A guide to merchant ships and seamen from the 16th century onwards, this book explains and illustrates the complex registration records for both ships and men, together with Crew Lists and Agreements which are now scattered throughout a number of repositories in Britain and abroad. It also includes chapters on fishermen and fishing vessels, the Royal Navy Reserve and War Service, and shows how to look for information about maritime disasters such as those which happened to the Titanic and Lusitania.