Transport Ministries: Consultative Marine (CM Series) Files

This series consists of registered files of the Marine Consultative Branch of the Marine (Safety) Division of the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation and successors.

The files contain correspondence, drawings, plans and certificates relating to specific aspects of the construction and equipment of individual ships, such as the provision of life-saving and fire fighting equipment, tonnage measurement, cargo handling and loading arrangements, the stability of the vessel, structural alterations or modifications; and machinery, crew and passenger accommodation.

The files in this series have been selected to illustrate different types of vessel and use; to give examples of different areas of construction and types of equipment, especially if a precedent was established or an innovative design was introduced; and where the ship itself is of special interest.

In 1953 the file numbering system changed. Each vessel is allocated a number which remains constant, despite a change of name or ownership. Sub-numbers are then added to indicate a subject or sub-theme. These also remain constant. Eg. In the reference CM 12141/23/01, 12141 indicates the ship's number and 23/01 indicates that it relates to crew accommodation.

Registered files from the Marine Consultative Branch before 1953 will be found in: MT 15

• Board of Trade, Marine Department, 1850-1921
• Board of Trade, Marine Division, 1965-1970
• Board of Trade, Mercantile Marine Department, Consultative Marine Branch, 1921-1939
• Department of Trade and Industry, Marine Division, 1970-1974
• Department of Trade, Marine Division, 1974-1983
• Department of Transport, Marine Survey Service, 1983-1990
• Ministry of Shipping, Mercantile Marine Department, Consultative Marine Branch, 1939-1941
• Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation, Mercantile Marine Department, Consultative Marine Branch, 1953-1959
• Ministry of Transport, Marine Safety Division, 1959-1965
• Ministry of Transport, Mercantile Marine Department, Consultative Marine Branch, 1946-1953
• Ministry of War Transport, Mercantile Marine Department, Consultative Marine Branch, 1941-1946

from 1995 Department of Transport

Topics

Taxation

Transport management

Air transport

Maps and plans

Comprehensive control of ships dates from 1850. In 1851, the establishment of a Marine Survey Service was authorised under the Steam Navigation Act. Technical progress of the steam engine and the tendency for ships to become larger led to the need to impose higher standards of sea-worthiness and required more frequent and closer inspections. To that end, in 1876 the Marine Department appointed additional surveyors based at the UK principal ports to conduct the survey of ships. At the same time the Mercantile Marine Department set up a Consultative Marine Branch, comprising of specialists in particular fields of marine survey work.

Except for a short period during the 1914-1918, War the Marine Survey Service remained part of the Board of Trade. In 1940 responsibility passed to the Ministry of Shipping; then the Ministry of War Transport; and then became the responsibility of the Ministry of Transport.

Between 1953 and 1959 the branch was part of the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation. It reverted to the Ministry of Transport upon the dissolution of that ministry. In February 1965 responsibility for Marine and Shipping Divisions passed to the Board of Trade and, then successively to the Department of Trade and Industry (1970) and the Department of Trade (1974). In 1983 responsibility for the divisions again reverted to the Department of Transport and remained in that department until 1990.

The Marine Survey Service was provided by the Marine (Safety) Division and was responsible for marine survey and examination work, including the setting and enforcement of appropriate standards of construction, equipment and navigation of ships. It operated a regional organisation of Marine Survey Offices at all main UK ports.