Recognition of a maritime past

Why retired seafarers need care that understands their career history
By Captain David Dominy

Living and working at sea is a career unlike any other, shaping a strong sense of identity tied to ships, crews, and the open water in which the seafarers conducted their working lives. Seafarers’ families and loved ones also experience a sustained impact with separation anxiety being a routine element of their lived experience. When that chapter ends through retirement, injury, or age, the transition to a shorebased life can be disorientating.

Identity doesn’t retire when a seafarer or maritime worker does, and any approach to later-life care that overlooks this risks missing something fundamental. With the need to better support those who have spent their lives at sea, prioritising their wellbeing after their careers is a clear necessity.

Seafarers may be out of public view, yet they form a vast global workforce. In 2024, the world’s merchant fleet comprised around 1.9 million seafarers, with 24,550 active UK seafarers in 2025. Beyond these numbers lies a shared culture built on tradition and camaraderie. Their years at sea remain the defining chapter of their life story.

Yet the transition to life onshore can bring unexpected challenges, including social isolation and a loss of routine. Having spent much of their working lives away from any one place, seafarers have fewer ties to a fixed community onshore, making the loss of their maritime world feel particularly acute. When identity is overlooked or diminished, it can deepen feelings of isolation and disconnection.

Conversely, care that recognises and respects a person’s life story can be protective. retired seafarers, being surrounded by people who understand maritime language, experiences, and culture can offer a sense of belonging that would not be found in a generic care setting.

Reinforcing a sense of belonging and purpose
Specialist care environments, like those provided at The Royal Alfred, have a unique ability to turn familiarity into comfort and community into care.

Equally important within this system are staff who understand maritime culture and can speak openly with residents. When caregivers can engage meaningfully with their histories, it reinforces residents’ sense of identity in
a new setting.

Design and décor also play a powerful role. Surroundings reflecting maritime heritage comfort and validate, while personal memorabilia like uniforms, medals, and photographs prompt memories and pride in a life at sea. This is integrated into the interior layout at The Royal Alfred’s care home, using photography and maritime design choices throughout the rooms.

With a long-standing mission to care exclusively for seafarers and their families, the Royal Alfred Seafarers’ Society has created maritime-themed spaces, activities, and events that reflect its commitment to preserving seafaring identity. For instance, visits from sea shanty singers and trips to venues such as the British Legion veteran hub provide meaningful opportunities to reconnect with the past, demonstrating how engagement with maritime culture can deliver genuine wellbeing benefits throughout the care community.

For retired and veteran seafarers, identity and wellbeing are inseparable. The role that they have undertaken doesn’t simply fade into the past but remains a defining part of who they are. Care environments that recognise this, and actively honour it every day through thoughtful design, meaningful activity, and genuine understanding, help uphold the wider mission of creating specialist care environments for different residents.

It’s a recognition of a lifetime of service, ensuring that those who spent their lives at sea continue to feel valued, understood, and at home.

Captain David Dominy MA RCDS is CEO of the Royal Alfred Seafarers’ Society.