United States Federal Maritime Board

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The United States Federal Maritime Board was an agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce, responsible for certain aspects of merchant shipping between 1950 and 1961. [1]

Contents

History

The agency was established in 1950 when the U.S. Maritime Commission was abolished and its responsibilities split between two new agencies: the Federal Maritime Board and the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD).

The Federal Maritime Board was responsible for regulating shipping and awarding subsidies for construction and operation of merchant vessels, while MARAD was responsible for administering subsidy programs, maintaining the national defense reserve merchant fleet, and operating the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.

Abolition

The Federal Maritime Board was abolished in 1961, when U.S. shipping laws were separated into two categories: regulatory and promotional. The regulatory role was assigned to the newly created Federal Maritime Commission, while the promotional role was assigned to MARAD.

Responsibility for U.S. merchant shipping has been held by different federal agencies since 1917. For a history, see United States Shipping Board.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Merchant Marine</span> U.S. civilian mariners

United States Merchant Marines are United States civilian mariners and U.S. civilian and federally owned merchant vessels. Both the civilian mariners and the merchant vessels are managed by a combination of the government and private sectors, and engage in commerce or transportation of goods and services in and out of the navigable waters of the United States. The Merchant Marine primarily transports domestic and international cargo and passengers during peacetime, and operate and maintain deep-sea merchant ships, tugboats, towboats, ferries, dredges, excursion vessels, charter boats and other waterborne craft on the oceans, the Great Lakes, rivers, canals, harbors, and other waterways. In times of war, the Merchant Marine can be an auxiliary to the United States Navy, and can be called upon to deliver military personnel and materiel for the military.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Merchant Marine Academy</span> U.S. service academy

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Shipping Board</span> Emergency agency by the 1916 Shipping Act

The United States Shipping Board (USSB) was established as an emergency agency by the 1916 Shipping Act, on September 7, 1916. The United States Shipping Board's task was to increase the number of US ships supporting the World War I efforts. United States Shipping Board program ended on March 2, 1934.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Maritime Administration</span> Agency within the U.S. Department of Transportation

The United States Maritime Administration (MARAD) is an agency of the United States Department of Transportation. MARAD administers financial programs to develop, promote, and operate the U.S. Maritime Service and the U.S. Merchant Marine. Determining services and routes necessary to develop and maintain American foreign commerce and requirements of ships necessary to provide adequate service on such routes. In addition it conducts research and development activities in the maritime field; regulates the transfer of U.S. documented vessels to foreign registries; maintains equipment, shipyard facilities, and reserve fleets of Government-owned ships essential for national defense.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Maritime Commission</span> US federal agency (1936–1950)

The United States Maritime Commission (MARCOM) was an independent executive agency of the U.S. federal government that was created by the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, which was passed by Congress on June 29, 1936, and was abolished on May 24, 1950. The commission replaced the United States Shipping Board which had existed since World War I. It was intended to formulate a merchant shipbuilding program to design and build five hundred modern merchant cargo ships to replace the World War I vintage vessels that comprised the bulk of the United States Merchant Marine, and to administer a subsidy system authorized by the Act to offset the cost differential between building in the U.S. and operating ships under the American flag. It also formed the United States Maritime Service for the training of seagoing ship's officers to man the new fleet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Merchant Marine Act of 1920</span> Protectionist US maritime law

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Federal Maritime Commission</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emergency Fleet Corporation</span>

The Emergency Fleet Corporation (EFC) was established by the United States Shipping Board, sometimes referred to as the War Shipping Board, on 16 April 1917 pursuant to the Shipping Act to acquire, maintain, and operate merchant ships to meet national defense, foreign and domestic commerce during World War I.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Maritime Service</span>

The United States Maritime Service (USMS) was established in 1938 under the provisions of the Merchant Marine Act of 1936 as voluntary training organization to train individuals to become officers and crewmembers on merchant ships that form the United States Merchant Marine per 46 U.S.C. § 51701. Heavily utilized during World War II, the USMS was largely dissolved in 1954, and its resources were absorbed into other federal departments. However, while the service is no longer structurally organized, remnants of the service still exist today and the service still actively commissions officers to function as administrators and instructors at the United States Merchant Marine Academy and the several maritime academies.

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The Maritime Labor Board (MLB) was an independent US government agency with responsibilities for mediating and researching US labor law in relation to labor disputes in the maritime industry. In 1941, its mediation function lapsed, after which it focused exclusively on research.

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References

  1. "Our History". Federal Maritime Commission. Retrieved 2019-11-17.

PD-icon.svg This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Archives and Records Administration .