Whoop! Whoop! Whoop! Red Alert! Battle Stations! This is no drill. I repeat, this is no drill. Prepare for flame war. I say again, prepare for flame war!
Livin’ on Tums, Vitamin E and Rogaine
This probably doesn’t help, but I’ll throw it out here anyway.
From www.usmm.org
The Merchant Marine is the fleet of ships which carries imports and exports during peacetime and becomes a naval auxiliary during wartime to deliver troops and war materiel. According to the Merchant Marine Act of 1936: “It is necessary for the national defense… that the United States shall have a merchant marine of the best equipped and most suitable types of vessels sufficient to carry the greater portion of its commerce and serve as a naval or military auxiliary in time of war or national emergency…” During World War II the fleet was nationalized, that is, the U.S. Government controlled the cargo and the destinations, contracted with private companies to operate the ships, put guns and Navy personnel (Armed Guard) on board. The Government trained the men to operate the ships through the U.S. Maritime Service.
From the forward of the Merchant Marine Reserve handbook
A close and mutually supportive relationship between the Navy and the merchant marine has existed since the American Revolution. The Merchant Marine Reserve, U.S. Naval Reserve (MMR, USNR) Program is intended to reinforce that relationship.
The U.S. Navy evolved out of the American merchant marine. Practically every naval officer in the American Revolution was an experienced merchant mariner and the Navy’s first fighting ships were primarily merchant vessels with guns installed. Our first six frigates, authorized by Congress on 27 March 1794, were commanded by ex-merchant mariners. During the Navy’s early years, naval officers and midshipmen were encouraged to sail on merchant vessels to gain additional seagoing experience and to improve their nautical skills. Until World War II, officers and men trained in the merchant marine formed the most important manpower reserve for the Navy.
In World War I, the Navy’s Cruiser and Transport Service and the Naval Overseas Transportation Service were largely crewed by merchant marine officers the Naval Reserve called to active duty. Together these two services transported almost two million men and sixty percent of the supplies sent to the allied forces.
With World War II threatening in Europe and Asia, Congress enacted the Merchant Marine Act of 1936. Its primary purpose was to establish a strong merchant marine capable of service as a naval and military auxiliary in time of war or national emergency. Qualified merchant marine officers joined the Naval Reserve as the likelihood of war increased. During the war, these officers served our country valiantly. Proportionally, their losses exceeded those of the U.S. Navy.
Today the U.S. Navy has substantially fewer ships than it did at the end of World War II. However, one of its primary missions, protecting the sea lanes vital to the nation in time of war, has not changed. Further, since 1984 the Navy has been assigned the additional mission of Strategic Sealift. To accomplish these missions with fewer ships, the Navy is working more closely with the merchant marine than ever before. Merchant tankers and cargo ships are routinely training with and supporting fleet operations.
Hey Monty, maybe my choice of words–branch vs. purview was vague, sorry. But, I was a guest at King’s Point this summer at the home of one of the “higher-ups” and I was told by my host that they were under the “purview” of the Dept. of Trans. and not DOD, unless called up/activated/transferred in time of war. That’s all I was saying, and I heard this from “one of the horses mouths”. But, if the USMMA is not “branch” of the government, who pays for the academy? I’m under the impression that the USMMA is considered a service academy, the same as Annapolis and West Point. They were upset that they were left out of the Discovery Channel documentary about service academies. Check out the USMMA Website for more info. I’m only familiar with the academy (and not the working service in general) through social connections. I’m I that wrong ? Didn’t you post that the Merchant Marine was a FEDERAL service academy (9-8)? Do the midshipmen pay their own way; I really don’t know. How is that reconciled with the fact that you state it’s not a “branch” of the Federal government (9-11). It’s got to be a federal “branch” of something, right, if it’s a federal service academy, as you stated. The Citadel and VMI are private academies, but USMMA is public ( like USNA and USMA), isn’t it?
The USMMA is not a “branch of the government,” it is, as I also mentioned above, a Federal Service Academy. My point is that the merchant ships, other than the USNS ones, are privately owned, and thus not part of the government.
The USNS vessels are owned by the United States Navy, and there also happen to be vessels owned by the United States Army. I really don’t recall what their abbreviation is or to which corps in the Army they belong; Transportation, Supply or Engineers is my guess. The military folks who serve on the Army vessels, though, have what the Army calls a “marine MOS.”
I do check out the USMMA site a lot, happen to have it on my “favorite places” menu at work.
And having seen USNS vessels refuel and resupply every ship I’ve served on (excepting of course for the stint on the refueling vessel, DIEHL, I mentioned above), I’m quite sure that Scott is talking out his cover.
Monty–we’re talking semantics. I agree that a lot of the ships are “privately” owned. Somehow, I think the Merchant Marine is on some Federal flowchart somewhere. Whether that constitutes a “branch” of government is semantics. It’s a fork on the big scheme somewhere. Is it a “branch” as in the same sense/size as the Navy or Army? Probably not. With regard to the OP and commercial shipping, you’re probably more informed than I and I can’t disagree with you on the nuts and bolts of it. But I have been to King’s Point recently, and have heard some (senior) officers’ opinions; so I would like to think that I’m not totally clueless as to what’s going on at the USMMA, at least.
647: a matter of semantics would be, as an example, discussing if the Marine Corps is a separate service as the Air Force is. The government does not own merchant ships other than the ones I described above. That’s not semantics; it’s fact.
Monty–USAF vs. USMC is not a matter of semantics, as members of both services, I’m sure, would like to point out to you. I’m missing the point of your reply. I was talking about “branch” vs. “purview” with the regard to the Merchant Marine. I agree with most of what you are saying-those ships are privately owed, and I said my choice of words was vague. But, you also stated that the USMMA is a Federal service academy; but then you stated it is not a branch of the Federal government. How can you have both ways? Bust me on the facts that I’m not sure about-do midshipmen pay their own way at USMMA?
Okay, 647: I’ll take this slowly for you and just pretend you’re new to the language.
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I used the examples of the US Marine Corps (USMC) and the US Air Force (USAF) because the USMC is still a part of another service, the US Navy, and the USAF is no longer is part of the US Army. Saying the USMC is a separate service just like the USAF is talking semantics because, by law, it is not.
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The US Merchant Marine Academey is a school. It is not, and never has been, the Merchant Marine. It is a school, as all the Federal Service Academies are. This school provides trained officers who are available to the merchant ships of the United States. Those companies which hire those officers will pay their salaries (feel free to jump in here and say that I just implied the companies are paying the midshipmen–I did not) after they’re hired. One of the outfits which hires those officers just so happens to be the USN and another outfit is the USA; those officers get assigned (for the ones hired by the Navy) to the USNS ships and I still don’t recall the abbreviation used for the Army’s civilian-crewed vessels.
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Since the midshipmen are attending a Federal Service Academy, there tuition is free and they also come out of the school with a commission in a Reserve of the Armed Forces.
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Two questions for you: How did you confuse just one school with the entire merchant fleet of the United States? Are you that unobservant?
In number 3) above, there should read their.
Please feel free to continue with the WAGs.
monty-thanks for the patronizing answer. I was only talking about the USMMA because I was there this summer and met some of the people there. I won’t bother to argue your last post because, like I stated previously, you probably know more about it than I. But I do have one more question for you to belittle my point. Are the officers who work at the USMMA part of the Merchant Marine or not; and, if so, are they “part of” the federal government as, say an USN officer is? If they’re civilian employees, why is the commandant, for example, an Admiral?
OK–I checked the USMMA Website and it’s the superintendent and not commandant that’s an Admiral; and, an Admiral of the U.S. Maritime Service. So, how is the USMS related to the MM? Also, their–oops (I’m slow with the language), there was something about an USNMM Reserve. What’s the scoop?
OK–I checked the USMMA Website and it’s the superintendent and not commandant that’s an Admiral; and, an Admiral of the U.S. Maritime Service. So, how is the USMS related to the MM? Also, their–oops (I’m slow with the language), there was something about an USNMM Reserve. What’s the scoop?