What does merchant marine do

It trained men for the U. Merchant Marine and U. Army Transport Service to transport supplies and personnel in the largest fleet of freighters, tankers, and transports in history to bases all over the world for U. Men at the fronts depended on this important service for bombs, gasoline, shells, ammunition, food, guns, vehicles, planes, medicine, and other materials for warfare.

When training ended the person was "released from active duty" in the Maritime Service and went to sea in the Merchant Marine.

Today the Maritime Service exists only in the Maritime Academies. Maritime Service history. Unfortunately, the U. How did the Merchant Marine casualty rate compare to other services? You may distribute in any manner.

You may add your own contact information, but you may not modify in any other way without specific permission from www. How many men served in the U. Navy Armed Guard? How many were killed or wounded? According to some sources , men served on over 6, American and Allied ships. About 2, died in defense of their country, and at least 1, were wounded as a result of enemy action.

How many U. Merchant ships were sunk or damaged in World War II? According to the War Shipping Administration, a total of 1, ships were sunk to due to war conditions , including ships of over 1, gross tons. Hundreds of other ships were damaged by torpedoes, shelling, bombs, kamikazes, mines, etc. Foreign flag ships, especially those with Naval Armed Guard on board as well as ships belonging to U.

Our present total is 1, ships sunk, damaged, captured or detained. Were any U. Navy instructions to American ship masters were to destroy his ship and its records:.

The ship shall be defended by her armament, by maneuver, and by every available means as long as possible. When, in the judgment of the Master, capture is inevitable, provision should be made to open sea valves and to flood holds and compartments adjacent to machinery spaces, start numerous fires and employ any additional measures available to insure certain scuttling of the vessel.

She was eventually released. Were Merchant Mariners "draft dodgers"? Merchant mariners were subject to the draft if they took more than 30 days shore leave. Experienced mariners who had been drafted were released by the Army to serve in the Merchant Marine. Harold Harper "dodged" the draft by being torpedoed 6 times.

Nick Hoogendam , who was too young for the Army or Navy, spent 83 days on a liferaft drinking rainwater and eating "sushi. Michael Horodysky was classified 4F in the draft due to a bad heart and sailed the dangerous Murmansk run and took part in the North African invasion. Harold "Bud" Schmidt joined the Merchant Marine as one-eyed year-old kid. Were Merchant Mariners subject to court martial? Six crewmen of a Liberty ship did hard labor for refusing to work in a dispute with shoreside stevedores over loading tanks for the invasion of Sicily.

During the War, gossip columnist Walter Winchell and others spread untrue stories about mariners refusing to unload at Guadalcanal, supposedly leaving the job to sick marines.

Winchell and the newspapers that carried these stories lost the libel suits filed against them, and were forced by the court to apologize, print retractions, and to pay damages. Unfortunately, the myth that mariners refused to unload ships in Guadalcanal persists. Was the Merchant Marine's job and dangers over with the Japanese surrender? Men are still needed to man merchant ships in excess of those presently available and will be needed for some months to come. The job of the wartime Merchant Marine has not been completed.

Millions of our armed forces must be brought home and supplies must be carried to the occupation forces throughout the world. Supplies must also be carried for the rehabilitation of devastated areas.

Which came first, the U. Coursework in industrial arts and mechanical drawing is also recommended. It's possible to transfer to the Academy if you're already enrolled in another college or university as an undergraduate student. At minimum, you'll need a grade point average of 2.

The Academy's curriculum includes highly technical courses, so a liberal arts curriculum is not considered sufficient preparation for transfer. You'll need two letters of recommendation from current or former professors who can attest to your academic achievement and aptitude for the Academy's coursework.

Admissions quotas for the Academy are allocated by state, proportional to representation in Congress. In the event that a state does not fill its allotment, remaining vacancies at the Academy are filled from a national list of qualified alternates.

Tuition, room and board, books and uniforms are paid for by the U. Students must provide their own laptops and pay certain licensing and exam fees while at the Academy. They are also responsible for personal expenses and transportation to and from the Academy. There is no financial aid provided by the Academy, although aid is accepted from other sources. Core courses include math, science, English and history, as well as courses in naval science, ship's medicine, physical education, leadership and ethics.

Midshipmen choose a major course of study from among five options:. Towards the end of the first academic year, midshipmen take a written exam, administered by the U. Coast Guard, for licensing as merchant marine officers.

Students also go to sea for several trimesters during their four years of academic study. In addition to the U. The academies are located in California, Main, Michigan, New York and Texas; each marine academy offers four-year undergraduate programs to prepare students for careers as licensed mariners. Depending on employer, geographic location and skills, mariners may work primarily on land or at sea. Land, to work with the Commandant of the Coast Guard to create a training program.

That new program began in as a hybrid of Maritime Commission and uniformed Coast Guard training for future Merchant Mariners. During World War Two, volunteer Merchant Marines had no military rank, no opportunities to earn a military retirement, or any of the other financial support associated with military service.

They simply did their part, and according to a report by Smithsonian Magazine, paid high prices for that service. German U-boats inflicted an incredible amount of damage to Merchant Marine operations, with Smithsonian Magazine reporting as many as 9, Merchant Marine casualties in alone. At the time, these people were not viewed as favorably by the public as their enlisted, U.

Merchant Marines had earned a bad reputation in some quarters, but President Franklin D. Roosevelt is reported to have offered high praise for these Americans and their volunteer efforts. Merchant Marine Academy. Merchant Marine crews would distinguish themselves during this time in Korea and later in Vietnam when a significant portion of the supply chain involved Merchant Marines in one capacity or another.

In Vietnam some reports claim Merchant Marines were responsible for nearly all of the supplies delivered to combat zones. The Merchant Marine Act of directed the construction of ships— in ten years! When the treaties are signed, and the troops go home, the U. Merchant Marine still has a lot of work to do. Who do you think took all those men and vehicles back to the United States?

Or moved occupation troops to Japan? Or hauled cargo for the Marshall Plan in Europe? The information on the Death Notice was spare and emotionless.