Merchant Vessel Documentation

Also known as "Consolidated Merchant Vessel Documentation," the three series below contain a mixture of certificates of registry, enrollments, and licenses. However, not all files in these series have been consolidated, so files will not contain every document for each vessel.

• Bureau of Marine Inspection and Navigation (Record Group 41): Official Number Files, 1867–1958 (Entry UD-126, National Archives Identifier 591827)

• U.S. Customs Service (Record Group 36): Official Number Files, 1937–1958 (Entry NC 154-50, National Archives Identifier 593464)

• U.S. Coast Guard (Record Group 26): Official Number Files, 1936–1977 (Entry A1-50A, National Archives Identifier 639538)

Records in each series are arranged by the official number. To request records in person or remotely, you need to provide the official number and the name of the vessel. 

Vessel licenses can be found in two main series within Record Group 41, Records of the Bureau of Marine Inspection and Navigation.

• Entry UD-123: Licenses for Vessels Under 20 Tons, 1814–1917 (National Archives Identifier 2133215)

  • This series is arranged chronologically by year, thereunder by port.

  • To request records, you need to know when and where (what port) the vessel received its license.

• Entry UD-129: Master Abstracts of Licenses for Vessels Under 20 Tons, 1876–1912 (National Archives Identifier 2765709)

  • This series is arranged chronologically by year, thereunder by port city. (Each volume includes an alphabetical port index.)
  • To request records, you need to know:
    • When and where the vessel was built;
    • The vessel's home port; and
    • Where the document was issued.

Note that Entry UD-129 can be used to track all of the licenses that a vessel received. However, because of the information required to identify each license, tracking all licenses can be tedious and time-consuming.

Certificates of enrollment for vessels engaged in the domestic coastal trade or the fisheries can be found in two main series within Record Group 41, Records of the Bureau of Marine Inspection and Navigation.

• Entry UD-127: Master Abstracts of Enrollments, 1815–1911 (National Archives Identifier 2765707)

  • This series is arranged chronologically by year, thereunder by port city. (Each volume includes an alphabetical port index.)
  • To request records, you need to know:
    • When and where the vessel was built;
    • The vessel's home port; and

    • Where the certificate of enrollment was issued.

• Entry UD-121: Certificates of Enrollment, 1867–1915 (National Archives Identifier 604564)

  • This series is arranged chronologically by year and geographically by port.
  • To request records, you need to know:
    • The name of the vessel;
    • The vessel's official number;
    • The vessel's home port; and
    • The date that the certificate was issued.

Note that Entry UD-127 can be used to track all of the certificates of enrollment that a vessel received. However, because of the information required to identify each enrollment, tracking all certificates can be tedious and time-consuming.

Certificates of registry for vessels engaged in foreign trade can be found in two main series within Record Group 41, Records of the Bureau of Marine Inspection and Navigation.

• Entry UD-128: Master Abstracts of Registers, 1815–1912 (National Archives Identifier 2765708)

  • This series is arranged chronologically by year, thereunder by port city. (Each volume includes an alphabetical port index.)
  • To request records, you need to know:
    • When and where the vessel was built;
    • The vessel's home port; and

    • Where the certificate was issued.

• Entry UD-122: Certificates Of Registration, 1815–1919 (National Archives Identifier 817226)

  • This series is arranged chronologically by year and geographically by port.
  • To request records, you need to know:
    • The name of the vessel;
    • The vessel's official number;
    • The vessel's home port; and
    • The date that the certificate was issued.

Note that Entry UD-128 can be used to track all of the certificates of registry that a vessel received. However, because of the information required to identify each certificate, tracking all certificates can be tedious and time-consuming.

Tonnage admeasurement documents can usually be found in the series, "Custom House Records, 1789–1955" (Entry UD-156, National Archives Identifier 2133240).

This series contains a variety of records that were created in the performance of vessel documentation at custom houses. Multiple ports are represented, although not every type of record exists for every port.

A finding aid is available in the Consultation Room (Room G-24) at Archives 1. The finding aid lists all of the port cities that are represented in the series.