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"On this, the 82nd anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Sal Mercogliano - maritime historian at Campbell University (@campbelledu) and former merchant mariner - joins the US Naval History Podcast to discuss the Third Wave at Pearl Harbor, Fuel Logistics in World War Two, and the issues surrounding the closing of Red Hill today in a potential war against China."

Anti-Christian liberals have won this round at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy — which dismissed the desire of thousands of religious faithful. The academy recently bowed to left-wing pressure and agreed to remove a painting of Jesus Christ from one of its most prominent conference rooms..

The European Commission is considering banning ships registered in European Union countries from using crews of sailors from the Philippines. The prohibition could drastically impact global shipping: Currently, one in four crew members on merchant vessels around the world hails from the Philippines. And the European Union is second only to Panama in gross merchant tonnage. If this ban goes through, it’s poised to rock an industry that’s been struggling for years. Deutsche Welle reports the ban is being considered after an audit by the European Maritime Safety Agency. European regulators found that maritime education institutions in the Philippines didn’t...

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ National Maritime Day (May 22nd) ~ STEAMSHIP SAVANNAH - 1819 On May 22, 1819, the SS Savannah left its home port of Savannah, Georgia on its way to Liverpool, England. The ship "put to sea with steam and sails" and reached Liverpool in 29 days and four hours, becoming the first steamship to cross the Atlantic. While the steam engine performed faultlessly, it was not the only means of propulsion; historians have estimated that the Savannah was under sail 80% of the time. Nonetheless, it was an impressive achievement, one that signaled the...

THIS IS NOT A DRILL – A Long Story About A Short Meeting To Save US Shipping September 2, 2020 by John Konrad EDITORIAL NOTE: Some elements of this story have been fictionalized for brevity. OP-ED By John Konrad (gCaptain) Those five words have special meaning. They motivate like no other. They ring for years in the sweat-soaked nightmares of any sailor who has ever heard them. They excite and calm. Words have power and meaning but few words have more meaning to sailors than these five. The first step required to rebuilding the US Merchant Marine is for a...

2020 is the 100th anniversary of an important U.S. law that becomes more vital each year: the Jones Act. As the United States fends off China's effort to become the world's dominant economic and military power, this law has become especially important. Yet despite the law’s significance, some Americans want to repeal it, effectively allowing China to expand their ocean dominance by moving into America's domestic waters. Last year the world learned that China's economy has surpassed Japan's to become #2 in the world, second only to the U.S.A. A major part of China’s growth has been its heavily-subsidized industry...

Editorial: Admiral, I Am NOT Ready For War May 8, 2019 by John Konrad “It is an unfortunate fact that we can secure peace only by preparing for war.” -John F Kennedy by Captain John Konrad (gCaptain) 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 superpower like China or Russia is unlikely. Regardless of my views, the United States Military is spending billions to prepare for war against China in the...

On Monday, President Donald J. Trump will sign an executive order to help sea veterans seamlessly transition into the United States Merchant Marine. By simultaneously expanding veteran opportunities for great jobs at great wages while strengthening our Merchant Marine, this action embodies a key principle of the Trump administration: economic security is national security.

Helis lied. Sea Year died. November 26, 2016 Andy Simpson, KP '82 Sea Year Stand Down Looks like my $100,000 bet is officially safe. It should have been an easy bet to win. After all, the leader of an institution that has an honor code that forbids a midshipman from lying, cheating or stealing wouldn’t lie, would he? Or, if he did, surely he would immediately tender his resignation. After all, any competent leader would recognize that at that point he had lost all moral authority to lead the institution. Right? Right? Back in July, I offered $100,000 to the...

The Inspector General is on the LMI case — here’s how you can help November 16, 2016 Andy Simpson, KP '82 Sea Year Stand Down We have received information via the confidential tip page that the DOT Inspector General has opened an investigation into the suspicious nature of the award of the contract to LMI and the conflict of interest issue we raised in our recent posts, The LMI Scandal Unfolds and LMI and the Conflict of Interest Clause. This is a big development and some of the readers of this website may be able to help. Here’s how: The...

“I wrote a story about it.” It is a phrase Jack Beritzhoff says a lot. And when you consider the San Rafael resident, and former Merchant Mariner, is about to celebrate his 97th birthday, that adds up to a lot of stories. In fact, Beritzhoff compiled many of his favorite one into a book he published in 2012: Sail Away, Journeys Of A Merchant Seaman. Still, there is one story he is most eager to share these days, about an oversight of history he would like to see corrected. “I think it’s an injustice,” said Beritzhoff. Beritzhoff is referring to...

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ National Maritime Day (May 22nd) ~ STEAMSHIP SAVANNAH - 1819 On May 22, 1819, the SS Savannah left its home port of Savannah, Georgia on its way to Liverpool, England. The ship "put to sea with steam and sails" and reached Liverpool in 29 days and four hours, becoming the first steamship to cross the Atlantic. While the steam engine performed faultlessly, it was not the only means of propulsion; historians have estimated that the Savannah was under sail 80% of the time. Nonetheless, it was an impressive achievement, one that signaled...

<p>Sen. Charles Schumer is asking the federal Department of Transportation to dig deep to find a way to fund the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, the only one of the nation's five service academies closed due to the partial government shutdown.</p>

Something for the weekend. It seems appropriate for this Labor Day Weekend to recall some of the unsung heroes of World War II, the Merchant Marine. Along with their British colleagues in the Merchant Service, and the merchant fleets of the other allied nations, the Merchant Marine manned the merchant vessels that delivered supplies and troops through the war torn waters of the Atlantic and Pacific. Technically civilians, one out of 26 merchant mariners died in action during the war, giving them a higher fatality rate than any of the armed services. Members of the merchant marine were often jeered...

Would anyone like a free dinner at Golden Corral? Well, there is an easy way if you are an American military veteran. Golden Corral just announced this year’s Military Appreciation Monday will be November 12, 2007, from 5 to 9 pm. For the past 6 years, Golden Corral has been honoring the US Military with a free “thank you” dinner and beverage at any Golden Corral restaurant on Military Appreciation Monday (first Monday after Veteran’s Day), to honor any person who has ever served in the United States Military. In the past the only requirement to receive the free meal...

Joe Rasch and his two daughters, Emily and Elizabeth, were looking for agates on the Lake Superior coastline last Friday. Instead, they found a piece of history - a life ring from the Edmund Fitzgerald. Rasch admits he didn't realize what he found when he first saw the orange ring lying under a with pine tree that had fallen. Only when his daughter Emily read the words on the ring, it hit him. "It was pretty hard to read," Emily said. "I saw the Ed pretty good, then Fitz, so." They made the discovery near the Keweenau Peninsula, about 200 miles...

The Times-News Memorial Day editorial made us proud. But its definition of the World War II veterans as "soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines," though technically accurate -- we were all sailors -- fell short of defining we men of the Merchant Marine. The U.S. Merchant Marine consists of all of the ships in commercial service registered under the U.S. flag and manned by American men and women. In peacetime, it carries what you have to where you want it to be. In wartime, it joins the other services and operates under the direction of the U.S. Navy to do the...

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (NNS) -- The recovery and salvage ship USS Grapple (ARS 53) was decommissioned and transferred to Military Sealift Command (MSC) in a ceremony at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek July 13 after completing 20 years of accomplished service. At the ceremony, Lt. Cmdr. Kevin Brand, Grapple’s last commanding officer, turned over command to Capt. Curtis Smith, a seasoned civilian mariner who has commanded almost 20 ships in his 27-year career with MSC. “It’s really neat as a lieutenant commander in the Navy to be able to command one of these ships,” said Brand. “It’s the largest ship...

Gabriel Whitney says he did not plan to nearly suffocate President Bush in a bear hug. In fact, he did not plan to hug him at all. But when Mr. Whitney, one of 202 midshipmen to graduate from the United States Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, N.Y., on Monday, stepped forward to receive his diploma, it just sort of happened. Call it irrational exuberance. But after six years of undergraduate school and 4,872 demerits, Mr. Whitney, 25, of Nashua, N.H., could hardly restrain himself. With more reason than most to be overjoyed, the 6-foot-7 midshipman stepped onto the stage...