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Australia Merchant Navy

2012 Twenty Cent

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The term Merchant Navy comes from King George V as it was given by him to the British Merchant Fleet after World War I. The British Merchant Fleet was the largest in the world at the time but has been surpassed since that time. The Merchant Navy of Australia was an integral and vitally important component of the war effort. They transported supplies, personnel and munitions to areas of need during conflicts and peacetime over the years. In recognition of their endeavours, the Royal Australian Mint issued this commemorative twenty cent. It recognises the courage and dedication shown during World War II where the loss of life was in excess of that suffered by the Armed Forces.

The reverse was designed by Wojciech Pietranik and shows his impression of SS River London, which was the first Merchant Navy ship of the Australian fleet. It shows the legend AUSTRALIA REMEMBERS MERCHANT NAVY and is just one of the series Australia Remember. Other twenty cent coins in the series are Army Chaplains, Service Nurses, Fromelles and War Historians. The obverse features the Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of HM Queen Elizabeth II along with the legend ELIZABETH II AUSTRALIA 2012.

There is an Australian Merchant Navy Memorial which is located Canberra at Kings Park on the northern shore of Lake Burley Griffin. It honours those who gave their lives so heroically whilst serving their country. The Memorial has the inscription "In honour of those of the Australian Merchant Navy who gave their lives for their country and have no known grave but the sea. They will be remembered for ever more. 1914-1918 1939-1945." The modern Merchant Navy is now regulated and mariners are all required to carry Merchant Mariners Document with them and a governing body was formed in Geneva in 1958 which was eventually named the International Maritime Organisation and based in London, England (Wikipedia, 2014) .