# Can Sea Captains Solemnize Marriages, and if so, Why? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 31, 2003, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-sea-captains-solemnize-marriages-and-if-so-why/221993 "2003-12-31T19:43:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ace309](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ace309/32/1050_2.png) [@Ace309](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ace309)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2003, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-sea-captains-solemnize-marriages-and-if-so-why/221993/1 "2003-12-31T19:43:43Z")
Quick checks of Snopes, Google and GQ yielded nothing. Feel free to paddle me if I missed something here. There’s a common conception, used in The Simpsons and the Montel Williams show among many other places, that sea captains are authorized to solemnize marriages. (In the International Waters ep of The Simpsons, Captain McAllister performs a marriage while in international waters. I understand that Montel Williams occasionally performs marriages on his show because he used to be a sea captain and now “captains the Good Ship Montel,” though I haven’t watched it in ages.) Pretty straightforward. Can sea captains perform marriages? Why? ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2003, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-sea-captains-solemnize-marriages-and-if-so-why/221993/2 "2003-12-31T19:45:32Z")
[Cecil speaks.](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_329.html) ---
**Author:** ![zev\_steinhardt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/97f17d/32.png) [@zev\_steinhardt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zev_steinhardt)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2003, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-sea-captains-solemnize-marriages-and-if-so-why/221993/3 "2003-12-31T19:47:10Z")
I seem to recall reading (I’m sorry, I don’t have a cite for this) that despite the myth, ships captains were, in fact, prohibited from performing marriages on their ships (although I would presume that if he were otherwise eligible [JoTP, minister, priest, rabbi, etc.] that he would be eligible) and can be imprisioned for doing so. But then again, I could be wrong… Zev Steinhardt ---
**Author:** ![zev\_steinhardt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/97f17d/32.png) [@zev\_steinhardt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zev_steinhardt)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2003, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-sea-captains-solemnize-marriages-and-if-so-why/221993/4 "2003-12-31T19:48:15Z")
Ah, so that’s where I remember reading it. Thanks **Q.E.D.**. Zev Steinhardt ---
**Author:** ![Ace309](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ace309/32/1050_2.png) [@Ace309](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ace309)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2003, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-sea-captains-solemnize-marriages-and-if-so-why/221993/5 "2003-12-31T20:01:44Z")
Huh. I knew there was somewhere I didn’t check. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2003, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-sea-captains-solemnize-marriages-and-if-so-why/221993/6 "2003-12-31T21:03:44Z")
Cecil Knows All. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![MacSpon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@MacSpon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacSpon)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2003, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-sea-captains-solemnize-marriages-and-if-so-why/221993/7 "2003-12-31T21:34:31Z")
I have personally been on a sea cruise during which the ship’s captain married two passengers. ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2003, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-sea-captains-solemnize-marriages-and-if-so-why/221993/8 "2003-12-31T22:00:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MacSpon \* > \*\*I have personally been on a sea cruise during which the ship’s captain married two passengers. \*\* But as a response to Cecil says: “Any marriages performed by the captain of this ship are valid for the duration of the voyage only.” 😃 Tripler Man, I gotta get on one of _them_ boats. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![MacSpon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@MacSpon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacSpon)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2003, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-sea-captains-solemnize-marriages-and-if-so-why/221993/9 "2003-12-31T22:09:13Z")
> [@](#): > > But as a response to Cecil says: “Any marriages performed by the captain of this ship are valid for the duration of the voyage only.” 😃 Okay, admittedly I didn’t ask the couple in question about that. 🙂