The Admiralty Ferry Crew Service was a civilian organisation formed during

World War Two World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated, with many nations mobilisi ...

as part of the auxiliary forces of the British Naval Service. The

Admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong * Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral *Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings * Admiralty, Tra ...

requisitioned large numbers of small craft of different types to assist the naval war effort including trawlers, launches, fleet tenders and motor fishing vessels. Other craft were built to order. In 1942 Lt/Comdr. C.D. Barber, under the direction of Admiral Sir Lionel Preston, K.C.B, Director of the Small Vessels Pool, began enlisting experienced sailors, engineers and others who could not otherwise be accepted for war service, including some volunteers over 70. These men formed crews of six or eight, collected craft from shipyards and delivered them to naval bases around the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. Direct voyages further afield were also undertaken, including to

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

, the

Faroes The Faroe Islands ( ) (alt. the Faroes) are an archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean and an autonomous territory of the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. Located between Iceland, Norway, and the United Kingdom, the islands have a populat ...

and

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

, while vessels destined for the Far East were delivered to ports such as

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

for onward transport. The Service numbered roughly 1,600 personnel and moved approximately 1,020 vessels. At the end of the war, members formed the Admiralty Ferry Crew Association, to hold reunion dinners. The Association was encouraged by the Admiralty to maintain a list of experience sailors, engineers and other crew who could be of use in an emergency. In 1963 the Association was amalgamated with the

Royal Naval Minewatching Service The Royal Naval Mine Watching Service was a civilian organisation formed in 1952 as part of the auxiliary forces of the United Kingdom, British Naval Service (United Kingdom), Naval Service. Its intended wartime role was to man observation poin ...

to form the

Royal Naval Auxiliary Service The Royal Naval Auxiliary Service (RNXS) was a uniformed, unarmed, civilian volunteer service, administered and trained by the Royal Navy to operate in the ports and anchorages of the United Kingdom in an emergency. It maintained training units, ...

. The Association membership was reclassified as List III of the new service, though this separate element was disbanded in 1971. The RNXS was itself disbanded in 1994. The Maritime Volunteer Service, a maritime skills and training charity, was formed in the same year by former members of the RNXS and others.

References

Royal Navy {{UK-navy-stub