1. CR1 Series

This is the main series of alphabetically arranged cards. It covers 1921-1941, the first portion of the index having been destroyed sometime during the 1960s. CR1 cards often include the following information:

• Surname & Christian names of individual
• Birth year and place
• Dis.A.No. (number of discharge book)
• Rating
• R.V.2 No. (Royal Naval Reserve Number)
• Certificate (if any): Grade & No. (details of any certificates held by individual)
• Health Insurance No.
• Unemployment Insurance No.
• Height, Colour Eyes, Hair, Complexion & Distinguishing marks

• Name of ship from which discharged, when the card was created
• Official number of ship from which discharged, when the card was created
• Declaration that seafarer is not in possession of an unfilled Continuous Certificate of Discharge
• Signature of seafarer

The series of CR2 cards run alongside the CR1 series, covering the same period of 1921-1941. However, these are arranged by the individual’s discharge number, rather than by name. The series of CR1 cards generally provides an index to this less accessible series.

Details given on the CR2 cards are:

• Name of Seaman
• Birth: Year & Place
• Dis.A.No. (number of discharge book)
• Rank or rating
• Name and Official No. of ship
• Date of Engagement (usually in form of a stamp of Mercantile Marine Office)

• List of ships (by name or by official number)
• Dates of Engagement of individual on the vessel

This alphabetical series covers the years 1918-1921, partly filling the gap caused by the destruction of the earlier cards from the main two series of CR1s and CR2s. The CR10s were created for a very particular purpose: to issue merchant seamen with identity cards during World War I. For this reason, women are not usually included in the index (although one card for a woman has been found). Neither does this part of the index cover seamen engaged on home trade. Details you would expect to see on CR10 cards are:

• No. of Identity Certificate (seaman’s identity certificate number)
• Surname & Christian Name
• Rating
• R.N.R. Number (Royal Naval Reserve number)
• No. & Grade of B/T Certificate (details of any Board of Trade certificates held by the individual)
• Date & place of birth
• Nationality of seaman and of father
• Height, Colour Hair, Eyes, Tattoo marks
• Dis.A.No. (number of discharge book)
• NH Insurance No. (health insurance number)
• Name and address of next of kin

• Photograph of individual
• list of ships (usually by official number) with date of engagement for individual

This series was created (for reasons unknown) by pulling together cards from the other three series. Combinations of CR1s, CR2s and CR10s for an individual are included, all arranged by the individual’s discharge number. Cards are often included which fall outside the 1918-1941 time-period; some have entries as late as the 1950s. Since this series has no alphabetical index, it is less accessible to search than the others.

• Where do I go for records of seafarers serving after 1941?

• How do I find a seafarer before 1918?

• How can I search the Central Index Register?