Formed in Sydney in 1901 as the Firemen and Deckhands’ Association of New South Wales, by 1950 the name was changed to the Firemen and Deckhands’ Union of New South Wales. Throughout its history the Firemen and Deckhands’ Union underwent a number of amalgamations with other unions covering the maritime industry, including the incorporation of members of the Ferry and Tugboat Employees' Union (circa 1913) and the Marine Motor Drivers and Coxswains' Union in 1967. Gradually the Firemen and Deckhands' Union of New South Wales was absorbed into the New South Wales Branch of the Seamen's Union of Australia, beginning in 1976 with the establishment of a single national tugboat award and ending, in 1993, when the Seamen's Union of Australia amalgamated with the Waterside Workers Federation of Australia to form the Maritime Union of Australia.