The Honourable Company of Master Mariners is one of the Livery Companies of the

City of London The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London fr ...

. While the other Livery Companies are entitled to the style '' Worshipful'', the Master Mariners are styled ''

Honourable ''The Honourable'' (British English) or ''The Honorable'' (American English; see spelling differences) (abbreviation: ''Hon.'', ''Hon'ble'', or variations) is an honorific style that is used as a prefix before the names or titles of certai ...

'', King

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. Born duri ...

having granted them that honour in 1928. The Company aids nautical schools and promotes nautical research. Members meet regularly to socalise, discuss technical issues and assist with the mentoring and training of young officers, who will train at sea to reach

Master mariner A master mariner is a licensed mariner who holds the highest grade of seafarer qualification; namely, an unlimited master's license. Such a license is labelled ''unlimited'' because it has no limits on the tonnage, power, or geographic location o ...

status. The Honourable Company ranks seventy-eighth in the

order of precedence An order of precedence is a sequential hierarchy of nominal importance and can be applied to individuals, groups, or organizations. Most often it is used in the context of people by many organizations and governments, for very formal and state o ...

for Livery Companies. Its motto is ''Loyalty and Service''. The organisation nominally has the right to allow two of its Masters to serve as nautical assessors in the Admiralty Court. The company works with other industry organisations such as the

International Federation of Shipmasters' Associations The International Federation of Shipmasters' Associations (IFSMA), is the international professional organisation that unites and represents the world's serving Shipmasters. The IFSMA is primarily concerned with representing the interests of the ...

. This includes the organisations of lectures and command seminars.

History

The Company was formed and incorporated in 1926. In February 1928, His Royal Highness, Edward, Prince of Wales was elected Master of the Company. The company was made an official Livery Company by the City of London in 1932, making it the first new Livery Company to be formed since 1746. In February 1952 Her Majesty

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

became royal patron of the Company.Transactions of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects. Volume 95Royal Institution of Naval Architects, 1953. PAGE XXVII In June 1954, His Royal Highness

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 1921 – 9 April 2021) was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he served as the consort of the British monarch from E ...

was made a Master of the company. From 2005 to 2007, Her Royal Highness

Anne, Princess Royal Anne, Princess Royal (Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise; born 15 August 1950), is a member of the British royal family. She is the second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the only sister of ...

served as Master of the Company.

HQS Wellington

Instead of the usual livery hall, the Honourable Company of Master Mariners has a headquarters ship, HQS ''Wellington'', moored on the Thames at

Victoria Embankment Victoria Embankment is part of the Thames Embankment, a road and river-walk along the north bank of the River Thames in London. It runs from the Palace of Westminster to Blackfriars Bridge in the City of London, and acts as a major thoroughfare ...

. The Company purchased the ship from the Admiralty in 1947 following donations from their members. She was subsequently converted for use as a floating livery hall in

Chatham Dockyard Chatham Dockyard was a Royal Navy Dockyard located on the River Medway in Kent. Established in Chatham in the mid-16th century, the dockyard subsequently expanded into neighbouring Gillingham (at its most extensive, in the early 20th century ...

. The conversion was paid for by donations from

Lloyd's of London Lloyd's of London, generally known simply as Lloyd's, is an insurance and reinsurance market located in London, England. Unlike most of its competitors in the industry, it is not an insurance company; rather, Lloyd's is a corporate body gov ...

, private benefactors, shipping companies and other livery companies. In December 1948, the ship was moved to her permanent mooring along the

. In 1991, the ship was extensively refurbished following a period of

dry-docking A dry dock (sometimes drydock or dry-dock) is a narrow basin or vessel that can be flooded to allow a load to be floated in, then drained to allow that load to come to rest on a dry platform. Dry docks are used for the construction, maintenance, ...

in the private yards at

Sheerness Dockyard Sheerness Dockyard also known as the Sheerness Station was a Royal Navy Dockyard located on the Sheerness peninsula, at the mouth of the River Medway in Kent. It was opened in the 1660s and closed in 1960. Location In the Age of Sail, the Roy ...

. In July 2005, ownership of HQS Wellington was transferred from the Honourable Company to a new organisation, the Wellington Trust, although the company retains its home onboard and is largely responsible for leadership within the trust. On display on the ship is the steering wheel of the ship 'Otago', the Master Joseph Conrad having sailed on the 'Otago' and following her destruction in 1931, the wheel was presented to the Honourable Company.

References

External links

The Master Mariners' Company

The Marine Society
{{authority control Mariners 1926 establishments in England