There is no formal organization called the the Merxhant Marine. Just the same as there is no Rtail Store Organization. It is the classification of the group of employers that use ships and other forms of water transportation.The US Merchant Marine are the ships that are manned by civilians and registered with the US government and fly the US flag. They are subject to the international laws when at sea, Rules of the Road, and at the same time the laws of the United states. They carry cargo, oil, LNG, and other cargo. A ship does not join they fit the classification.
In the past to build up the US Merchant Marine ships were buildt and sometimes built with subsidizes. The ships built with subsidizes in a time of emergency could be taken over by the Navy, and any of the officers with reserve commissions could be kept on the ship as active naval officers.
A person does not sign on with the Merchant Marine and become a member. But before Each trip or trips you will sign aritcles with a ship and become a member of that ships crew. The aritcles may be for that one trip or for a period of time of a few months. If you leave the ship’s company before the articles are up it is call jumping ship. And there can be punish, loss of mariner’s papers or in time of war even up to death for desertion.
On a Merchant Marine ship there are two departments. One is the deck department.It is headed by the Captian. The other is the Engineering department headed by the Chief Engineer. There are unliciensed crew members and the llicensed officers.
There are 3 ways to become an officer. The origional way sail in the engineering department or deck department for a minimumn of 3 years at different levels under articles on a inspected ship. After 3 years you can take the 3rd Assistant Engineer’s test or the 3rd Mates test (depending on which departmet you were working in) administered by Coast Guard. You can go to one of the Maritime Academies and at the end of the 1st class year take the 3rds test. If a person has enough sea time in the Navy or Coast Guard it is possable to sit for a license based on that sea time. I know of one officer who sat for an orgional Chief Engineer;s license, retired from the Coast Guard with the rank of Captain. And I know several who sat and past the CAptian’s llicense.
The “Cadets” (I have never figured out how someone studding to become a officer in the merchant marine could be a cadet, they are truly Midshipmen), anyway the “Cadets” at the state Maritiem Academies are not enlisted in the navy but if they take the Naval Sciense option recieve a check once a year from the Navy. When they graduate they can recieve a reserve comission in the Navy (USNR-R) or they can apply to go active in the Navy, Coast Guard, and I understand also the Air Force. The students who do opt for the Naval Science option end up with a tail of 8 years. (not sure how the 8 year tail goes today0. When I graduated it was only 6 years. When I graduated we had to sail on a US Flag ship for 6 months a year for 3 years and have 3 years of inacive reserve. If you did not meet the sailing requirement then for 3 years there was a 30 day active duty requirement plus 3 years of inactive reserves. In times of war no reserve office was called up to duty if he was sailing, but if he came ashore he would get called up.
One of my hot buttons. This country has done wrong by the Merchant Sailors who served in since 1941. It turned its back on the men who served in WWII. FDR called the Merchant Marine the 4th arm of defense. IKE and several others said the war could not have been won with out the service of the MM Sailor. It was the service with the highest rate of loss, sailors were quiting sailing and joining the Army because it was safer. And how were they treated. If the ship that a MM sailor was serving on was sunk the moment the ship went down their pay stopped, even if they became a POW for years. In the Navy if your ship was sunk you got 30 days survivor leave, the moment the MM sailor reach port he was expected to sign on another ship. If not he would face either the draft or having his reserve commission called up within a week. If a sailor ended up with perminate injury there was no disability medical care just either $500 or $1000 that was it. Loose an arm $500, loose two arms $1000 loose two arms and a leg $1000. If a military service man got hurt on the same ship he could get medical care for life and a disability check for life. They were promiced Veterans status and benefits. The status was not given until 1988 after a former POW won a law suit. And this country has let it’s Merchant Marine die. There are less than 100 US flagged ships engaged in international trade. In an emergency we need to rely on foriegn flag companies to deliever supplies for us.
this is probably to long hope I have answered everyone’s questions. About my self I graduated California Maritime Academy in 1970. Due to a srinking MM shipped only a short time before comming ashore. By the time jobs at sea came avable I was married with a child on the way, so I stayed ashore. Many of my classmates did not and some served 30 years at sea. but that is another story.