 The United States Merchant Marine is the fleet of the nation's civilian-owned merchant ships operated by either the government or the private sector that are engaged 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 time of war, the merchant marine is an auxiliary to the Navy, and can be called upon to deliver troops and supplies for the military. The people of the merchant marine are called merchant mariners, and are civilian except in times of war when, in accordance with the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, they are considered military personnel. In 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed a bill into law making Merchant Mariners who serve in war veterans.
During WWII the Merchant Marines played a critical role in aiding the US Navy and Allies. Had these ships not been produced, the war would have been in all likelihood prolonged many months, if not years. Some argue the Allies would have lost without the assistance of the Merchant Marines and the means to carry the personnel, supplies, and equipment needed by the combined Allies to defeat the Axis powers. (It took 7 to 15 tons of supplies to support one soldier for one year.) 3.1 million tons of merchant ships were lost in World War II, mariners dying at a rate of 1 in 24. All told, 733 American cargo ships were lost and 8,651 of the 215,000 who served perished on troubled waters and off enemy shores. The U.S. wartime merchant fleet constituted one of the most significant contributions made by any nation to the eventual winning of the Second World War.
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