record of its details.
The port of registry [definition] was
shown on the vessel`s stern and is a way to tell apart vessels with
the same name. For researchers, the port and date of registry help
them to locate the Customsregisters. Where built Unlike Lloyd`s Register of
Ships, Mercantile Navy List never gave the name
of the ship`s builder. However, the location is often precise
enough to allow an educated guess to be made about their
identity. When built As ships grew more sophisticated,
the `fitting out` period between launch and completion lengthened.
This meant ships could well be launched in one year but not
completed until several months later in the next calendar year. The
year given in Mercantile Navy List appears to be that
of completion. Material  Part of the entry
for `Quedoc` in a Mercantile Navy List
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Dimensions Registered tonnage Net tonnage [definition] is a
measure of the space available for carrying cargo or passengers -
harbour and other dues are usually based on this figure. Gross
tonnage [definition] is the
total enclosed space in the ship. Horsepower and type of propulsion The horsepower [definition] quoted is
nominal horsepower [definition],
which is calculated from characteristics of the engine and is not
the measured power output. Owners and managing owners Ownership of vessels
has been traditionally divided into 64 shares, with each share sold
to one or more individuals. Mercantile Navy List
gives just one or two owners, either the largest shareholders or
the managing owner [definition],
nominated by the owners to take responsibility for the ship.
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Page
from Merchant Navy List showing entries beginning with
`Quedoc`