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The Love Boat

Debunked: Ship captains, on their own authority, can perform marriages.

Contrary to popular belief, ship captains have no particular authority to solemnize a marriage, at least no more so than anyone else. In the case of the US Navy and the British Mercantile Marine, captains explicitly do not have the right to perform marriage as the following extract from the Code of Federal Regulations shows:

The commanding officer shall not perform a marriage ceremony on board his ship or aircraft. He shall not permit a marriage ceremony to be performed on board when the ship or aircraft is outside the territory of the United States, except: (a) In accordance with local laws ... and (b) In the presence of a diplomatic or consular official of the United States.

32 CFR 700.716

References:

• AFU and Urban Legends Archive: Married at sea
• The Straight Dope: Are ships' captains allowed to marry people at sea?