Our history

On 14 February 1928, The ‘London Gazette’ announces that HM King George V honours the contribution made by the merchant service in peace and war by appointing a member of the Royal Family as its Head, thus treating the merchant service with as much respect as the Armed forces.

On this same day, HM King George V also conferred the title ‘Merchant Navy’ on the mercantile marine in recognition of its service; at the same time, The King instituted the appointment of Master of the Merchant Navy and Fishing Fleets, conferring that upon HRH The Prince of Wales.

The appointment of Master of the Merchant Navy and Fishing Fleets was held by our late Patron Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II since her accession in 1952.

On 12 December, HM Queen Mary unveils The Merchant Navy Memorial on London’s Tower Hill, now The Memorial’s First World War section. Ranging from a fishing boat’s Cook aged 13 to an Able Seaman aged 73 from a cargo vessel, it commemorates by name some 12,000 civilian men and women who have no grave but the sea. Two Captains named were the last civilians to be awarded Britain’s highest military decoration, the Victoria Cross. All served in the Mercantile Marine, but following HM King George V’s announcement of February 1928, renaming the service, they are honoured under the name they had earned, that of the Merchant Navy.

Germany invades Poland on 1 September and ignores Britain’s ultimatum to withdraw by 11am on 3 September. At 11.15am that day, Britain declares war on Germany and the Second World War begins.

Bound for Montreal from Glasgow, Liverpool and Belfast with 1,418 British, American and Canadian civilians onboard, the liner SS Athenia is torpedoed at 7.40pm, 200 miles northwest of Ireland, killing 112 and marking the start of the War’s first battle. Lasting until VE-Day, 8 May 1945, the Battle of the Atlantic is the longest continuous campaign of the War.

Facing its biggest challenge, the King George’s Fund for Sailors works hard to support existing beneficiaries, as well as meet an increase in demand for its services.

HM The Queen unveils The Merchant Navy Memorial’s Second World War section on Tower Hill in London. With its First World War and Falklands Campaign sections, The Memorial commemorates 36,000 civilian men and women, aged between 13 and 74 of more than 100 nationalities who died in the British service with the sea their grave. The Memorial bears more names than any other Commonwealth War Graves Commission memorial in the UK.

The coronavirus pandemic spreads internationally with devastating effects on the maritime community. Port closures, grounded flights and travel restrictions leave 400,000 seafarers stranded on board their ships. Seafarers UK launches the COVID-19 Emergency Fund to help support those affected by the pandemic.

Seafarers UK takes on a new voyage as The Seafarers’ Charity. The new name better reflects our global outlook, and the inclusion of the word ‘charity’ makes what we do, clearer. We also reintroduced the use of ‘King George’s Fund for Sailors’ through a stamp, to celebrate our 104-year heritage.

In collaboration with leading maritime welfare charities and shipping players, The Seafarers’ Charity launched the Seafarers International Relief Fund to provide emergency support to seafarers and their families affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in India and the Philippines. In 2022, the Fund acted rapidly to begin providing support to seafarers and their families devastated by the crisis in Ukraine.

The International Fund for Fishing Safety is a unique initiative funded by Lloyd’s Register Foundation to support international fishers to improve safety and health in their industry. This Fund was launched in 2023 for projects aimed at making an impact to improve international fishing safety and health. The Fund is managed by The Seafarers’ Charity and in partnership with the FISH Platform.

His Majesty King Charles III became the charity's new Patron, succeeding Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. This announcement was made by Paul Butterworth, Chair of Trustees, at the charity’s Annual Meeting held at the prestigious Fishmongers’ Hall in London on 30 May.