It is my firm opinion that before the Navy can have a really effective Merchant Marine Reserve and the United States a successful merchant service a much closer kinship must be established between the Navy, the steamship owners and operators, and the personnel on board the merchant ships. Now, while the subject of a Merchant Marine is having so much attention from the Congress and the public at large, I believe a very sincere effort should be made to change the existing laws governing the licensing of officers for the Merchant Marine. These laws are naturally of a vital interest to all parties concerned and it seems to me that a logical solution to the problem can be made by a joint board of the Navy and the Maritime Commission. I offer the following controversial thoughts for consideration of the reader.
- Present-day licenses should be converted to a permanent license in book form with space for endorsement every five years to cover the present physical examination at time of renewal of present licenses. An officer who failed to pass the necessary physical examination would be required to deliver up his license. Officers licensed for any ocean should not be required to have endorsements for pilotage for inland waters in such a book. Before such unlimited license could be given to a candidate it should be determined that he is competent to navigate his vessel anywhere. As at present, vessels coming from foreign ports should be required to take a regular harbor pilot, but U. S. vessels in coastwise trade should not be required to take harbor pilots or the officers of such coastwise vessels be required to sit for examination as competent to enter the port without a pilot. In event such a permanent license be adopted, it should be impossible for an officer to sign on a vessel until such time as he had presented his license to the shipping commissioner and to the master of the vessel. I fail to see any necessity for posting licenses as at present.
- No raise in grade should be granted to an officer unless he can produce a bona fide recommendation for same from the masters or chief engineers he has served with for the preceding twelve months.
- A determined effort should be made to school all men desirous of obtaining a license. This schooling should be at public expense in order that deserving men and potential officers from the crew could obtain this very necessary education. I believe such schooling could be handled in the most successful manner by the Navy Department, with this reservation: The instructors of such schools should be evenly divided between the merchant service and Navy or Coast Guard. In these preliminary schools only sufficient military training should be given as found necessary to instill a proper sense of absolute discipline. Ample facilities for instilling the necessary knowledge for the license should be furnished, and in addition such instruction should be given as will produce leadership, devotion to duty, and professional pride. Leadership and discipline are the most important subjects whether the ship is naval or merchant. Such schools should have the best of publicity efforts in order to indoctrinate the public at large with the importance of a merchant marine, also with pride in the officers and crews of American ships. Such schools should not discriminate in any manner against maritime labor organizations, but before the inauguration of any schools at all maritime labor organizations should be charged with an equal responsibility with steamship owners covering the entire labor situation. If necessary, laws should be enacted to insure proper settlement of labor differences without strikes or lockouts. The chaotic conditions of today will prevent this country from having any merchant service whatsoever unless equal responsibility is assumed by both sides, and at once.
- Requirements for the various licenses should be made more difficult. This would mean the stiffening of the personnel of the Bureau of Steamboat Inspection and Survey as well as the knowledge of the candidates. Candidates should be required to have and to demonstrate a real knowledge of the required subject and not be allowed to purchase cribs on the examinations.
- A standard uniform for all ships of the merchant service should be required. Standard rating marks should be prescribed and the uniform patterned closely after that of the Navy. Company marks should be worn on the cap badge only. Officers of the merchant service who are also officers in the Naval Reserve should have a distinctive and easily recognized mark on the sleeve.
- A closer alliance between the Navy and the merchant service must be maintained. The naval budget should include sufficient funds to pay the already authorized retainer pay, and a much larger allotment for cruise training. Every officer in the Merchant Marine Reserve should be given the opportunity for cruise training with pay; in fact, I believe that all officers should be required to make one cruise each year or resign their commissions. One factor which I am certain would improve the respect of each of the services for the other would be the exchange of officers in the junior ratings in order that both services could obtain a more comprehensive working knowledge of the other fellow’s duties. Strange as it may seem, it is nevertheless true that a naval officer would be at as great a loss as to “what to do” on a merchant ship as a merchant officer would be on a naval vessel. I have served on a merchant ship which is warranted to fly the Naval Reserve pennant for three years and not once in that time has a naval officer been on board since the day of the flag-raising ceremony. Why? We Reservists want the Navy to look to us as their first line of defense and we feel the need of a more active interest on the part of the Navy. We need and desire active training on combatant ships so that we may be familiar with our duties in event of a national emergency. The correspondence courses as now issued should be compulsory in regards to regulations, gunnery, communications, and strategy and tactics. The courses in navigation and engineering should be used as brush-up courses only. After all a merchant ship runs all the time and her officers perform their duties in a creditable manner or the company doesn’t earn dividends on its investment. In case of war I believe that a large number of merchant officers could be effectively used on the combatant ships of the Navy provided they were given the training in the specialties of the Navy. We are seamen and that is what makes the ships go.
- A uniform allowance similar to that allowed Fleet Reservists should be given merchant marine officers. It is absurd from a psychological viewpoint to expect a good showing from an officer dressed in the uniform of his company or in “civilians.” Being conscious of the fact that he is conspicuous certainly doesn’t improve the Merchant Marine Reservist’s state of mind. It is not considered unpatriotic to pay retainer pay and make uniform allowances to Fleet Reservists, why then the discrimination? Why not let the Navy Department make some real constructive attempt to show the Merchant Reservist that he is an integral part of the Navy. The Navy’s attempt to sell us naval ideas without any apparent desire to gain our respect and admiration for the Navy will never gain the objective of a unified Naval Reserve or a new and better merchant service so much to be desired by our country.
- Commissions in the Merchant Marine Reserve should be given in line with license held, not as at present for position held. Also I believe that at least an oral examination should be given before promotion. Merchant officers must wait for vacancies to occur in the company by which they are employed and for this reason it is quite natural that, in a great majority of cases, the position held is lower than the license held. It is natural to presume that an officer is qualified to perform the duties of the license he holds, and if this presumption be correct why not commission him in the position that his license qualifies him to hold?
In conclusion it is hoped that the above controversial ideas will arouse sufficient thought among the readers so that possibly some much better ideas may be forthcoming. It will only be through the concerted efforts and interest of all of us that the U. S. Merchant Marine will once more reach the high place it held in the early days of our country.
The mutual dependence of commerce and the Navy is nowhere more clearly seen than in the naval resources of a nation, the greatness of which depends upon peaceful trade and shipping. Compared with a merely military navy, it is the difference between a natural and a forced growth.—Mahan, Strategy.