FReeper Canteen ~ National Maritime Day (May 22nd) ~ 23 May 2016

Serving The Best Troops and Veterans In The World !! | The Canteen Crew

[Kathy in Alaska]

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~

~ National Maritime Day (May 22nd) ~

STEAMSHIP SAVANNAH - 1819

On May 22, 1819, the SS Savannah left its home port of Savannah, Georgia on its way to Liverpool, England. The ship "put to sea with steam and sails" and reached Liverpool in 29 days and four hours, becoming the first steamship to cross the Atlantic. While the steam engine performed faultlessly, it was not the only means of propulsion; historians have estimated that the Savannah was under sail 80% of the time. Nonetheless, it was an impressive achievement, one that signaled the beginning of the era of steam, and American technological leadership. The holiday was created by the United States Congress on May 20, 1933.

Canteen Mission Statement

Showing support and boosting the morale of
our military and our allies military
and family members of the above.
Honoring those who have served before.

UNITED STATES MERCHANT MARINE ACADEMY

The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA), established in 1943, is operated by the Maritime Administration of the U.S. Department of Transportation. The mission of the Academy, located on 82-waterfront acres 20 miles from New York City, is to educate and graduate officers and leaders of honor and integrity to serve in America's merchant marine, maritime and intermodal transportation industries, and the Armed Forces.

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US MERCHANT MARINE IN VIETNAM

In February 1951 the Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS) aircraft carrier Windham Bay, was the first large ship to navigate the Long Tam River since 1925. While the ship was docked at Saigon (French Indochina) 17 hand grenades were tossed at the ship by terrorists.

The Military Sea Transportation Service was established in 1949 to provide sea transportation to the military as a successor to the Army Transportation Service. MSTS operated a fleet of ships and had charter agreements with commercial shipping firms. MSTS was succeeded by Military Sealift Command.

In 1954, after the partitioning of Vietnam, MSTS evacuated Vietnamese refugees from North to South Vietnam. USNS Howze was one of many MSTS ships involved in "Passage to Freedom" bringing 300,000 refugees and 200,000 tons of Cargo from North Vietnam. [Your webmistress arrived in the United States in 1949 on the USAT General R. L. Howze as a refugee of World War II.]

The Military Sea Transportation Service had the job of bringing war supplies to Vietnam -- 10,000 miles from the Pacific coast. MSTS had four separate customers to serve: the Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps. MSTS ships were staffed by "civilian" crews, but carried 95% of the supplies used by our Armed Forces in Vietnam including bombs and ammunition into combat zones under fire. Crew members were given Navy grades and rank identification in event of enemy capture. During Vietnam, MSTS first utilized roll-on/roll-off ships and container ships which speeded loading and unloading.

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US MERCHANT MARINE IN WORLD WAR II

One way to understand the Second World War is to appreciate the critical role of merchant shipping... the availability or non-availability of merchant shipping determined what the Allies could or could not do militarily.... when sinkings of Allied merchant vessels exceeded production, when slow turnarounds, convoy delays, roundabout routing, and long voyages taxed transport severely, or when the cross-Channel invasion planned for 1942 had to be postponed for many months for reasons which included insufficient shipping.

Had these ships not been produced, the war would have been in all likelihood prolonged many months, if not years. Some argue the Allies would have lost as there would not have existed the means to carry the personnel, supplies, and equipment needed by the combined Allies to defeat the Axis powers. [It took 7 to 15 tons of supplies to support one soldier for one year.] The U.S. wartime merchant fleet. . . constituted one of the most significant contributions made by any nation to the eventual winning of the Second World War.

In the final assessment, the huge US merchant fleet... provided critical logistical support to the war effort.

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In spite of their service and their sacrifices, merchant mariners were not accorded veterans' benefits, and for many years were excluded from celebrations of Veterans' Day, Memorial Day, and other days recognizing members of the Armed Forces. One merchant marine veteran who felt the exclusion very keenly was Walter Oates, who became Public Affairs Officer at the Maritime Administration. The Maritime Administration is the successor agency to the War Shipping Administration, which oversaw the shipbuilding and merchant marine operations in World War II. Mr. Oates was a wartime graduate of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, the only one of the federal service academies to send its students into war before graduation. One hundred forty-two of those students were killed in the war, and one of them had been Mr. Oates's roommate.

In 1970, at the instigation of Mr. Oates, the Maritime Administration sponsored an observance of Maritime Day, a solemn ceremony honoring veterans of the merchant marine, and those who gave their lives in service to the United States. That observance has been held every year since then.

After a long court battle, merchant marine veterans were accorded some rights and privileges of veterans on January 19, 1988. Ten years after that, in 1998, in recognizing veterans from the Persian Gulf War, Congress included more rights and privileges for veterans of the merchant marine. The U.S. Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C., dedicated in 1987, integrates recognition of the U.S. Merchant Marine. At the dedication of the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., in 2004, Maritime Administrator William G. Schubert represented the merchant marine as chief of service.

Please remember that The Canteen is here to support
and entertain our troops and veterans and their families,
and is family friendly.

[21twelve]

http://www.seacadets.org/

The above link is a modern-day organization for getting youth involved in martime activities.

From the site:

At the request of the Department of the Navy, the Navy League of the United States established the USNSCC in 1962 to “create a favorable image of the Navy on the part of American youth”.

Today’s U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps continues to further the image of our maritime services by adhering to a standardized training program designed to:

Develop an interest and ability in seamanship and seagoing skills

Instill virtues of good citizenship and strong moral principles in each cadet

Demonstrate the value of an alcohol-free, drug-free and gang-free lifestyle

Expose cadets to the prestige of public service and a variety of career paths through hands-on training with our nation’s armed services

[luvie]

I think you should stop in for one! You deserve it!

I guess I started a blizzard riot! LOL!

Sure was good...nomnom! ;)

[radu]

Indeed, she should!

I know I’ll be grabbing one tomorrow. :-) Have to go to the vet to pick up some medicine for one of the cats and DQ isn’t much out of the way at all. Mmm, mmm, mmm.

Have to settle for M&Ms tonight. LOL! Always have those on hand.

[luvie]

Mmmmm....m&ms!

That just reminded me that my hubby needs to pick me up a bag since I just took the last bunch to work last week. We get the BIG bag from Sam’s and I take a smaller zip-lock...minus the blue ones....to keep in my locker. Chuck a few in my cheeks and I’m ready for anything the customers can dish out! :)

[radu]

I grab a handful of the “sharing size” bags when I go to Wally World for cat litter and dry cat food and toss them on the desk. When the bag in my purse runs out, I throw another one in. And there’s always a bunch to nibble on when at the computer.

Choc-o-holic. LOL

[luvie]

Same here! If they have a Choklit Anonymous...I don’t wanna know about it! LOL!

[MoochPooch]

This month has been cloudy & cool — but I’m not complaining. The longer I can put of the AC, the better. Actually, the weather will start getting warmer by end of this week.

[radu]

We don’t wanna know about it either! Hubby’s a bigger choc-o-holic than I am and we’re happy with our addiction. hee! There are worse things to be hooked on.

[luvie]

That’s totally right! Chokaholics RULE!!

Alchoholics drool! LOL!

[radu]

Well now, this choc-o-holic’s drooling a bit thinking about the Blizzard she can’t have because it’s the middle of the night. LOL!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, 21twelve...thanks for the link to the Sea Cadets.

[luvie]

LOL! It was good. heh-heh

But now...I need some sleep, even though I’m off tomorrow. See ya later?

Hope the kittehs are getting over their full-moon addiction. ;)

[Kathy in Alaska]

No men today. Yesterday they were climbing the trees and/or cutting them down.

My sister said last week she was really agitated about the trees being cut down across the street as one was going to fall on our house.

They seem to be getting worse...maybe because her hearing is getting worse.

Today has been rough.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Thanks for the prayers...I’m learning to just walk away instead of pointing out no one is there. Almost everything is becoming an argument....

One day at a time.

[radu]

Kittehs are a little calmer but they still feel the moon a bit.

I figured you must have the day off since you were up so late. Hope it’s a day of relaxation rather than chores. :-)

Good night and sleep well.

[Kathy in Alaska]

[radu]

It’s sounded like it’s getting worse because you’ve mentioned she’s been seeing all these things more often. Can’t be fun for her and it certainly isn’t for you.

I’d hoped the petunias would occupy her mind enough she wouldn’t “see” anything today and give you a break.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Thanks, Sand, for the information on the NS Savannah. ((HUGS))

[Kathy in Alaska]

wh!!

Thanks, unique.

Sand.....#50!!

[radu]

Aaaaaaah, why not? :-)