When renewing or upgrading your Merchant Mariner Credential (MMC) you may want to provide or review previous documents. This article outlines the process to request your mariner records from the National Maritime Center (NMC) or the National Archives.
Records
Paper records related to issuance of Merchant Mariner Licenses and Documents are held on site at the NMC for one year past the last activity with the file. After that time they are then transferred to the regional Federal Records Center in Suitland, MD where they are stored for up to 60 years after last discharge or evidence of death is reviewed, depending on record.
Electronic records related to issuance of Merchant Mariner Licenses and Documents are retained in the system for 60 years pending National Archives and Records Administration approval.
How can I get documents that I misplaced that I previously submitted to the NMC?
To clear up a common misconception, your documents are not kept at the NMC but instead sent to the National Archives after your license has been issued.
To get them back from the archives takes a little while but is pretty easy.
First: Fill out the Correspondence Request. Pro-tip: Select “Copy of Entire Record”
Second: Print it, Sign it and Scan it
Then Email it to: OSC-SMB-NMC-4-Correspondence@uscg.mil
It will take a couple of months but out of the blue you will get a package in the mail!
How can I request documents for someone else?
The NMC will provide records to you or your next of kin, only with written and/or notarized consent of the mariner, a Power of Attorney, or by providing a certified copy of a Death Certificate.
You must provide, in writing, the following to the NMC in order to process the request:
- Nature of the request,
- Requester and mariner’s full name,
- Mariner's reference or social security number,
- Mariner’s date of birth, and
- Contact information, address, and phone number.
The NMC highly encourages you to request via email through the electronic record request form but will process them through mail or fax.
Mail:
National Maritime Center
Attn.: Correspondence (NMC-41)
100 Forbes Drive
Martinsburg, WV 25404
Fax:
304-433-3417
Attn.: Correspondence (NMC-41)
Are you looking for historical records?
The U.S. Coast Guard maintains custody of merchant mariners’ records for the World War II era. The NMC maintains records for United States Merchant Mariners, which are protected under the Privacy Act of 1974. Mariner records can be used for many reasons, including a valuable tool in genealogical research. When seeking a personnel file or service record for a mariner who was discharged by the U.S. Coast Guard, submit a records request to the NMC.
Additional historical records information can be found at the following links:
https://www.archives.gov/news/articles/merchant-marine-records-document-maritime-service
https://www.dco.uscg.mil/Portals/9/NMC/pdfs/forms/Reference-Information-Paper-77.pdf
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About the author
Captain Jen McCullough stood up the Coast Guard's Military to Mariner program for service members, mapping military training and sea service against merchant mariner credential requirements. She has worked across the services to build credential pathways for transitioning members and has more than 10 years of sea experience.
