Merchant marine

Merchant marine is a term used in many places to talk about commercial ships and crews. A country's merchant marine is made up of all the ships owned by companies or individuals in that country which are used to make money. Most of a country's merchant marine is usually made of ships that carry things from place to place, like oil tankers and freighters. Other ships, like cruise ships and ferries, are also included because they are used to make money. When a country is at peace, its merchant marine works independently. Some countries, though, require merchant ships to work for their armed forces in times of war.

In the United States, "Merchant Marine" has a different meaning. The United States Merchant Marine (USMM) is a part of the military which is controlled by the government in both peace and war. When the United States is at war, the USMM is used to carry military supplies. In World War II, nearly one out of every twenty-six American merchant mariners was killed, a higher portion of men than in the Army, Navy, or even the Marines.

Merchant Marine Media

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  British propaganda during World War II highlighted the role of Britain's Merchant Navy in sustaining the Allied war effort.

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  A recent example of British Merchant Navy officers, graduating at their 'passing out' ceremony from Warsash Maritime Academy in Southampton, with former First Sea Lord Alan West, Baron West of Spithead, in 2011.

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  Greece controls 23.2% of the world's total merchant fleet, making it the largest in the world.

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  A portrait of a New Zealand Merchant Navy captain of a Fairmile 'submarine chaser', as he holds up and looks through a small coloured screen. This disc allows him to look into the sky to search for dive bombers without damaging his eyes.

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  Seal of the US Merchant Marine

Other websites

• The Marine Society Archived 2006-10-08 at Archive.today
• International Merchant Marine Community Archived 2006-12-13 at the Wayback Machine
• United States Merchant Marine Academy
• Canadian Merchant Navy: Second World War Archived 2007-08-29 at the Wayback Machine
• Official database of deceased Canadian Merchant Mariners Archived 2007-02-08 at the Wayback Machine
• SwissWorld: The Swiss Merchant Navy
• Photos of the Merchant Marine Memorials in London