Do ship captains have the authority to solemnize marriages?
<p>I have seen some works of fiction portraying marriage ceremonies happening on ships, officiated by sea captains (such as a famous scene in the Disney movie <em>At World's End</em>).</p>
<p>Is this a tradition outside fictional works? Or at least based on some tradition? Can ship captains legally marry people aboard a ship?</p>

<p>Depends on the flag the ship is flying. In my country (sweden) a ship captain could marry people, but the authority was removed as unnecessary around 2000. I Wonder what the US rules are?</p>

<h2>No, and they never did</h2>
<p>It’s a Hollywood <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/02/fashion/weddings/a-marriage-at-sea-get-me-rewrite.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">myth</a> and always has been.</p>
<p>Of course, there is nothing stopping any given ship’s captain from also being a qualified marriage celebrant and that person could marry people. However, getting and maintaining a ship master’s ticket is a full time job on its own so very few do.</p>

marriage