NRS-10800 | Certificates of Competency as First Mate of a Coast-Trade Steamship

Full description

These certificates of competency were given to seamen who qualified as first mate on steamships trading within New South Wales and “adjacent Colonies”. Certificates were given for different classes of ship (foreign going, coast-trade, steamship, and non-steamship) and for different levels of seamanship (extra master, master, first mate, second mate). Seamen qualified for a certificate by passing the necessary examination or received the certificate by the authority conferred on the Governor by an Order in Council.(1)

The certificates give the name, address, date and place of birth, and signature of the holder; the running number of the certificates; the date and place of the examination; and the port and date of issue. An individual’s certificate may also include details of additional certificates held for other types of vessels or for a different level of seamanship including certificates issued by the Commonwealth Government.

Certificates were prepared in duplicate, signed by the Secretary of the Department of Navigation and recorded by the Department. The Department retained one original for their records and the duplicate original was given to the seaman. Some certificates are stamped, or have written on them “cancelled”. It would appear that on some occasions when certificates were cancelled, the seaman’s copy was returned and pinned to the Navigation Department’s, or Maritime Services Board’s, original.

Certificates were issued under section 73 of the Navigation Act 1871 and its amending legislation, section 75 of the Navigation Act 1901 (amended in 1935 by the Maritime Services Act) or by the authority of the Governor under the Order in Council of 9 May 1891.

The certificates dated between 1905 and 1909 (located in part of the first volume) are entitled “Certificates of Competency as Mate of a Coast Trade Ship” and it is likely these are for first mates.

The volume containing certificates dated between 2 November 1936 and 11 September 1951 was created by the Department of Navigation’s successor, the Maritime Services Board, after the Board took over responsibility for issuing the certificates from 1936.

Details of the certificates issued to seamen were recorded in registers of certificates of competency. These registers recorded the certificate date of issue, certificate number, name and address of person to whom the certificate was issued, application number, receipt number, date the fee was paid and the amount, and any remarks.


ENDNOTES:
1. Some certificates have an Order in Council for 9 May 1881 and some for 9 May 1891. There were earlier Orders in Council for 30 August 1873 and 12 February 1876.(NSW Government Gazette No.224, 7 June 1881, p3107)