merchant navy
merchant marine
noun
the ships or crew engaged in a nation's commercial shipping
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Examples from the Web for merchant navy
Historical Examples of merchant navy
The merchant-navy of England was fast widening its sphere of commerce.
History of the English PeopleJohn Richard Green
A fresh sally on the part of the fleet did not suffice to protect the merchant-navy, the losses of which were considerable.
A Popular History of France From The Earliest TimesFrancois Pierre Guillaume Guizot