Royal Manticoran Merchant Marine

The 'Royal Manticoran Merchant Marine (abbrev: 'RMMM') is one the civilian branches of The Royal Manticoran Navy: The Official Honor Harrington Fan Association, Inc..

The 'RMMM' is one of three uniformed civilian branches of TRMN'. Members of this branch hold merchant marine ranks and job titles and may wear the various orders of RMMM uniform. Members of this component tend to focus on the merchant marine, trade and merchant ships of the stories. Chapters of merchant spacers are organized as merchant ships, titled RMMS <<name>>.

The Royal Manticoran Merchant Marine was authorized in 2013 by Admiralty Order 1312-05. It became active with the opening of the Merchant Fleet Academy in 2016.

Mandate

The mandate of the RMMM is to provide a framework for TRMN chapters to be organized as merchant ships and crewed by members in the RMMM branch. The RMMM has a mission of:

1. Highlight the strategic and economic importance of the merchant marine in the Honorverse.
2. Introduce the members of TRMN to the strategic importance, both historically and the current times, to the real world merchant marine.
3. Introduce the members of TRMN to the ethnography of the real world maritime industry.
4. Introduce the members of TRMN to the shipboard and shore side operation real world maritime industry.
5. Provide a role playing experience that expands upon the roles and importance of the Royal Manticoran Merchant Marine in the Honorverse.
6. Provide an outlet for fans to Cosplay and role play as merchant spacers within the Honorverse.
7. Explore the depiction of the merchant marine in both the Honorverse and other science fiction properties and compare and contrast both with the real world and 20th & 21st century fictional settings.

RMMM Leadership

The commanding officer of the RMMM is Fleet Manager Peter Gold, Baron Castine.

The deputy head of the RMMM is Fleet Engineer Joe Jungers.

List of Fleet Managers

No.	Name	Assumed	Relieved
1	Peter Gold	Circa 2016	Incumbent

Merchant Marine Chapters

There are 6 sizes of RMMM chapters:

• Inter-system Shuttles
• Couriers
• Light Freighters
• Medium Freighters
• Heavy Freighters
• Passenger Liners

RMMM civilian ship chapters are commissioned by the Third Space Lord. The minimum and maximum command composition for merchant ship chapters are as follows:

Command Type	Minimum Command Composition	Maximum Command Composition	Parasite Inter-System Shuttle Allowance
Inter-System Shuttle	2 total crew (1 Officer)	5 crew + 2 passengers	N/A
Courier	3 total crew (1 Officer)	10 crew + 2 passengers	Zero
Light Freighter	6 total crew (2 Officers)	25 crew + 10 passengers	One
Medium Freighter	8 total crew (3 Officers)	30 crew + 15 passengers	Two
Heavy Freighter	10 total crew (3 officers)	35 crew + 20 passengers	Three
Passenger Liner	15 total crew (4 officers)	1,000 crew + 3,000 passengers	Four

The command crew (Master, Chief Engineer, and Certified Bosun) of each civilian ship must be Merchant Mariners and must meet the minimum educational requirements (or equivalencies) as set forth by BuTrain.

Currently Operating RMMM chapters

• RMMS Pequod Epsilon Capricorni (Passenger Liner)

Merchant Marine Rank Structure

Rank	Equiv. Paygrade	RMMM (without endorsement)	Merchant Marine (Deck)	Merchant Marine (Engineering)	Merchant Marine (Catering)	Merchant Marine (Medical)
E-1	C-1	Apprentice Spacer
E-2	C-2	General Vessel Assistant (GVA)
E-3	C-3	Spacer I	Ordinary Spacer	Wiper	Steward's Assistant	Medical Aid
E-4	C-4	Spacer II	Senior Ordinary Spacer	Technician	2nd Cook	Medical Assistant
E-5	C-5	Spacer III	Efficient Spacer	Technician II	Steward	Medical Technician
E-6	C-6	Spacer IV	Able Spacer	Technician III	Baker	Paramedic
E-7	C-7	Spacer V	Leading Spacer	Technician IV	Chief Cook	Sick Berth Attendant
E-8	C-8	Spacer VI	Certified Bosun	Technician V	Chief Steward	Senior Sick Berth Attendant
E-9	C-9	Patrolman
E-10	C-10	President
O-1	C-11	Fourth Officer		Fourth Engineer	Junior Assistant Purser	Nursing Assistant
O-2	C-12	Third Officer		Third Engineer	Junior Purser	Nurse
O-3	C-13	Second Officer		Second Engineer	Purser	Senior Nurse
O-4	C-14	Senior Second Officer		Senior Second Engineer	Entertainment Director	Practical Nurse
O-5	C-15	First Officer		First Engineer	Cruise Director	Assistant Merchant Surgeon
O-6	C-16	Master		Chief Engineer	Hotel Manager	Merchant Surgeon
F-1	C-17	Fleet Manager		Fleet Port Manager	Fleet Passenger Director	Fleet Medical Director
F-2	C-18	Superintendent
F-3	C-19	Managing Director
F-4	C-20	Owner
F-5	C-21	Trade Minister
F-6	C-22	Home Secretary

Awards

Admiralty Order 1703-02 specifies awards for the civilian branches, including the RMMM. See Royal Manticoran Merchant Marine Awards for a list of awards issued to RMMM personnel.

Academy

RMMM unlicensed spacers, officers, and specialists are trained at the Civilian Space Services Academy.

Honorverse

The merchant marine, whether of the Star Empire of Manticore, the Republic of Haven or any other star nation, is a civilian industry. The ships are owned by private companies or individuals in free market societies. In places like the old People’s Republic of Haven, in which the government owned every major capital intensive business, the ships are government-owned and are operated by a civilian bureaucracy, usually associated with the Ministry of Trade or similarly named non-military agency. The merchant marine is also known as the merchant navy, mercantile marine, merchant service, or hansemarine (in the Andermani Empire). The people who work on the ships are referred to as merchant mariners or merchant spacers, never as merchant marines.

The Royal Manticoran Merchant Marine, or RMMM, is comprised of Manticoran flagged merchant ships that transported cargo and people during times of both peace and war. The Royal Manticoran Merchant Marine is the single largest merchant navy in the galaxy. The hundreds of companies that own the thousands of ships that fly the Manticoran flag operate a wide variety of ships, from small 100,000 ton couriers to 8 megaton freighters with a crew of about 25, to passenger liners with crews of 600 that can carry up to 5,000 passengers. We serve the carrying trade not only between the Star Empire of Manticore and other star nations, but also within the many star systems of the Galaxy, including in the Solarian League.

See Also

• Royal Manticoran Merchant Marine Uniform Regulations