By Salvatore R. Mercogliano, Ph.D. – The outbreak of the Second World War on the high seas was marked by the sinking of the British passenger liner SS Athenia on September 3, 1939. As passengers scrambled into lifeboats, the American freighter SS City of Flint, built at the Hog Island shipyard...
u.s. merchant marine
Are Merchant Mariners Veterans?
by Captain John Konrad (gCaptain) I have a confession to make…. I don’t want to post this video. I don’t want to share a video of me crying with hundreds of thousands of gCaptain readers. I don’t want to wear this hat. I don’t want to stand up to be recognized during veterans day. I […]
U.S. Coast Guard Amends Radar Renewal Requirements for Mariners
The U.S. Coast Guard has published a final rule amending the requirements for renewal of a radar observer endorsement for mariners. The final rule, titled “Amendments to the Marine Radar Observer Refresher Training Regulations”, amends the requirements for renewal of a radar observer endorsement...
On National Maritime Day, Where is the U.S. Merchant Marine?
May 22 is National Maritime Day in the United States. Initiated by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1933, it commemorates the sailing of the American steamship Savannah across the Atlantic to England in 1819. Since 1933, the date has been celebrated as a recognition for all those merchant...
Editorial: Admiral, I Am NOT Ready For War
“It is an unfortunate fact that we can secure peace only by preparing for war.” -John F Kennedy As has been the case before every major world conflict a majority of citizens believe that peace will persist indefinitely and, as a civilian myself, I tend to agree that a large scale war with a major...
Why the United States Needs a Merchant Marine – A Historical Basis
By Salvatore R. Mercogliano, Ph.D. (Editorial) In 1917, President Woodrow Wilson addressed Congress and delivered a war message. In this speech he highlighted the main issue the United States faced with the Imperial German government, “Because submarines are in effect outlaws when used as the...