NAVAL CONTROL SERVICE

[Peter Burrows]

Hi

I have a pass issued by the Mersey Naval Control Service on 5 March 1945

I would like to know 1) what was this service, 2) what was his rank or rating, and 3) why did he need a pass the travel through the United States?

Cheers Peter

[Neil Williams]

Peter

The Naval Control Service of a given port was responsible for managing and coordinating the assembly, sailing and arrival of merchant convoys. In this case Liverpool and Birkenhead, which was one of the major sailing and destination points in the UK.

The rank/duty isn't immediately clear to me. Perhaps Can Sig or Con Sig - if the latter, could be Convoy Signaler, as a number of the ships in a convoy, particularly the convoy Commodore, would have a small naval staff. If he's sailing in a convoy from the UK he could easily find himself docking anywhere in the USA, and then need to get to a suitable port (eg Halifax in Canada) to do duty on a eastbound convoy, or just for passage. This pass would be to stop him being bothered by military police/border controls.

A bit of conjecture on my part, but maybe this helps.

Neil W

[Michael Dobbs]

I knew I had seen this subject before - but it has taken me some while to find it!  There was a query in a past FPHS Journal on the subject and I responded as shown below - this appeared in Journal 280 (Summer 2009):

[color=maroon][b]NAVAL CONTROL SERVICE[/b]
by Michael Dobbs

I refer to Query 320 from Nick Martin in Journal No 279 (Spring 2009).  I believe that I can help with some information on the Naval Control Service - the National Archives source file below is a bound volume of miscellaneous papers to do with the Naval Control Service and convoy titles and codes.  A particular document is entitled "Naval Control Service Organisation" but not dated, although from other handwritten information on the document and its position in the file dates it from sometime during 1940.

That document explained that the Naval Control Service was established for the Naval Control of the sailing and routeing of British Merchant ships in time of war - in other words dealing with convoy and routeing duties for merchant ships.  Plans were prepared in peace for a special organisation designated "Naval Control Service".  Initially Naval Control Service staffs were allocated to the more important British ports and also to the more important ports of prospective allies and certain selected ports of prospective neutrals.  The Naval officer in charge of these Naval Control Service staffs at a port was known as the Naval Control Service Officer (NCSO).  The NCSO worked under and was responsible to The Admiralty through the Naval Officer in charge (NOIC) of the port if there was one.

I need to research further regarding the Naval Control Service in North West Europe as I have not come across any reference to such an organisation - but obviously there was at Antwerp as the unit datestamp on Nick's cover clearly shows.

Reference:
The National Archives document ADM199/2172: Naval Control Service: convoy titles and organisation 1940-45[/color]

There were two other responses as well, in the same Journal, from Mike Hill and John Leathes.

Regards, Mike