A post from several years ago that is well worth reposting.
What was the most dangerous service in World War II? The Army, the Navy, the Marines? In fact, it was the Merchant Marine. 1 in 26 mariners serving aboard merchant ships in World WW II died in the line of duty, suffering a greater percentage of war-related deaths on average than all other U.S. services. Officially, a total of 1,554 ships were sunk due to war conditions, including 733 ships of over 1,000 gross tons. An estimated 243,000 sailors served in the Merchant Marine during the war and roughly 9,500 died either at sea, as the result of wounds ashore or as POWs. During the early years of the war, the loss of merchant ships and sailors to submarine attacks was so great there was a real concern that Germany might succeed in winning the war by starving the Allies of supplies. The mass production of merchant ships in the United States and the parallel rapid training of hundreds of thousands of merchant sailors kept the necessary supplies flowing across the Atlantic.
Despite the importance of the merchant marine to the war effort and extreme dangers, merchant sailors were civilians who did not receive military benefits. Merchant mariners from World War II finally received full benefits only in 1988.
We recently posted about 
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Where is Fat Leonard? Fat Leonard, as Leonard Glenn Francis is known, was supposed to testify in Norfolk next week about his crooked dealings with 
Thanks to 
A recent statement by Representative Mo Brooks (R-AL), who happens to be a member of the U.S. House of Representatives Science, Space and Technology Committee, is disturbing at best. He suggested that sea levels are not rising because of climate change but because rocks are falling into the sea.
The historic tanker 
A 
After almost a decade, the 
We were saddened to learn that John Harland has died. He passed away peacefully on May 11th, a few days after his ninety-fifth birthday. After a career in medicine, Dr. Harland became known as a researcher and author on maritime history. His book, 
This Thursday, the Working Harbor Committee is hosting a Hidden Harbor Tour of Port Newark. The tour is one is one of the best ways to see the mighty port hard at work. The tour features guest speakers Mitch Waxman of 
A repost from three years ago that seems appropriate for today.
If you are around Annapolis tomorrow, May 12th, the 200-foot Class A Tall Ship, 
After posting about a 
The US Navy courts-martial of the officers of the USS Fitzgerald have begun. The Arleigh Burke-class