Records of Sea Service for Canadian Merchant Seamen (VAC PPU 120)

Description: This bank describes information that is used to provide statements of sea service to support applications for service medals and Veterans' benefits to individual merchant seamen. Personal information may include name; contact information; physical attributes, including height, weight, color of eye; nationality; fingerprints; photo; name and address of next-of-kin; dates and places of birth; record of vessels and periods of service for Merchant Seamen in the Canadian Merchant Navy and seamen killed or injured on certain vessels. The records maintained cover World War II, 1939 to 1947 and a limited number of ships which operated in the Korean War, 1950 to 1953.

Note: Revised in 2012 to reflect common language.

Class of Individuals: Canadian Merchant Seamen.

Purpose: Personal information is collected under the authority of the Department of Veterans Affairs Act and is used to provide statements of sea service to support applications for service medals and Veterans' benefits to individual merchant seamen.

Consistent Uses: None.

Retention and Disposal Standards: The Canadian Merchant Seamen records of sea service are archival and will be transferred to Library and Archives Canada for preservation after VAC’s retention period has expired. The retention standard before transfer to Library and Archives Canada is under development.