# The Merchant Marine Is Of Critical Importance Says US SECDEF Mattis At Kings Point Graduation **URL:** \ **Category:** Professional Mariner Forum\ **Created:** [June 18, 2018, 12:27am UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/the-merchant-marine-is-of-critical-importance-says-us-secdef-mattis-at-kings-point-graduation/48393 "2018-06-18T00:27:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![c.captain](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/c.captain/32/807_2.png) [@c.captain](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/c.captain)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2018, 2:02pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/the-merchant-marine-is-of-critical-importance-says-us-secdef-mattis-at-kings-point-graduation/48393/185 "2018-06-29T14:02:27Z")
> [@KPChief](#): > > If the DOD has a need beyond MSC they should fund MPS to higher levels. This would seem easier and quicker than setting up a second register. If the SECDEF is serious. now there you go! ---
**Author:** ![Kennebec\_Captain](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/kennebec_captain/32/13_2.png) [@Kennebec\_Captain](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/Kennebec_Captain)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2018, 3:03pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/the-merchant-marine-is-of-critical-importance-says-us-secdef-mattis-at-kings-point-graduation/48393/186 "2018-06-29T15:03:49Z")
> [@KPChief](#): > > It seems the old ODS program has been replaced by the MPS program. I don’t see the use of the term “Operating Differential Subsidy” Here is [The State of the U.S. Flag Maritime Industry](https://www.transportation.gov/content/state-us-flag-maritime-industry) from MARAD in Jan of this year. > The Maritime Security Program (MSP) subsidy program helps offset the costs of operating under the U.S. flag. The Maritime Security Act of 1996 (as amended) authorizes direct annual stipends for up to 60 active, commercially viable, militarily useful, privately-owned U.S.-flag vessels and crews operating in U.S. international trades, in return for the owner/operators’ agreement to make the vessels available to the Government in times of war or national emergency. ---
**Author:** ![c.captain](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/c.captain/32/807_2.png) [@c.captain](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/c.captain)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2018, 6:22pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/the-merchant-marine-is-of-critical-importance-says-us-secdef-mattis-at-kings-point-graduation/48393/187 "2018-06-29T18:22:09Z")
> [@Kennebec\_Captain](#): > > I don’t see the use of the term “Operating Differential Subsidy” Operating Differential Subsidies were implemented in the Merchant Marine Act of 1936 and were offered to qualifying vessel operators until the issuance of new subsidy contracts was ended by the Reagan Administration (even though ODS subsidies are still in the US Code) vessels with existing ODS contracts kept operating with them until the contracts expired and since most contracts were for 25 years, it was not long after the termination of offering new contracts that the lines which relied on them began to close up shop hence the great bloodbath of the late 80’s which saw the end of the road for so many old names in the business including the defacto flagship and fabled US Lines which was dead and buried by 1992. \with most ODS contracts expiring by 1995 it became apparent that the foreign trading US flag fleet was on its way to becoming extinct and only the prompt action of Congress to get the MSP going saved it although not too many of the old ODS players were left to enroll in the MSP. Most however were big European names such as Maersk and Wallenius who gladly took the cash and jumped aboard. ---
**Author:** ![c.captain](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/c.captain/32/807_2.png) [@c.captain](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/c.captain)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2018, 7:53pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/the-merchant-marine-is-of-critical-importance-says-us-secdef-mattis-at-kings-point-graduation/48393/188 "2018-06-29T19:53:08Z")
I am now going to present a set of slides each from the Maritime Administration this is the fantasy slide which came from a longago now dead era which might as well have been from a different universe! ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/gcaptain_maritime_forum/original/2X/b/b494aaea929a0468651e327736db721336a76b40.png) and these represent reality ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/gcaptain_maritime_forum/original/2X/1/1a38062990c22e4fd384983af58a38497822da0f.png) ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/gcaptain_maritime_forum/original/2X/7/71bdc78d8c792f908bba7e10e1fcf120611edaec.png) ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/gcaptain_maritime_forum/original/2X/7/7fa679918c3abd278854865c7af17f2bb31b7a34.png) ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/gcaptain_maritime_forum/original/2X/9/9bf49e0cda272632b88f6439e98ea3850075f281.png) ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/gcaptain_maritime_forum/original/2X/7/7cf9b6799d0f938c1f920f0aa78c98060a40d223.png) so there you it…a clearer picture of the death of a fleet I could never find… and to think that there is yet to be a MarAd Administrator to kill himself right at his desk defies all belief! ---
**Author:** ![c.captain](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/c.captain/32/807_2.png) [@c.captain](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/c.captain)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2018, 7:58pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/the-merchant-marine-is-of-critical-importance-says-us-secdef-mattis-at-kings-point-graduation/48393/189 "2018-06-29T19:58:26Z")
and hey there Adm. Buzby Berkley…you never called John back. definitely low class ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/gcaptain_maritime_forum/original/2X/b/b3591a8888c99c2176777e61eaadff30eca13bd7.jpg) nice chest full of medals there…what did you get them for? your golf game? nothing but another craven brass hat Navee BS artist ---
**Author:** ![Kraken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Kraken](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/Kraken)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2018, 8:28pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/the-merchant-marine-is-of-critical-importance-says-us-secdef-mattis-at-kings-point-graduation/48393/190 "2018-06-29T20:28:24Z")
> [@c.captain](#): > > so there you it…a clearer picture of the death of a fleet I could never find… What you are looking at is world trade exploding and a nation without a strong maritime tradition not taking advantage of it. You lost nothing because you never had it. Can’t you correlated the two bottom slides? ---
**Author:** ![c.captain](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/c.captain/32/807_2.png) [@c.captain](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/c.captain)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2018, 8:30pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/the-merchant-marine-is-of-critical-importance-says-us-secdef-mattis-at-kings-point-graduation/48393/191 "2018-06-29T20:30:05Z")
> [@Kraken](#): > > You lost nothing because you never had it. in 1946 the USA had more merchant ships than the rest of the planet COMBINED! ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/gcaptain_maritime_forum/original/2X/3/3b650b0d8c3de51b290cbfa3ec2d06a21d6074f8.jpg) SO YOU CAN GO AND FUCK YOURSELF TO HELL AND BACK…SIR! ---
**Author:** ![Kraken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Kraken](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/Kraken)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2018, 8:36pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/the-merchant-marine-is-of-critical-importance-says-us-secdef-mattis-at-kings-point-graduation/48393/192 "2018-06-29T20:36:59Z")
1946 was after 5 years of world war where the only nation building vessels was USA and trade was non existent. If you are to stupid to see a correlation I pity you. ---
**Author:** ![c.captain](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/c.captain/32/807_2.png) [@c.captain](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/c.captain)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2018, 8:39pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/the-merchant-marine-is-of-critical-importance-says-us-secdef-mattis-at-kings-point-graduation/48393/193 "2018-06-29T20:39:35Z")
> [@Kraken](#): > > trade was non existent. NO TRADE?..WTF? There was MORE trade going than ever with more raw material imports needed for war production, food to keep Britain and other Allied nations fed, Lend Lease aid and then our own forces needing to be supplied. HOW IN THE FUCK CAN YOU SAY THERE WAS NO TRADE DURING WWII? ALMOST ALL TRADE TO SUPPORT THE WAR EFFORT BUT IT WAS STILL TRADE AND THE USA WAS CARRYING 85% OF IT GLOBALLY BY THE END OF THE WAR AND THE YEARS IMMEDIATELY AFTERWARDS! IT WAS US VESSELS THAT FED A STARVING POPULATION IN WESTERN EUROPE IN 1947/48 AND CARRIED THE CARGOES TO REBUILD ITS FLATTENED CITIES UNDER THE MARSHALL PLAN. > [@Kraken](#): > > If you are to stupid to see a correlation I pity you. AND EFF YOU TOO JUST DON’T GO SAYING WE NEVER HAD IT BECAUSE WE DID ONLY WE DIDN’T KEEP IT ---
**Author:** ![Kraken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Kraken](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/Kraken)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2018, 8:43pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/the-merchant-marine-is-of-critical-importance-says-us-secdef-mattis-at-kings-point-graduation/48393/194 "2018-06-29T20:43:17Z")
![](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/gcaptain_maritime_forum/original/2X/7/7cf9b6799d0f938c1f920f0aa78c98060a40d223.png) You lost it in the 1950’s thats almost 70 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![c.captain](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/c.captain/32/807_2.png) [@c.captain](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/c.captain)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2018, 8:45pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/the-merchant-marine-is-of-critical-importance-says-us-secdef-mattis-at-kings-point-graduation/48393/195 "2018-06-29T20:45:41Z")
> [@Kraken](#): > > You lost it in the 1950’s thats almost 70 years ago. So we had it but gave it away…and thus I blame the US Government for wanting corporations in the US to make higher profits than for the US to keep its merchant marine…(but still kept the Merchant Marine Academy…what a joke!) so what is it that we don’t already know? ---
**Author:** ![Kraken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Kraken](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/Kraken)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2018, 8:47pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/the-merchant-marine-is-of-critical-importance-says-us-secdef-mattis-at-kings-point-graduation/48393/196 "2018-06-29T20:47:42Z")
> [@c.captain](#): > > So we had it but gave it away…and thus I blame the US Government for wanting corporations in the US to make higher profits than for the US to keep its merchant marine…(but still kept the Merchant Marine Academy…what a joke!) > > so what is it that we don’t already know? ![](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/gcaptain_maritime_forum/original/2X/c/c6fae37b8b579e38f38a779180f3294e0b8b3ebe.png) **Total** trade volum grew but the US fleet stayed the same size. ---
**Author:** ![c.captain](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/c.captain/32/807_2.png) [@c.captain](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/c.captain)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2018, 8:51pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/the-merchant-marine-is-of-critical-importance-says-us-secdef-mattis-at-kings-point-graduation/48393/197 "2018-06-29T20:51:56Z")
> [@Kraken](#): > > **Total** trade volum grew but the US fleet stayed the same size. actually the fleet has continually gotten smaller and smaller which is somewhat understandable since a single ship today can carry probably what 30 ships carried in 1950 HOWEVER the fact that US global trade has grown so much but the US merchant marine’s share of that trade has gone from 65% to 3% of the total is beyond shameful…it is treasonous and I blame our leaders for allowing that to happen. ---
**Author:** ![Kennebec\_Captain](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/kennebec_captain/32/13_2.png) [@Kennebec\_Captain](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/Kennebec_Captain)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2018, 9:05pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/the-merchant-marine-is-of-critical-importance-says-us-secdef-mattis-at-kings-point-graduation/48393/198 "2018-06-29T21:05:07Z")
> [@Kraken](#): > > If all the American owned vessels sailing under different FOC could sail in a second US register that would open up hundreds (maybe even thousands?) of spots for US Masters and Chief Engineers, and you would create upward mobility from the US coastal fleet. I still don’t see what stopping American mariners from sailing foreign if they want to. > Because all Norwegian mariners have the same education and certificates and can go work on the FOC vessels when they have sailed coastal or in the Offshore fleet. Sure, someone holding pilot on Western Rivers or whatever is not going to sail FOC but there’s nothing stopping someone with a regular deep-sea MMC. ---
**Author:** ![Kraken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Kraken](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/Kraken)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2018, 9:09pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/the-merchant-marine-is-of-critical-importance-says-us-secdef-mattis-at-kings-point-graduation/48393/199 "2018-06-29T21:09:18Z")
> [@c.captain](#): > > in 1946 the USA had more merchant ships than the rest of the planet COMBINED! And still you manage to lose it in the span of 10 years? Something is rotten in the state of Denmark. ---
**Author:** ![Kennebec\_Captain](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/kennebec_captain/32/13_2.png) [@Kennebec\_Captain](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/Kennebec_Captain)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2018, 9:20pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/the-merchant-marine-is-of-critical-importance-says-us-secdef-mattis-at-kings-point-graduation/48393/200 "2018-06-29T21:20:46Z")
> [@Kraken](#): > > And still you manage to lose it in the span of 10 years? No mystery, U.S. ship owners created the FOC of Liberia, Panama and later the Marshall Islands and replaced American mariners with cheaper labor from former colonies. ---
**Author:** ![Kennebec\_Captain](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/kennebec_captain/32/13_2.png) [@Kennebec\_Captain](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/Kennebec_Captain)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2018, 10:12pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/the-merchant-marine-is-of-critical-importance-says-us-secdef-mattis-at-kings-point-graduation/48393/201 "2018-06-29T22:12:50Z")
5 posts were merged into an existing topic: [Off-Topic](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/off-topic/48472/11) ---
**Author:** ![Kraken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Kraken](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/Kraken)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2018, 10:20pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/the-merchant-marine-is-of-critical-importance-says-us-secdef-mattis-at-kings-point-graduation/48393/202 "2018-06-29T22:20:32Z")
> [@Kennebec\_Captain](#): > > I still don’t see what stopping American mariners from sailing foreign if they want to. Do a unlicensed American mariner sailing foreign exist? Who would want one? So a second register to expand the pool of Officers and Engineers would be a plus? ---
**Author:** ![Kennebec\_Captain](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/kennebec_captain/32/13_2.png) [@Kennebec\_Captain](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/Kennebec_Captain)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2018, 10:30pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/the-merchant-marine-is-of-critical-importance-says-us-secdef-mattis-at-kings-point-graduation/48393/203 "2018-06-29T22:30:19Z")
My son has a U.S. MMC for 2 A/E which he used to get MMCs from Panama and Vanuatu with no issues. He has sailed on vessels of all three flags. There likely are others. ---
**Author:** ![c.captain](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/c.captain/32/807_2.png) [@c.captain](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/c.captain)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2018, 2:19pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/the-merchant-marine-is-of-critical-importance-says-us-secdef-mattis-at-kings-point-graduation/48393/204 "2018-06-30T14:19:59Z")
> [@Kennebec\_Captain](#): > > I still don’t see what stopping American mariners from sailing foreign if they want to. except I know of no FOC shipowner who wants an American mariner (officer or seaman) for reasons that have already been discussed at length here. We simply do not have that option and are effectively locked out (except for some FOC offshore vessels which carry US mariners because they are mandated to by the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act). [Previous page](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/the-merchant-marine-is-of-critical-importance-says-us-secdef-mattis-at-kings-point-graduation/48393.md?page=9) [Next page](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/the-merchant-marine-is-of-critical-importance-says-us-secdef-mattis-at-kings-point-graduation/48393.md?page=11)