The records at the Museum consist of office copies of Engineer's Certificates of Competency which were issued to Engineers from 1862 to 1921. Those already serving were granted Certificates of Service. In 1881 Certificates of Competency were issued to officers with experience in steamships. (All the Engineer's Certificates at the Museum are collectively indexed as RSS/EC). In the same year Certificates of Competency were issued to skippers and mates of fishing boats and two years later Certificates of Service were also issued (See RSS/SC).
Details of the information contained in the Certificate and accompanying Application is broadly similar to that of the Masters Certificates of Competency and Service (see RSS/MC). The Engineer's Certificates are indexed according to certificate number and cannot be located without this number. Certificate numbers can be found in the Registers to Certificates of Competency and Service (Engineers) held at The National Archives (Index BT 141) .
Please note that there is a gap present in these records from certificate numbers 2000 to 2099, covering a short period in the mid-1860s.

Administrative / biographical background
By an order of 1845 the Board of Trade authorized a system of voluntary examination of competency for men intending to become Masters and mates of foreign-going British merchant ships. The system was made compulsory for those seeking promotion by the Act of 1850 and extended to the examination of Masters and mates of home trade vessels by the consolidating Act of 1854. Examinations were conducted in the major ports of the United Kingdom and successful candidates were granted Certificates of Competency. Masters and mates already serving were granted Certificates of Service. In 1862 Certificates of Competency were issued to Engineers and those already serving were granted Certificates of Service. In 1881 Certificates of Competency were issued to officers with experience in steamships (See RSS/EC for Engineers Certificates of Competency and Service). In the same year Certificates of Competency were issued to Skippers and mates of fishing boats and two years later Certificates of Service were also issued (See RSS/SC).