Who we are
The work of The Marine Society & Sea Cadets (MSSC) in support of professional seafarers has evolved over 250 years, reflecting the vicissitudes of the UK’s maritime fortunes.
Today the London-based MSSC, a charity formed in 2004 from a merger of The Marine Society and the Sea Cadet Association, exists to offer seafarers and prospective seafarers a range of services to enhance their well-being and lifestyle.
The Marine Society has provided guidance, life-long learning opportunities and support for professional seafarers from all the sea services since before the time of Nelson.
The Sea Cadets is the nation’s most enduring maritime youth charity, with 400 units throughout the UK and 15,000 young people engaged in learning nautical and life skills.
The combination of these two powerful brands makes a potent force in the promotion of maritime careers.
To those already serving at sea the MSSC strives to “level the educational playing field” by ensuring that professional seafarers have the advice, support and access to the educational opportunities enjoyed by their counterparts ashore.
This is achieved through the provision of a comprehensive educational support programme which includes distance-taught packages tailored for seafarers and maritime professionals; libraries to ships; financial support to individuals; as well as expert impartial advice and guidance on all aspects of life at sea.
The second theme of the MSSC’s work focuses on the encouragement of young people to make informed career choices about the sea and about an industry that employs a quarter of a million people with a £38 billion turnover.
To this end it provides practical sea training in its own power driven vessel ts John Jerwood plus its sail training schooner ts Royalist; has an extensive careers section in its website; and works with others to seize every opportunity to raise the profile and promote careers at sea.
The MSSC also publishes a popular magazine Seafarer that carries much information about life at sea in its many and various manifestations.
The MSSC website, which is updated daily, carries an extensive sea careers section and is an excellent resource facility for serving and prospective seafarers alike.
It also features 'webships': vessels which are profiled online and whose progress is monitored by means of email despatches and digital photographs from the ships - a sort of online ship's diary, offering an interactive insight into contemporary life at sea.