United States Merchant Marine

United States Merchant Marine

United States Merchant Marine emblem
Ships:	465 (>1000 GRT)
Deck Officers:	29,000
Marine Engineers:[disambiguation needed ]	12,000
Unlicensed:	28,000
Source: "Water Transportation Occupations". U.S. DOL, Bureau of Labor Statistics. http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos247.htm. Retrieved 2007-03-31.
Statistics for the Shipping Industry of United States
Total: 465 ships (1,000 gross register tons (GRT) or over)
Totalling: 10,590,325 GRT/13,273,133 metric tons deadweight (DWT)
Cargo ships
Bulk ships	67
Barge carrier	7
Cargo ship	91
Container ships	76
Roll-on/Roll-off ships	27
Vehicle carrier	20
Tankers
Chemical tanker ships	20
Specialized tanker ships	1
Petroleum tanker ships	76
Passenger ships
General passenger ships	19
Combined passenger/cargo	58
Foreign Ownership and Documentation Note: Of these, 51 are foreign-owned: Australia 2, Canada 4, Denmark 24, Germany 2, Greece 1, Malaysia 4, Netherlands 4, Norway 2, Singapore 2, Sweden 5, Taiwan 1. 700 United States ships are registered in other countries: Antigua and Barbuda 7, Australia 3, Bahamas 121, Belize 5, Bermuda 27, Cambodia 8, Canada 2, Cayman Islands 41, Comoros 2, Cyprus 7, Greece 1, Honduras 1, Hong Kong 21, Ireland 2, Isle of Man 3, Italy 15, North Korea 3, South Korea 7, Liberia 93, Luxembourg 3, Malta 3, Marshall Islands 143, Netherlands 13, Netherlands Antilles 1, Norway 13, Panama 94, Peru 1, Philippines 8, Portugal 1, Puerto Rico 3, Qatar 1, Russia 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 21, Sierra Leone 1, Singapore 7, Spain 7, Sweden 1, Trinidad and Tobago 1, United Kingdom 6, Vanuatu 1, Wallis and Futuna 1. 2006 estimates.
Source: This article contains material from the CIA World Factbook which, as a US government publication, is in the public domain.

The United States Merchant Marine refers to the fleet of U.S. civilian-owned merchant vessels, operated by either the government or the private sector, that engage in commerce or transportation of goods and services in and out of the navigable waters of the United States. The Merchant Marine is responsible for transporting cargo and passengers during peace time. In time of war, the Merchant Marine^[1] is an auxiliary to the Navy, and can be called upon to deliver troops and supplies for the military.

Merchant mariners move cargo and passengers between nations and within the United States, operate and maintain deep-sea merchant ships, tugboats, towboats, ferries, dredges, excursion vessels, and other waterborne craft on the oceans, the Great Lakes, rivers, canals, harbors, and other waterways.

As of 2006, the United States merchant fleet numbered 465 ships^[2] and approximately 100,000 members. Seven hundred ships owned by American interests but registered, or flagged, in other countries are not included in this number.

The federal government maintains fleets of merchant ships via organizations such as Military Sealift Command and the National Defense Reserve Fleet. In 2004, the federal government employed approximately 5% of all American water transportation workers.^[3]

In the 19th and 20th centuries, various laws fundamentally changed the course of American merchant shipping. These laws put an end to common practices such as flogging and shanghaiing, and increased shipboard safety and living standards. The United States Merchant Marine is also governed by several international conventions to promote safety and prevent pollution.^{[citation needed]}

The merchant marine is a civilian auxiliary of the U.S. Navy, but not a uniformed service, except in times of war when, in accordance with the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, mariners are considered military personnel. In 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed a bill into law granting veteran status to merchant mariners who served in WWII. Prior to such legislation, they did not receive veteran's benefits.^{[citation needed]}

Shipboard operations

Captains, mates, and pilots supervise ship operations on domestic waterways and the high seas. A captain is in overall command of a vessel, and supervises the work of other officers and crew. The captain orders the ship's course and speed, maneuvers to avoid hazards, and continuously monitors the ship's position. Captains oversee crew members who steer the vessel, ship location, engine operations, communications with other vessels, maintenance and equipment operation. Captains and department heads^[4] ensure that proper procedures and safety practices are followed, ensure that machinery is in good working order, and oversee the loading and discharging of cargo and passengers. They also maintain logs and other records tracking the ships' movements, efforts at controlling pollution, and cargo and passengers carried.^{[citation needed]}

The mates direct a ship's routine operation for the captain during work shifts, which are called watches. Mates stand watch for specified periods, usually 4 hours on and 8 hours off.^[5] When more than one mate is necessary aboard a ship, they typically are designated chief mate or first mate, second mate, third mate, and so forth. Mates directly supervise the ship's crew. They monitor cargo loading and unloading to ensure proper stowage, and supervise crew members engaged in maintenance and the vessel's upkeep.^{[citation needed]}

Harbor pilots guide ships in and out of confined waterways, such as harbors, where a familiarity with local conditions is of prime importance.^[6] Harbor pilots are generally independent contractors who accompany vessels while they enter or leave port, and may pilot many ships in a single day.^{[citation needed]}

Ship's engineers operate, maintain, and repair engines, boilers, generators, pumps, and other machinery. Merchant marine vessels usually have four engineering officers: a chief engineer and a first, second, and third assistant engineer. On many ships, Assistant Engineers stand periodic watches, overseeing the safe operation of engines and other machinery. However, most modern ships sailing today utilize Unmanned Machinery Space (UMS) automation technology, and Assistant Engineers are Dayworkers. At night and during meals and breaks the engine room is unmanned and machinery alarms are answered by the Duty Engineer.^{[citation needed]}

Deck officers and ship's engineers are usually trained at maritime academies.^[7] Women were barred from U.S. maritime academies until 1974, when the State University of New York Maritime College and the California Maritime Academy first admitted women cadets.^[8] It is becoming increasingly difficult for unlicensed mariners to earn a merchant marine license^[9] due to increased requirements for formal training. A mariner must have sufficient sea time in a qualified rating and complete specified testing and training, such as that required by the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW).

Able seamen and ordinary seamen operate the vessel and its deck equipment under officer supervision and keep their assigned areas in good order.^[10] They watch for other vessels and obstructions in the ship's path, as well as for navigational aids such as buoys and lighthouses. They also steer the ship, measure water depth in shallow water, and maintain and operate deck equipment such as lifeboats, anchors, and cargo-handling gear. On tankers, mariners designated as pumpmen hook up hoses, operate pumps, and clean tanks. When arriving at or leaving a dock, they handle the mooring lines. Seamen also perform routine maintenance chores, such as repairing lines, chipping rust, and painting and cleaning decks. On larger vessels, a boatswain, or head seaman will supervise the work.^{[citation needed]}

Marine oilers and more experienced qualified members of the engine department, or QMEDs, maintain the vessel in proper running order in the engine spaces below decks, under the direction of the ship's engineering officers. These workers lubricate gears, shafts, bearings, and other moving parts of engines and motors; read pressure and temperature gauges; record data; and sometimes assist with repairs and adjust machinery. Wipers are the entry-level workers in the engine room, holding a position similar to that of ordinary seamen of the deck crew. They clean and paint the engine room and its equipment and assist the others in maintenance and repair work. With more experience they become oilers and firemen.^{[citation needed]}

As of 2011, a typical deep-sea merchant ship has a captain, three mates, a chief engineer and three assistant engineers, plus six or more unlicensed seamen, such as able seamen, oilers, QMEDs, and cooks or food handlers.^[11] Other unlicensed positions on a large ship may include electricians and machinery mechanics.^{[12][citation needed]}

History

For more details on this topic, see Maritime history of the United States.

Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo explored the coast of California in 1542. This chart of the "Island of California" dates to 1640.

The history of ships and shipping in North America goes back at least as far as Leif Erikson, who established a short-lived settlement called Vinland in present day Newfoundland. The shipping industry developed as colonies grew and trade with Europe increased. As early as the 16th century, Europeans were shipping horses, cattle and hogs to the Americas.^{[citation needed]}

Spanish colonies began to form as early as 1565 in places like St. Augustine, Florida, and later in Santa Fe, New Mexico, San Antonio, Tucson, San Diego, Los Angeles and San Francisco. English colonies like Jamestown began to form as early as 1607. The connection between the American colonies and Europe, with shipping as its only conduit, would continue to grow unhindered for almost two hundred years.^{[citation needed]}

Revolutionary war

The first wartime role of an identifiable United States merchant marine first took place on June 12, 1775 in and around Machias, Maine. A group of citizens, hearing the news from Concord and Lexington, captured the British schooner HMS Margaretta. The citizens, in need of critical supplies, were given an ultimatum: either load the ships with lumber to build British barracks in Boston, or go hungry. They chose to fight.^[13]

Word of this revolt reached Boston, where the Continental Congress and the various colonies issued Letters of Marque to privateers.^[14] The privateers interrupted the British supply chain all along the eastern seaboard of the United States and across the Atlantic Ocean. These actions by the privateers predate both the United States Coast Guard and the United States Navy, which were formed in 1790 and 1775, respectively.^{[citation needed]}

Nineteenth and twentieth centuries

Some civilian mariners have earned the Merchant Marine Expeditionary Medal in the Iraq War.

The merchant marine was active in subsequent wars, from the Confederate commerce raiders of the American Civil War, to the First and Second Battle of the Atlantic in World War I and World War II. 3.1 million tons of merchant ships were lost in World War II. Mariners died at a rate of 1 in 24, which was the highest rate of casualties of any service.^[15] All told, 733 American cargo ships were lost^[16] and 8,651 of the 215,000 who served perished on troubled waters and off enemy shores.

Merchant shipping also played its role in the wars in Vietnam and Korea. During the Korean war the number of ships under charter grew from 6 to 255. In September 1950, when the U.S. Marine Corps went ashore at Incheon, 13 Navy cargo ships, 26 chartered American, and 34 Japanese-manned merchant ships, under the operational control of Military Sea Transportation Service participated.^{[citation needed]}

During the Vietnam War, ships crewed by civilian seamen carried 95% of the supplies used by the American armed forces. Many of these ships sailed into combat zones under fire. The SS Mayaguez incident involved the capture of mariners from the American merchant ship SS Mayaguez.^[17]

During the first Gulf War, the merchant ships of the Military Sealift Command (MSC) delivered more than 11 million metric tons of vehicles, helicopters, ammunition, fuel and other supplies and equipment. At one point during the war, more than 230 government-owned and chartered ships were involved in the sealift.^{[citation needed]}

Government-owned merchant vessels from the National Defense Reserve Fleet (NDRF) have supported emergency shipping requirements in seven wars and crises. During the Korean War, 540 vessels were activated to support military forces. A worldwide tonnage shortfall from 1951 to 1953 required over 600 ship activations to lift coal to Northern Europe and grain to India. From 1955 through 1964, another 600 ships were used to store grain for the Department of Agriculture. Another tonnage shortfall following the Suez Canal closing in 1956 caused 223 cargo ship and 29 tanker activations from the NDRF. During the Berlin crisis of 1961, 18 vessels were activated, remaining in service until 1970. The Vietnam War required the activation of 172 vessels.^[18]

Since 1977, the Ready Reserve Fleet (RRF) has taken the brunt of the work previously handled by the National Defense Reserve Fleet. The RRF made a major contribution to the success of Operation Desert Shield/Operation Desert Storm from August 1990 through June 1992, when 79 vessels helped meet military sealift requirements by carrying 25% of the unit equipment and 45% of the ammunition needed.^[18]

Two RRF tankers, two Roll-on/Roll-off (RO/RO) ships and a troop transport ship were employed in Somalia for Operation Restore Hope in 1993 and 1994. During the Haitian crisis in 1994, 15 ships were activated for Operation Uphold Democracy operations. In 1995 and 1996, four RO/RO ships were used to deliver military cargo as part of U.S. and U.K. support to NATO peace-keeping missions.^[18]

Four RRF ships were activated to provide humanitarian assistance for Central America following Hurricane Mitch in 1998.^[18]

Twenty-first century

Merchant Marine Service Dress Sleeve Device

Merchant Marine Cap Insignia

In 2003, 40 RRF ships were used in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. This RRF contribution included sealifting equipment and supplies into the combat theater, which included combat support equipment for the Army, Navy Combat Logistics Force, and USMC Aviation Support equipment. By the beginning of May 2005, RRF cumulative support included 85 ship activations that logged almost 12,000 ship operating days, moving almost 25% of the equipment needed to support operations in Iraq.^[18]

The Military Sealift Command was also involved in the Iraq War, delivering 61,000,000 square feet (5,700,000 m²) of cargo and 1,100,000,000 US gallons (4,200,000 m³) of fuel by the end of that year. Merchant mariners were recognized for their contributions in Iraq. For example, in late 2003, Vice Adm. David Brewer III, Military Sealift Command commander, awarded the crew of the MV Capt. Steven L. Bennett the Merchant Marine Expeditionary Medal.^[19]

The RRF was called upon to provide humanitarian assistance to gulf coast areas following Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita landfalls in September 2005. The Federal Emergency Management Agency requested a total of eight vessels to support relief efforts. Messing and berthing was provided for refinery workers, oil spill response teams and longshoremen. One vessel provided electrical power.^[18]

As of 2007, three RRF ships supported the Afloat Prepositioning Force with two specialized tankers and one dry cargo vessel capable of underway replenishment for the Navy’s Combat Logistics Force.^[18]

The commercial fleet

As of 2006, the United States merchant fleet had 465 privately-owned ships of 1,000 or more gross register tons. Two hundred ninety-one (291) were dry cargo ships, 97 were tankers, and 77 were passenger ships. Of those American-flagged ships, 51 were foreign owned. Seven hundred American-owned ships are flagged in other nations.^[20][21]

2005 statistics from the United States Maritime Administration focused on the larger segment of the fleet: ships of 10,000 metric tons deadweight (DWT) and over. 245 privately owned American-flagged ships are of this size, and 153 of those meet the Jones Act criteria.^[22]

The World War II era was the peak for the U.S. fleet. During the post-war year of 1950, for example, U.S. carriers represented about 43 percent of the world's shipping trade. By 1995, the American market share had plunged to 4 percent, according to a 1997 report by the U.S. Congressional Budget Office (CBO).^[23] The report states, "the number of U.S.-flag vessels has dropped precipitously—from more than 2,000 in the 1940s and 850 in 1970 to about 320 in 1996."

A diminishing U.S. fleet contrasted with the burgeoning of international sea trade. For example, worldwide demand for natural gas led to the growth of the global liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker fleet, which reached 370 vessels as of 2007. In 2007 the United States Maritime Administration (MARAD) set uniform LNG training standards at U.S. maritime training facilities.^[24] While short-term imports are declining,^[25] longer term projections signal an eightfold increase in U.S. imported LNG by 2025, the worldwide LNG fleet does not include a single U.S. flagged vessel. Moreover, only five U.S. deepwater LNG ports were operational in 2007, although permits have been issued for four additional ports, according to MARAD.^[26]

The US pool of qualified mariners declined with the fleet.^[27] In 2004 MARAD described the gap between sealift crewing needs and available unlicensed personnel as "reaching critical proportions, and the long term outlook for sufficient personnel is also of serious concern."^[28]

Future seagoing jobs for U.S. mariners may not be on U.S.-flagged ships. American-trained mariners are being sought after by international companies to operate foreign-flagged vessels, according to Julie A. Nelson, deputy maritime administrator of the U.S. Department of Commerce.^[29] For example, Shell International and Shipping Company Ltd. began recruiting U.S. seafarers to crew its growing fleet of tankers in 2008.^[30] In 2007 Overseas Shipholding Group and the Maritime Administration agreed to allow American maritime academy cadets to train aboard OSG's international flag vessels.^[31]

The federal fleet

Further information: Military Sealift Command and National Defense Reserve Fleet

The USNS Comfort (T-AH-20) is a converted oil tanker now operated as a 1,000-bed hospital ship by the MSC.

Military Sealift Command (MSC) is an arm of the Navy that serves the entire Department of Defense as the ocean carrier of materiel during peacetime and war. MSC transports equipment, fuel, ammunition, and other goods essential to United States armed forces worldwide. Up to 95% of all supplies needed to sustain the U.S. military can be moved by Military Sealift Command.^[32] As of 2006 MSC operated approximately 120 ships with 100 more in reserve. More than 8,000 civil service or contract merchant mariners staff the ships.^[33]

MSC tankers and freighters have a long history of also serving as supply vessels in support of civilian research in the Arctic and Antarctic, including McMurdo Station, Antarctica and Greenland.^{[citation needed]}

Civilian-crewed MSC ships annually re-supply McMurdo Station, Antarctica. Here the USNS Southern Cross (T-AK-285) is seen during cargo operations alongside a floating ice pier.

The National Defense Reserve Fleet (NDRF)^[34] acts as a reserve of cargo ships for national emergencies and defense. As of 2006, the NDRF fleet numbered 251 ships, down from 2,277 ships at its peak in 1950.^[35]

NDRF vessels are now staged^[36] at the James River, Beaumont and Suisun Bay fleet sites and other designated locations.^{[citation needed]}

A Ready Reserve Force^[37] component of NDRF was established in 1976 to provide rapid deployment of military equipment. As of 2007, this force included 58 vessels, down from a peak of 102 in 1994.^[18]

In 2004, the federal government employed approximately 5% of all water transportation workers, most of whom worked on Military Sealift Command supply ships.^[3]

Important laws

A few laws have shaped the development of the U.S. merchant marine. Chief among them are the "Seamen's Act of 1915," the "Merchant Marine Act of 1920" (commonly referred to as the "Jones Act"), and the "Merchant Marine Act of 1936."^{[citation needed]}

The Seamen's Act of 1915

For more details on this topic, see Seamen's Act.

Senator La Follette (center), with maritime labor leader Andrew Furuseth (left) and muckraker Lincoln Steffens, circa 1915.

The Seaman's Act^[38] significantly improved working conditions for American seamen.^[39] The brainchild of International Seamen's Union president Andrew Furuseth, the Act was sponsored in the Senate by Robert Marion La Follette and received significant support from Secretary of Labor William B. Wilson.^{[citation needed]}

Among other things, the Act:

1. abolished the practice of imprisonment for seamen who deserted their ship
2. reduced the penalties for disobedience
3. regulated working hours both at sea and in port
4. established minimum food quality standards
5. regulated the payment of wages
6. required specific levels of safety, particularly the provision of lifeboats
7. required a minimum percentage of the seamen aboard a vessel to be qualified Able Seamen
8. required a minimum of 75% of the seamen aboard a vessel to understand the language spoken by the officers

The Act's passage was attributed to labor union lobbying, increased labor tensions immediately before World War I, and elevated public consciousness of safety at sea due to the sinking of the RMS Titanic three years prior.^[40]

The Jones Act

For more details on this topic, see Merchant Marine Act of 1920.

The Jones Act was sponsored by Senator Wesley Livsey Jones of Washington.

The "Merchant Marine Act of 1920," often called The "Jones Act," required U.S.-flagged vessels to be built in the United States, owned by U.S. citizens, and documented ("flagged") under the laws of the United States.^[41] It also required that all officers and 75% of the crew be U.S. citizens. Vessels satisfying these requirements comprised the "Jones Act Fleet," and only these vessels were allowed to engage in "cabotage", or carrying passengers or cargo between two U.S. ports.^{[42][citation needed]}

Another important aspect of the Act is that it allowed injured sailors to obtain compensation from their employers for the negligence of the owner, the captain, or fellow members of the crew.^{[citation needed]}

The Merchant Marine Act

For more details on this topic, see Merchant Marine Act of 1936.

The Merchant Marine Act of 1936 was enacted "to further the development and maintenance of an adequate and well-balanced American merchant marine, to promote the commerce of the United States, to aid in the national defense, to repeal certain former legislation, and for other purposes."^{[citation needed]}

Specifically, the Act established the United States Maritime Commission and required a United States Merchant Marine that consisted of U.S.-built, U.S.-flagged, U.S.-crewed and U.S.-owned vessels capable of carrying all domestic and a substantial portion of foreign water-borne commerce which could serve as a naval auxiliary in time of war or national emergency.^{[citation needed]}

The act also established federal subsidies for the construction and operation of merchant ships. Two years after the Act was passed, the U.S. Merchant Marine Cadet Corps, the forerunner to the United States Merchant Marine Academy, was established.^{[citation needed]}

International regulations

Federal law requires the merchant marine to adhere to a number of international conventions. The International Maritime Organization was either the source or a conduit for a number of these regulations.^{[citation needed]}

As of 2007, the principal International Conventions were:

• SOLAS 74: International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea.
• MARPOL 73/78: International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution From Ships, 1973 as modified by the Protocol of 1978.
• ICLL 66: International Convention on Load Lines, as revised in 1966
• 72 COLREGS: International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea.
• STCW 95: International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW).
• SAR 79: International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue.^[43]

Noted U.S. Merchant Mariners

Further information: List of notable American mariners and List of notable mariners

Merchant seamen went on to make their mark on the world. The first was mariner John Paul Jones, who went on to become the "Father of the American Navy".

Douglass North went from seaman to navigator to winner of the 1993 Nobel Prize in Economics.

After completing service in the Merchant Marines, multiple merchant seamen earned the Medal of Honor. George H. O'Brien, Jr. earned the award in the Korean War. Lawrence Joel earned the honor in the Vietnam war. Granville Conway, public servant, Presidential Medal for Merit recipient

Some became notorious criminals. William Colepaugh was convicted as a Nazi spy in World War II. Perry Smith's own murderous rampage (in 1959) was made famous in Truman Capote's non-fiction novel In Cold Blood. George Hennard was a mass murderer who claimed twenty-four victims on a rampage at Luby's Cafeteria in Killeen, Texas (1991).

Mariners are well represented in the visual arts. Merchant seaman Johnny Craig was already a working comic book artist before he joined up, but Ernie Schroeder would not start drawing comics until after returning home from World War II. Seaman Haskell Wexler won two Academy Awards, the latter for a biography of his shipmate Woody Guthrie.

Merchant sailors have also made a splash in the world of sport. Drew Bundini Brown was Muhammad Ali's assistant trainer and cornerman, and Joe Gold went made his fortune as the bodybuilding and fitness guru of Gold's Gym. In football, Dan Devine and Heisman Trophy winner Frank Sinkwich excelled. Seamen Jim Bagby, Jr. and Charlie Keller played in Major League Baseball. In track and field, seamen Cornelius Johnson and Jim Thorpe both won Olympic medals, though Thorpe did not get his until thirty years after his death.

Writers Richard Henry Dana, Jr., Ralph Ellison, Herman Melville, and Jack Vance and were merchant mariners, as were prominent members of the Beat movement: Allen Ginsberg, Herbert Huncke, Bob Kaufman, Jack Kerouac, and Dave Van Ronk. Peter Baynham, the coauthor of the film Borat, and Donn Pearce, who wrote the movie Cool Hand Luke, were formerly merchant mariners. Filmmaker Oliver Stone won multiple Academy Awards.

WWII-era merchant mariners played well-known television characters. The list includes Raymond Bailey (who played Milburn Drysdale on The Beverly Hillbillies), Peter Falk (who played the title character on Columbo), James Garner (who played Jim Rockford on The Rockford Files), Jack Lord (who played Steve McGarret on the original Hawaii Five-O), Carroll O'Connor (who played Archie Bunker on All in the Family), Denver Pyle (who played Uncle Jesse Duke on The Dukes of Hazzard), and Clint Walker (who played Cheyenne Bodie on Cheyenne).

Songwriter and lyricist Jack Lawrence was a mariner during World War II, and wrote the official United States Merchant Marine song, "Heave Ho! My Lads, Heave Ho!" while a young lieutenant stationed at Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, in 1943.

Writer/businessman Robert Kiyosaki claimed to have been a mariner.

Paul Teutul, Sr., the founder of Orange County Choppers and Orange County Ironworks, was a merchant mariner during the Vietnam War.

Fictional accounts

The United States merchant marine has been featured in movies and other fictional accounts.

In animations and cartoons

• Popeye was a merchant mariner before joining first the U.S. Coast Guard, and then the U.S. Navy.

Onscreen

WWII fare

• Action in the North Atlantic is a 1943 film featuring Humphrey Bogart, Raymond Massey, and Alan Hale Sr as merchant mariners fighting the Battle of the Atlantic in World War II
• Mister Roberts starring Henry Fonda
• The Long Voyage Home starring John Wayne
• The Men Who Sailed the Liberty Ships, television documentary

Other movies prominently featuring the United States Merchant Marine

• The Cutting Edge, the main character lied to his family about joining the Merchant Marine while training to ice skate for the Olympics
• The Last Voyage
• Lifeboat
• Morituri
• The Sea Chase
• Wake of the Red Witch
• The Wreck of the Mary Deare
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

On television

• On the soap opera Days of our Lives, the characters Bo Brady and Steve "Patch" Johnson were merchant mariners.
• On the popular 1960's television sitcom Gilligan's Island, Captain Jonas Grumby (the "Skipper"), was variously referred to as having been formerly in the Merchant Marine and in the U.S. Navy,
• On the popular 1960s television sitcom McHale's Navy, lead character, Lt. Cmdr. Quinton McHale, was referred to as a member of the Merchant Marine before World War II
• On the 1980's sitcom Punky Brewster, Henry P. Warnimont (George Gaynes) - adoptive father of the title character - was a merchant mariner.

Onstage

In Tennessee Williams' play The Glass Menagerie, the character Tom Wingfield leaves his family to join the Merchant Marine.

Notes

1. ^ Many English-speaking countries call their fleet the Merchant Navy. Terms similar to merchant marine are used in, for example, the French Marine Marchande and the Spanish Marina Mercante.
2. ^ Ships of 1,000 gross register tons or over. Fleet statistics from the 2006 CIA World Factbook
3. ^ ^{a b} "Water Transportation Occupations". U.S. DOL, Bureau of Labor Statistics. http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos247.htm. Retrieved 2007-03-31. 
4. ^ Typical departments include the deck department, engineering department, and steward's department.
5. ^ On smaller vessels, there may be only one mate (called a pilot on some inland towing vessels), who alternates watches with the captain. The mate would assume command of the ship if the captain became incapacitated.
6. ^ On river and canal vessels, pilots are usually are regular crew members, like mates.
7. ^ Maritime academies include the federal United States Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York, Maine Maritime Academy in Castine, Massachusetts Maritime Academy in Buzzard's Bay, State University of New York Maritime College in the Bronx, Texas Maritime Academy in Galveston, California Maritime Academy in Vallejo, and Great Lakes Maritime Academy in Traverse City, Michigan.
8. ^ Shipping Out; Maria Brooks producer. The United States Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point also changed its admission policy in 1974, becoming the first national academy (two years ahead of, Navy, Air Force or Coast Guard) to enroll women [1]. Historically, women who wanted to ship out encountered prejudice and superstition. Their hands-on seafaring experiences were largely limited to voyages as the captain's wife or daughter. Subsequently, some women chose to ship out by disguising themselves as men.
9. ^ Engineers and officers who have transitioned from unlicensed to licensed status are called hawsepipers.
10. ^ On inland waters able seamen may simply be called "deckhands."
11. ^ The size and service of the ship determine the number of crewmembers for a particular voyage.
12. ^ Small vessels operating in harbors, on rivers, or along the coast may have a crew comprising only a captain and one deckhand. The cooking responsibilities usually fall under the deckhands' duties. On larger coastal ships, the crew may include a captain, a mate or pilot, an engineer, and seven or eight seamen. Some ships may have special unlicensed positions for entry level apprentice trainees.
13. ^ Maine League of Historical Societies and Museums (1970). Doris A. Isaacson. ed. Maine: A Guide 'Down East'. Rockland, Me: Courier-Gazette, Inc.. pp. 280–281. 
14. ^ Privately owned, armed merchant ships known as which were outfitted as warships to prey on enemy merchant ships.
15. ^ http://www.usmm.org/casualty.html
16. ^ "U.S. Merchant Marine Flag". U.S. Maritime Administration. http://www.marad.dot.gov/education/history/flag.html. Retrieved 2007-03-30. 
17. ^ Bush, George W. (May 21, 2002). "National Maritime Day, 2002". Whitehouse.gov. http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2002/05/20020521-1.html. Retrieved 2008-11-22. 
18. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h} "The National Defense Reserve Fleet" (PDF). United States Maritime Administration. http://www.marad.dot.gov/Ship%20Disposal/PRESS_NDRF_RRF_4qtr05.pdf. Retrieved 2007-04-01. 
19. ^ "AMO members serve in military operations, exercises". American Maritime Officer magazine. http://www.amo-union.org/newspaper/Morgue/9-2003/Sections/News/medal.htm. Retrieved March 7, 2007. 
20. ^ In 2006, 264 American ships are registered in the Bahamas and the Marshall Islands, widely considered flag of convenience countries.
21. ^ "United States". CIA World Factbook. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/us.html. Retrieved March 13, 2007. 
22. ^ World Merchant Fleet, Table N-1.
23. ^ "Moving U.S. Forces: Options for Strategic Mobility, Chapter 3". U.S. Congressional Budget Office. February 1997. http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdoc.cfm?index=11&type=0&sequence=4. 
24. ^ More U.S. Crews for LNG Tankers; "Training Standards Agreement Goes Forward," U.S. Transportation Department Documents and Publications. June 5, 2007.
25. ^ "Short-Term Energy Outlook". Energy Information Administration. February 8, 2011. http://www.eia.doe.gov/steo/#Natural_Gas_Markets. Retrieved March 5, 2011. 
26. ^ "Securing Liquefied Natural Gas Tankers," CQ Congressional Testimony. Statement by H. Keith Lesnick Program Director, Deepwater Port Licensing Program U. S. Maritime Administration. Committee on House Homeland Security. March 21, 2007.
27. ^ "House panel hears maritime industry's recruiting woes," Shipping Digest. October 29, 2007.
28. ^ "Merchant Mariner Training to Meet Sealift Requirement," A Report to Congress; U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration. August 2004.
29. ^ "With Julie A. Nelson, Maritime Administration," Journal of Commerce. January 21, 2008.
30. ^ "Shell to Recruit U.S. Seafarers for International LNG Fleet for the First Time," PR Newswire. February 8, 2008.
31. ^ "OSG Signs First-Ever Agreement to Train U.S. Maritime Cadets on International Flag Vessels; OSG and Maritime Administration Form Landmark Partnership to Offer Cadet Sea Service Worldwide," Business Wire. October 15, 2007.
32. ^ "Military Sealift Command Media Center". Military Sealift Command. http://www.msc.navy.mil/mediacenter/default.asp?page=backgrnd. Retrieved 2007-04-01. 
33. ^ "REMARKS BY LABOR SECRETARY ELAINE CHAO AT A U.S. MERCHANT MARINE ACADEMY ALUMNI FOUNDATION DINNER (AS RELEASED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR)," Federal News Service. September 27, 2006.
34. ^ The NDRF was established under Section 11 of the Merchant Ship Sales Act of 1946.
35. ^ The NDRF had 251 ships as of August 31, 2006. On January 1, 2003, the number was 274 vessels.
36. ^ NDRF anchorage sites were originally located at Stony Point in New York, Fort Eustis in the James River in Virginia, Wilmington, North Carolina, Mobile, Alabama, Beaumont, Texas, Benicia in Suisun Bay in California, Astoria, Oregon and Olympia, Washington.
37. ^ The Ready Reserve Force was originally known as the Ready Reserve Fleet.
38. ^ The full name of the "Seaman's Act" is "Act to Promote the Welfare of American Seamen in the Merchant Marine of the United States" (Act of March 4, 1915, ch. 153, 38 Stat. 1164).
39. ^ The Seamen's Act specifically applies to vessels in excess of 100 gross tons (GT) but excluding river craft.
40. ^ The Seaman's Act was initially proposed in 1913, but took two years to pass into Law, by which time the war had started.
41. ^ Documented means "registered, enrolled, or licensed under the laws of the United States."
42. ^ There are countries in which, due to lower labor standards and prevailing wages, are much cheaper to document a vessel than the United States. Critics of the act claim it unfairly restricts the lucrative domestic shipping business.
43. ^ "Adoption of Amendments to the International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue, 1979" (PDF). Archived from the original on 2007-06-20. http://web.archive.org/web/20070620212546/http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/marcomms/imo/msc_resolutions/MSC69-22a1-3.pdf. Retrieved 2007-04-05. 

See also

	United States Merchant Marine portal
	Nautical portal

• Awards and decorations of the United States Merchant Marine
• The Marine Society
• National Maritime Day
• Navy Reserve Merchant Marine Badge
• Royal Fleet Auxiliary
• Ship transport
• United States Maritime Service
• United States military chaplain symbols

References

• "American Merchant Marine at War". usmm.org. http://www.usmm.org. Retrieved 2007-04-01. 
• "Casualty statistics World War II". usmm.org. http://www.usmm.org/casualty.html. Retrieved 2007-04-01. 
• Gibson, E. Kay (2006). Brutality on Trial: Hellfire Pedersen, Fighting Hansen, And the Seaman's Act of 1915. University Press of Florida: University Press of Florida. p. 225. ISBN 0813029910 .
• Hayler, William B. (2003). American Merchant Seaman's Manual. Cornell Maritime Pr. ISBN 0-87033-549-9. .
• "The Merchant Marines in the Korean War". United States Army. http://korea50.army.mil/history/factsheets/merchant_marines.shtml. Retrieved 2007-04-01. 
• Herbert, Brian. "review of The Forgotten Heroes: The Heroic Story of the United States Merchant Marine". http://www.historynet.com/reviews/world_war_2/3035246.html. Retrieved 2007-04-01. .
• Marvin, Winthrop L. (1919) [1919]. "Merchant Marine of the United States". The Encyclopedia Americana: A Library of Universal Knowledge. 18. New York and Chicago: Encyclopedia Americana Corp.. pp. 657–664. http://books.google.com/?id=8VwMAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA1-PA662&dq=united+states+merchant+marine. Retrieved 2008-04-20. 
• Pro, Joanna (2004-05-30). "Unsung Heroes of World War II: Seamen of the Merchant Marine still struggle for recognition". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04151/322861.stm. Retrieved 2007-04-01. 
• "Recipients of Merchant Marine Distinguished Service Medal". usmm.org. http://www.usmm.org/heroes.html. Retrieved 2007-04-01. 
• Seafarers International Union - War's Forgotten Heroes (Article)
• Thomas, Guy. "A Maritime Traffic-Tracking System: Cornerstone of Maritime Homeland Defense". Naval War College Regiew. Archived from the original on 2006-05-17. http://web.archive.org/web/20060517185847/http://www.nwc.navy.mil/press/Review/2003/Autumn/rd1-a03.htm. Retrieved 2007-04-01. 
• Thomas, Michelle. "Lost at Sea and Lost at Home: The Predicament of Seafaring Families" (PDF). Seafarers International Research Centre. Cardiff University. http://www.sirc.cf.ac.uk/pdf/Lost%20at%20Sea.pdf. Retrieved 2007-04-01. 
• Turpin, Edward A.; McEwen, William A. (1980). Merchant Marine Officers' Handbook (4th ed.). Centreville, MD: Cornell Maritime Press. ISBN 0-87038-056-X. 
• "United States". CIA World Factbook. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/us.html#Merchant%20marine. Retrieved March 13, 2007. 
• "United States Merchant Marine Served in all Wars Since the Revolutionary War". usmm.org. http://www.usmm.net/. Retrieved 2007-04-01. 
• "World Merchant Fleet, 2005" (PDF). U.S. Maritime Administration. pp. 9. http://www.marad.dot.gov/MARAD_statistics/2005%20STATISTICS/World%20Merchant%20Fleet%202005.pdf. Retrieved March 13, 2007. 

External links

• Heave Ho — The United States Merchant Marine Anthem (lyrics only)
• Sea History at the National Maritime Historical Society
• The Marine Society (the world's oldest seafarers' not-for-profit organisation)
• Women and the Sea: The Mariner's Museum.
• Women in Maritime History
• Lyrics to the official Merchant Marine song, "Heave Ho! My Lads, Heave Ho!", music and lyrics by Jack Lawrence
• Compilation of Maritime Law (U.S. 2006)
• American Merchant Marine at War - Revolution to World War II to today
• Maritime Trade & Transportation 2002 from the Bureau of Trade Statistics
• “Liberty Ships and Victory Ships, America’s Lifeline in War”, a National Park Service Teaching with Historic Places (TwHP) lesson plan