United States Maritime Service facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
United States Maritime Service

Seal
Agency overview
Formed	April 7, 1939
Dissolved	1954 (but still active)
Headquarters	Washington, D.C.
Agency executives	Lucinda Lessley (acting), Administrator Rear Admiral Susan Dunlap, USMS (acting), Superintendent
Parent agency	Department of Transportation
Footnotes
Since its dissolution in 1954, the service still actively commissions uniformed officers to serve at the U.S Merchant Marine Academy.

The United States Maritime Service (USMS) was created in 1938. It was a group that trained people to work on merchant ships. These ships carry goods and supplies around the world. The USMS helped train officers and crew members for these important vessels.

The USMS was very busy during World War II. After the war, most of its operations stopped in 1954. However, parts of the service still exist today. It continues to train and assign officers. These officers work as teachers and leaders at the United States Merchant Marine Academy and other maritime academies.

What Does the USMS Do Today?

The U.S. Maritime Service is part of the Maritime Administration. This administration is under the U.S. Department of Transportation. The main leader of the USMS is the Maritime Administrator. This person also has other important roles.

The Secretary of Transportation decides many things for the USMS. They can set the number of people in the service. They also decide pay, uniforms, and awards. The USMS uses the same rank system as the U.S. Coast Guard. However, their uniforms look like those of the U.S. Navy. They have special USMS badges.

It's important to know that the USMS is not a military service. Its officers do not get military benefits. They cannot be sent to fight in other military branches. This means they are not under military law.

Who Joins the USMS?

Students who graduate from certain maritime academies must report to the Maritime Administration each year. This is part of their commitment to serve.

Many leaders of the seven maritime academies are USMS officers. For example, the head of the United States Merchant Marine Academy is often a USMS officer. Some teachers and staff at these academies also hold USMS ranks. When they list their names, they add "USMS" after their rank.

How the USMS Started

In the 1930s, American merchant shipping was struggling. There were not many new ships, and old ones were breaking down. To fix this, Congress passed the Merchant Marine Act of 1936. This law created the U.S. Maritime Commission. Its goal was to build a strong American merchant fleet. This fleet would help trade and national defense.

The commission quickly saw that trained sailors were essential. So, in 1938, they started the U.S. Maritime Service. This new program trained merchant mariners. It used both civilian and Coast Guard instructors.

USMS During World War II

When the United States entered World War II, the merchant marine needed to grow fast. The Maritime Commission created the War Shipping Administration in 1942. This new agency took over maritime training. A few weeks later, the Maritime Service was moved to the Coast Guard. This allowed the War Shipping Administration to focus on organizing ships and building new ones.

During World War I, enemy submarines sank many Allied merchant ships. To prevent this in World War II, the Maritime Commission started a huge shipbuilding program. They built over 2,700 "Liberty ships" and hundreds of "Victory ships" by 1945. These ships needed many trained sailors.

The official song of the Maritime Service is "Heave Ho! My Lads, Heave Ho!". It was written by Lieutenant Jack Lawrence. He was a bandleader at the Sheepshead Bay Maritime Service Training Station in Brooklyn, New York.

Where USMS Sailors Trained

To operate all the new ships, the USMS opened several training centers. The Coast Guard helped with much of this training. Here are some of the places where sailors trained:

• Port Hueneme, California (1941–1942)
• Avalon, California (1942–1945)
• Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, New York (1942–1954)
• Hoffman Island, New York (1938–1945)
• Government Island, California (1938–1943)
• Gallups Island, Massachusetts (1940–1945)
• Huntington, New York

They also had two schools for officers:

• Fort Trumbull, Connecticut (1939–1946)
• Alameda, California (1943–1954)

Experienced sailors trained for three months. New sailors trained for six months. Thousands of sailors who worked on American merchant ships during the war were trained by the Coast Guard.

USMS Uniforms

The uniforms of the United States Maritime Service look a lot like those of the U.S. Navy. One main difference is on the shoulder boards. Instead of a gold star, USMS officers have a gold anchor and wreath above their stripes.

The symbol inside the wreath on the shoulder board shows the officer's job. Here are some examples:

• Anchor – for officers who command ships or lead.
• Caduceus – for the medical team.
• Three-pointed propeller – for engineers.
• Single leaf – for the supply department.
• Four lightning bolts – for radio operators.
• Crescent moon – for the cooking and cleaning staff.
• Cross – for Christian chaplains (religious leaders).
• Two slabs with the Star of David – for Jewish chaplains.

USMS WWII Shoulder Boards. Left to right: Commodore, Captain, Commander, Lieutenant Commander, Lieutenant, Lieutenant (Junior Grade), Ensign, Chief Warrant, Warrant Officer.

Another difference is on the cap device worn on their hats. The Navy's device has an eagle with a shield and crossed anchors. The USMS device has an eagle on a shield with a gold anchor. This shield is circled by a gold wreath. The small badges on the collar that show rank are almost the same as the U.S. Navy's.

Both services wear a khaki uniform. However, USMS officers wear their rank badges on the right collar. They wear their job badges on the left collar. This is similar to how staff officers in the U.S. Navy wear theirs.

Officers who were also in the United States Naval Reserve used to wear a special badge. It was called the Navy Reserve Merchant Marine Insignia. In 2011, this badge changed to the Strategic Sealift Officer Warfare Insignia. It shows an eagle, crossed swords, a shield, and an anchor.

USMS Ranks

The ranks in the USMS now match the ranks of the United States Coast Guard. However, they use their own unique USMS badges.

Images for kids

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  Maritime Service recruiting poster from WWII.