General Rules Number 1, Governing Granting Licenses for Bunker Fuel, Port, Sea, and Ship’s Stores and Supplies, Issued by the War Trade Board, January 19, 1918 2

No vessel shall be allowed to clear from any port of the United States, or any United States possession, without having secured a license or licenses from the War Trade Board, through its bureau of transportation, covering all the bunker fuel aboard the vessel at the time of sailing (including coal, coke, oil, kerosene, and gasoline) and port, sea, and ship’s stores and supplies. Stores and supplies are, for convenience hereafter, included with bunker fuel under the general designation of “bunkers.” Before the loading of any “bunkers” on any vessel at any port of the United States or its possessions shall be permitted, the license for “bunkers” must be obtained. All applications for licenses for “bunkers” must be made upon Application Form B–l, or such other form as may hereafter be adopted by this Board. Applications for such licenses shall be approved only in accordance with the following and such other rules as may from time to time be adopted: [Page 947]

I.
No application for “bunkers” by a sailing vessel for a voyage into the submarine war zone shall be approved. Sailing vessels equipped with auxiliary motive power shall, in the application of these rules, be classified as sailing vessels. A motor ship having no sailing power whatsoever shall be deemed to be in the same class as a steamship.
II.
No application for “bunkers” by any vessel which has disobeyed any order of the United States Navy or of the United States Shipping Board, hereinafter called “Shipping Board,” shall be approved.
III.
No application for “bunkers” by any vessel of American registry not requisitioned by the “Shipping Board” shall be approved, except for a voyage and in a trade approved by the War Trade Board, and, if under charter, unless the charterer and the terms and conditions of the charter are approved by the War Trade Board.
IV.
No application for “bunkers” by any neutral vessel1 shall be approved unless the person or persons managing, owning, chartering, or controlling such vessels shall have reported to and filed, in duplicate, with the War Trade Board, the name of all vessels and the masters, and any changes that may from time to time have occurred respecting said vessels and masters, managed, owned, chartered, or controlled by him or them.
V.
No application for “bunkers” by any neutral ship1 shall be approved unless the person or persons owning, managing, chartering, or controlling such vessel shall enter into an agreement in a form to be approved by the War Trade Board, agreeing to comply with and be bound by each and all of the following regulations. Failure to comply with any of these regulations in the case of any one vessel may involve the refusal of “bunkers” to all of the vessels of the particular person, firm, or corporation managing, owning, chartering, or controlling the vessel in question.
(a)
No vessel shall be chartered to a subject (including a person, firm, or corporation) of Germany or its possessions, or of any power allied with Germany, or to any person, firm, or corporation who or which shall not be acceptable to the War Trade Board.
(b)
No vessel shall trade with, or be bound to, any port in Germany or its possessions, or to any country allied with Germany, nor shall a vessel aid any vessel employed by or for Germany or any country allied with Germany.
(c)
No vessel shall, without the consent of the State Department, carry any subject of Germany or its possessions, or of any country allied with Germany.
(d)
No vessel shall carry any cargo which comes from or through or is destined to Germany or its possessions, or to any country allied with Germany.
(e)
Every vessel which proceeds from or to the United States, to or from Norway, Sweden, Denmark (including Iceland and the Faroe Islands), Holland, Spain, or to or from any neutral port in the Mediterranean Sea, shall call for examination as may be directed by the War Trade Board.
(f)
No vessel shall carry from a port outside the United States to any European port cargo which has not been previously approved by the War Trade Board or the Inter-Allied Chartering Executive.
(g)
No vessel shall carry any cargo from Norway, Sweden, Denmark (including Iceland and the Faroe Islands), Holland, Spain, or Switzerland to any ports unless such cargo is accompanied by a certificate of nonenemy origin.
(h)
No vessel shall carry any goods which are consigned to “order” (goods may, however, be consigned to the order of a named person, firm, or corporation when such person, firm, or corporation is the actual consignee). This provision shall not apply to goods shipped from a port of the United States or its possessions to countries other than Norway, Sweden, Denmark (including Iceland and the Faroe Islands), Holland, Spain, and Switzerland.
(i)
No vessel shall carry any coal or mineral oil (including naphtha and gasoline) unless the consignee is approved by the War Trade Board.
(j)
If a vessel is fitted with wireless telegraphy, the sending apparatus shall be sealed in such manner that no message can be sent without the knowledge of the master. The master shall be responsible for seeing, first, that no message to the enemy is sent by wireless telegraphy; second, that no reports are made of vessels sighted or of any weather conditions experienced; third, that no wireless messages of any kind are sent within 200 miles of England, France, Portugal, or Italy, except emergency messages relating to vessels or persons in distress.
(k)
The owner or charterer shall, upon request to do so by the War Trade Board, dispense with the services of the master, officers, or any members of the crew.
(l)
No vessel shall proceed on any voyage or be chartered on trip or time charter without the previous consent of the War Trade Board or the Inter-Allied Chartering Executive.
(m)
No vessel shall carry any cargo which is consigned to or shipped by any person, firm, or corporation with whom citizens of the United States are prohibited by law from trading.
(n)
No vessel shall carry to or from any European port any cargo which is consigned to or shipped by any person, firm, or corporation with whom citizens of any of the Allied countries are prohibited by law from trading.
(o)
No vessel shall be bought or sold without the previous approval of the United States Shipping Board, War Trade Board, or of the Inter-Allied Chartering Executive.
(p)
No vessel shall be laid up in port without the approval of the War Trade Board or the Inter-Allied Chartering Executive.
(q)
Every vessel clearing from a port of the United States shall observe all orders and requirements of the committee on ship protection of the Emergency Fleet Corporation, of the Navy Department, of the Department of Commerce, and of the Bureau of War Risk Insurance of the Treasury Department.
(r)
All “bunkers” received by any vessel shall be used solely for the purposes of the vessel, and no portion of the bunkers shall be landed in any port or transferred to any other vessel.
(s)
A report in duplicate shall be furnished to the War Trade Board each month, showing in detail the movement of all vessels subject to these regulations.

  1. The Official Bulletin, Washington, Jan. 21, 1918 (vol. 2, No. 213), p. 9.
  2. By an announcement of Feb. 5, 1918, pars. IV and V were amended through insertion of the words: “or by any vessel of American registry not requisitioned by the United States Shipping Board.” See The Official Bulletin, Washington, Feb. 5, 1918 (vol. 2, No. 226), p. 3.
  3. By an announcement of Feb. 5, 1918, pars. IV and V were amended through insertion of the words: “or by any vessel of American registry not requisitioned by the United States Shipping Board.” See The Official Bulletin, Washington, Feb. 5, 1918 (vol. 2, No. 226), p. 3.