The Mercantile Marine was the civilian fishing and transportation fleet for Great Britain before 1918.

After 1918 King George V bestowed the name 'Merchant Navy' on the fleet.

Up to 18,000 Mercantile Mariners lost their lives during WWI.

Without the Mercantile Marine (and later the Merchant Navy) during wartime Britain could not have either fed its people or kept vital industry going.

For instance all sugar, cocoa & chocolate, 80% of grain products, 60% of butter and nearly 40% of all meat was imported in 1914.

Supplies of wood, metal ores, cotton, rubber were also heavily reliant on imports -almost all moved by sea.

Once Germany realised they couldn't win a quick war against the allied powers a campaign against British shipping started in earnest in early April 1915.

By the end of the war the German submarine service, with 340 in its fleet, had sunk 5,000 vessels and over 13 million tons of ships and cargo.

Mercantile Marine

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