Letters

Merchant Marine’s Role

With the reading of the latest edition of Seapower Almanac, I continue to be disappointed with the absence of recognition of our Merchant Marine. It is as if that service does not contribute to the military preparedness and supply of our fighting forces.

Its mission is an invaluable part of the total military effort. In my opinion, the Merchant Marine is clearly a significant part of our sea power.

Having a son who graduated from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, and a number of friends who sailed in the Merchant Marine service, I have an admitted attachment to that service. But, in addition, I have other reasons for wanting to see more coverage.

For one, I believe it is the only national academy that has the honor of having been awarded battle flags for the heroic contributions made by its midshipmen during their schooling. Most, if not all, of those flags were earned during the Second World War.

But there is another reason, perhaps the most important reason. Seapower magazine is a wonderful recruiting tool for our military services and service academies. That being true, it seems a shame that the vital role of the Merchant Marine is not given more attention.

Joe Bahret
Received via e-mail

A Broader Role

The December article entitled “Reassess Ready Reserve Force Sea Power,” by Sheila M. McNeill, national president, was right on target, and on behalf of the Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association, I commend you for it.

As it stated, the government has reduced the size of the Ready Reserve Fleet and now has a number of ships that are still in usable condition. The government paid millions of dollars to purchase and maintain these ships, and it seems such a waste to just let them die. It makes more sense to find a way to transform these fully paid assets in order that they may serve other government agencies.

These ships, as [the article] stated, “… could have a broader role as a multipurpose national asset able to serve additional agencies with a variety of missions.” They could be used as medical ships in case of a natural disaster or terrorist attack, for instance. Should a chemical or biological attack occur, those affected could be quarantined onboard, and the vessel could anchor offshore where those affected could be treated without endangering the rest of the population.

[The article] mentioned the use of the surplus crane ships and their ability to move or unload containers. Allow me to recount an actual situation where these ships could have served to do exactly that.

Several months ago, a foreign flag container ship that had entered New York Harbor was identified as a threat to U.S. national security because it was believed to be carrying nuclear material. Once this threat was learned, confusion quickly mounted within several federal, state and local agencies that were involved. The problem was that there was no comprehensive, defined plan in place on how to deal with such a threat.

The government dealt with the problem by freezing each container box and/or cargo space, thereby destroying the cargo. The cargo turned out to be a shipment of lemons from South America.

If the Department of Homeland Security had access to the crane ships, the suspected vessel could have been directed safely out to sea and followed by the crane ship(s). By doing this, commerce in the port would not have been disrupted and the need to evacuate the port would not have arisen.

Once the targeted vessel was out to sea, the process of identifying where on the ship the contaminated container was located could have commenced in an orderly fashion. The problem could have been handled without destroying the targeted ship’s other cargo because of one bad container box.

In this time of terrorist threat, it just makes sense to transform these valuable assets so they may be used by other government agencies.

Ron Davis
President, Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association

On the Mark

I write to congratulate National President Sheila M. McNeill for her compelling column on the U.S. Ready Reserve Force (December President’s Message). Her assessment of the Ready Reserve Force’s vital importance to national security — as well as its potential for even greater use — is right on the mark. … Keep up the good work.

Jordan Biscardo
Communications Director
Seafarers International Union