In the mid-nineteenth century concerns about the incompetence of seamen through inadequate training led to the establishment of marine boards for the examination of masters or mates, and for enquiry into marine accidents. From a desire to improve the standards of ships, officers and men of the Mercantile Marine, Liverpool shipowners formed the Liverpool branch of the Mercantile Marine Service Association in 1857. One of the aims of the Association was to establish schools for the training of boys and men for careers in the Mercantile Marine, and in 1859 it founded the training ship HMS Conway. HMS Conway became a national institution for the training of future officers of the Merchant Navy, and its records are preserved at the Maritime Archives & Library.

The Conway was one of four training ships moored on the Mersey in the latter part of the nineteenth century. Two of these ships were reformatory ships, the Akbar, for the reform of Protestant boys, and the Clarence, for Roman Catholic boys. Unfortunately, none of the records of these institutions are held at the Maritime Archives & Library, although photographs of both ships can be found in the McRoberts photographic collection. The records of the Akbar are partly preserved at the Lancashire Record Office, Preston, as the records of Redbank School, Newton-le-Willows and Heswall Nautical School. The location of records of the Clarence is unknown, but enquiries should be made to the Nugent Care Society, 150 Brownlow Hill, Liverpool, L3 5RF.

The fourth training ship moored on the Mersey was the TS Indefatigable, a charitable institution founded in 1864, to give sea training to boys in poor circumstances. The TS Indefatigable merged with the Lancashire and National Sea Training Homes in 1945, and the records of both institutions are held at the Maritime Archives & Library.

Unfortunately, no records are known to survive of any Navigation Schools, but papers relating to the Association of Navigation Schools formed in 1917 in Liverpool survive. Occasionally, navigation exercise and textbooks can be found amongst the personal papers of seafarers (Vol. II chap. 7).

In the nineteenth century there was no welfare state for the relief of destitute sailors, their families, or their orphaned children. Liverpool shipowners and merchants were instrumental in raising the interest of the people of Liverpool in welfare provision for seamen and their families.