The Admiralty Yard Craft Service was the civilian service which operated auxiliary vessels for the

British Admiralty The Admiralty was a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, department of the Government of the United Kingdom that was responsible for the command of the Royal Navy. Historically, its titular head was the Lord High Admiral of the ...

, mainly in HM Dockyards or the vicinity. It was renamed the Port Auxiliary Service (PAS) on 1 October 1958 and the

Royal Maritime Auxiliary Service Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family or royalty Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Ro ...

in 1976. The service operated tugs, harbour

ferries A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus. ...

, launches, and lighters. Although some of its tugs were classified as ocean-going, it did not operate ocean-going supply vessels, which were the responsibility of the

Royal Fleet Auxiliary The Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) is a naval auxiliary fleet owned by the UK's Ministry of Defence. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service and provides logistical and operational support to the Royal Navy and Royal Marines. The RF ...

. The Yard Craft Service crews answered to the Captain's Department in each dockyard. The Fleet Coaling Service and the Admiralty Dredging Service were separate, but closely related, services. Ratings and engineers often transferred freely between vessels of the three services, although masters and mates had to be rated individually on each of the three types of vessel. The Fleet Coaling Service, renamed the Fleet Fuelling Service sometime between 1914 and 1926, operated harbour and coastal vessels carrying

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal i ...

and

fuel oil Fuel oil is any of various fractions obtained from the distillation of petroleum (crude oil). Such oils include distillates (the lighter fractions) and residues (the heavier fractions). Fuel oils include heavy fuel oil (bunker fuel), marine f ...

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

vessels. Its masters did not have to be so highly qualified as the masters of the other two services and were paid considerably lower salaries. The

Dredging Dredging is the excavation of material from a water environment. Possible reasons for dredging include improving existing water features; reshaping land and water features to alter drainage, navigability, and commercial use; constructing d ...

Service was originally part of the Admiralty Works Department, but later transferred to the Civil Engineer-in-Chief's Department (between 1914 and 1926). By 1947, the other two services had fully amalgamated into the Yard Craft Service. Vessels of the Service flew the

Blue Ensign The Blue Ensign is a British ensign that may be used on vessels by certain authorised yacht clubs, Royal Research Ships and British merchant vessels whose master holds a commission in the Royal Naval Reserve or has otherwise been issued a wa ...

defaced by the yellow Admiralty

anchor An anchor is a device, normally made of metal, used to secure a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the craft from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ', which itself comes from the Greek (). Anch ...

badge.

Ranks/Ratings

Rated in ascending order of pay scales.

1914

*Boy *Ordinary Seaman *Dredger Deckhand *Harbourman *Able Seaman/Dredger Fireman/Dredger Stoker/Dredger Ladderman *Writer/Messenger *Stoker/Skilled Harbourman *Coaling Master 2nd Class/Leading Stoker/Dredger Engine Driver *Chief Stoker/Leading Harbourman *Mate *Coaling Master 1st Class *Engineer 3rd ClassHad to have served as a stoker or a shore engineering mechanic for at least three years. *Master 2nd Class/Dredger MasterHad to have served as a Dredger Mate for at least two years./Suction Dredger Navigator/Engineer 2nd Class *Master 1st Class *Engineer 1st Class *Suction Dredger Master and Chief Engineer

1926

*Boy *Stoker 2nd Class *Ordinary Seaman *Harbourman/Dredger Deckhand *Writer Messenger *Able Seaman *Dredger Stoker/Dredger Fireman/Dredger Ladderman *Stoker 1st Class/Skilled Harbourman *Wireless Telegraph Operator *Leading Stoker *Dredger Engine Driver *Coaling Master 2nd ClassIn 1925 were authorised to wear uniforms. "Yard Craft Officers", ''The Times'', 12 June 1925. *Leading Harbourman *Mate *Chief Stoker *Tug Mate *Coaling Master 1st Class *Engineer 3rd Class *Master 2nd Class/Dredger Master/Suction Dredger Navigator/Engineer 2nd Class *Coaling Master C1 *Master 1st ClassIn 1923 authorised to wear an RN Chief Petty Officer style cap with a

cap badge A cap badge, also known as head badge or hat badge, is a badge worn on uniform headgear and distinguishes the wearer's nationality and/or organisation. The wearing of cap badges is a convention commonly found among military and police forces, as ...

of a pilot jack on a black velvet ground for masters who were qualified

pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...

s and an Admiralty Blue Ensign on a red velvet ground for others. "Yard Craftmen's Uniform", ''The Times'', 24 February 1923.In 1925 received the courtesy status of

subordinate officer Subordinate officer is a term used in some armed forces for a grade of officer above a non-commissioned officer but still not actually commissioned, usually still in training. Such officers are treated for most intents and purposes as commissioned ...

s. "Yard Craft Officers", ''The Times'', 12 June 1925. *Engineer 1st Class *Suction Dredger Master and Chief Engineer In 1925, all Masters (except Coaling Masters), Mates, and Engineers 1st and 2nd Class were authorised to wear uniforms.

1947

In 1947, there was a reorganisation. *The grades of Harbourmen and Writer Messengers were abolished, with Harbourmen being transferred to corresponding Seaman or Stoker grades. *Coaling Masters were renamed Coaling Supervisors. *Engineers 3rd Class were renamed Mechanicians. *Boatswains were introduced as third-in-command of larger tugs, second-in-command of vessels with no Mates, or in charge of certain smaller vessels. *All Masters, Mates, Engineers and Coaling Supervisors C1 became salaried and were officially classed as officers. From 1947, the non-salaried grades were as follows: *Boy *Ordinary Seaman/Stoker 2nd Class *Able Seaman/Stoker 1st Class/Dredger Deckhand/Dredger Fireman *Dredger Deckhand (Winch Driver) *Dredger Ladderman *Leading Stoker/Coaling Supervisor Class 2/Wireless Telegraph Operator *Leading Seaman *Dredger Crane Driver/Dredger Grab Driver *Boatswain/Chief Stoker/Qualified Wireless Telegraph Operator *Mechanician/Coaling Supervisor Class 1 These grades were still extant in 1962.

1970

By 1970 the grades were: *Seaman Apprentice *Ordinary Seaman/Mechanic 2nd Class *Able Seaman/Mechanic 1st ClassRenamed from Stoker 1st Class in 1970. *Able Seaman Special *Leading Seaman/Leading Stoker/Fuelling Supervisor 2nd Class *Chief Stoker/Fuelling Supervisor 1st Class *Boatswain/Mechanician

Footnotes

{{reflist

References

*''Statement of the Decisions of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty on the Petitions received from the Civilian Employees in HM Dockyards and Naval Establishments at Home in 1914'' *Admiralty, ''Conditions of Service, Rates of Pay, Allowances etc. of the Ratings Serving in the Yard Craft at HM Dockyards, Victualling Yards etc. at Home'', December 1926 *Admiralty Fleet Order (AFO) 2/62, 5 January 1962 Royal Navy