Home Office: Nautical Assessors (NAU Symbol Series) Files

HO 331

1951-1984

Files from the Home Office NAU (Nautical Assessors) series. These papers cover appointments in the general list and particular appointments, individual cases, scales of fees, guidance as to the conduct of inquiries and qualifications for appointment.

NAU Symbol file series

Public Record(s)

English

42 file(s)

In 1985 the Merchant Shipping (Formal Investigations) Rules (SI 1985/1001) transferred the right of appointment to the Lord Chancellor. The files in this series were transferred from the Home Office to the Lord Chancellor's Department at the time of the transfer of functions.

Nautical Assessors are specialists in the fields of nautical engineering or other skill and experience, and are appointed by the Home Office to assist wreck commissioners and judges in formal investigations into losses of merchant shipping and crews. Until 1876 appointments to the general list of assessors and individual appointments for particular investigations were made by the Board of Trade. The Merchant Shipping Act 1876 transferred the right of appointment to the general list to the Home Office. Two individual appointments were to be made for each inquiry, one by the Board of Trade and one by the registrar of the court of inquiry. By Rules made under the 1876 Act, and by the Shipping Casualties Investigations Act 1879 the right of individual appointments passed to the Home Office, which was also charged with preparing a new general list every three years.