1950s UNITED STATES MERCHANT MARINE RECRUITING FILM MEN & SHIPS 81154

The United States Merchant Marine is the fleet of U.S. civilian owned merchant vessels, operated by either the government or the private sector, that engage in commerce or transportation of goods and services in and out of the navigable waters of the United States. The Merchant Marine is responsible for transporting cargo and passengers during peace time. In times of war, the Merchant Marine is an auxiliary to the Navy, and can be called upon to deliver troops and supplies for the military. Merchant mariners move cargo and passengers between nations and within the United States, operate and maintain deep sea merchant ships, tugboats, towboats, ferries, dredges, excursion vessels, and other waterborne craft on the oceans, the Great Lakes, rivers, canals, harbors, and other waterways. As of 2006, the United States merchant fleet numbered 465 ships and approximately 100,000 members. The federal government maintains fleets of merchant ships via organizations such as Military Sealift Command and the National Defense Reserve Fleet. In 2004, the federal government employed approximately 5% of all American water transportation workers. In the 19th and 20th centuries, various laws fundamentally changed the course of American merchant shipping. These laws put an end to common practices such as flogging and shanghaiing, and increased shipboard safety and living standards. The United States Merchant Marine is also governed by several international conventions to promote safety and prevent pollution. The merchant marine is a civilian auxiliary of the U.S. Navy, but not a uniformed service, except in times of war when, in accordance with the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, mariners are considered military personnel. In a time of "national emergency", the President can permanently seize any merchant marine vessel in return for fair compensation, or commandeer it for temporary use with no compensation if returned in reasonable condition. In 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed a bill into law granting veteran status to merchant mariners who served in WWII. Prior to such legislation, they did not receive veteran's benefits.
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit www.PeriscopeFi...

[@allandavis8201]

Uploaded in 2018 and only just over 1k views, what’s going on?, 219k subscribed viewers and only 1 comment, that’s just incredible, especially as this upload, as is normal, shines and excellent light on world social history, very disappointed to see such low viewing and comment figures.
Thanks P.F, I appreciate all your efforts to preserve world history, in all its forms, something that needs to be done so that history doesn’t become hearsay and urban legend, books decay over a far shorter length than CD and hard drive storage devices so please keep up your excellent, if under appreciated, efforts on our behalf and future generations. 😀😔👍🇬🇧🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

[@palervon]

Very interesting....a minor note, the title should say "1940", the copyright year.

[@jorgemolinaherrera4554]

The fact that African American men are not seen in the film shows us the sad reality that has always affected the United States: racism.

[@piersbridges2463]

Goes both ways

[@kamikazekyre6101]

@@piersbridges2463 care to elaborate?