As next of kin, you should be able to obtain information about your father's seagoing career by contacting the U.S. Coast Guard. Please see this page from the Armed Guard / Merchant Marine website about obtaining military service records: http://armed-guard.com/searchmil.html. In particular, see section A.2. Records of Individuals - Merchant Marine. You will have to contact the U.S. Coast Guard's National Maritime Center to request a copy of your father's service record. The Coast Guard was and is responsible for providing documentation for U.S. merchant mariners, which may include the ships in which a mariner served and the applicable dates. You will have to provide as much identifying information as you have available, such as name, date of birth, Social Security number, address, and Z or service number. (The service number or "Z number" is a serial number that appears on a merchant mariner's identification card; it begins with the letter Z, hence the name. Of course this number may not be available to you.)
Good luck.
Ron Carlson, Webmaster
Armed Guard / Merchant Marine website
www.armed-guard.com
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