Maritime history of the United States (1900–1999)

The United States merchant marine forces matured during the maritime history of the United States (1900–1999).

1900s, first decade In 1905, the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW, or "the Wobblies") was founded, representing mainly unskilled workers. "The Wobblies", a force in American labor only for about 15 years, were largely routed by the Palmer Raids after World War I. In 1908, Andrew Furuseth became president of the International Seamen's Union and served in that office until 1938.

1910s

On March 25, 1901, Harry Lundeberg was born. On March 1, 1906, Joseph Curran was born.

RMS Titanic was the largest steamship in the world when the vessel sank in 1912. Launched in 1938, RMS Queen Elizabeth was the largest passenger steamship ever built. Launched in 1969, Queen Elizabeth 2

In 1914, Paul Hall (labor leader) was born in Inglenook, Alabama.

During this period, Andrew Furuseth successfully pushed for legislative reforms that eventually became the Seamen's Act of 1915.

During World War I there was a shipping boom and the International Seamen's Union(ISU)'s membership included more than 115,000 dues-paying members. However, when the boom ended, the ISU's membership shrunk to 50,000.

In 1915, the Seamen's Act of 1915 became law. The act fundamentally changed the life of the American sailor. Among other things, it: abolished the practice of imprisonment for seamen who deserted their ship reduced the penalties for disobedience regulated a seaman's working hours both at sea and in port established a minimum quality for ship's food regulated the payment of seamen's wages required specific levels of safety, particularly the provision of lifeboats required a minimum percentage of the seamen aboard a vessel to be qualified Able Seamen required a minimum of 75 percent of the seamen aboard a vessel to understand the language spoken by the officers

President Woodrow Wilson signed into law the Act to Create the United States Coast Guard on January 28, 1915. This Act effectively combined the Revenue Cutter Service with the Lifesaving Service and formed the new United States Coast Guard. Gradually the Coast Guard would grow to incorporate the United States Lighthouse Service in 1939 and the Navigation and Steamboat Inspection Service in 1942.

World War I

In World War I, Great Britain, as an island nation, was heavily dependent on foreign trade and imported resources. Germany found that their submarines, or U-boats, while of limited effectiveness against surface warships on their guard, were greatly effective against merchant ships, and could easily patrol the Atlantic even when Allied ships dominated the surface.

By 1915, Germany was attempting to use submarines to maintain a naval blockade of Britain by sinking cargo ships, including many passenger vessels. Submarines, however, depending on stealth and incapable of withstanding a direct attack by a surface ship (possibly a Q-ship disguised as a merchant ship), found it difficult to give warning before attacking or to rescue survivors, which meant that civilian death tolls were high. This was a major factor in galvanizing neutral opinion against the Central Powers, as countries like the United States suffered casualties and loss to their trade, and was one of the causes of the eventual entry of the US into the war.

Over time, the use of defended convoys of merchant ships allowed the Allies to maintain shipping across the Atlantic, in spite of heavy loss.

The Royal Navy had conducted convoys in the Napoleonic Wars and they had been used effectively to protect troopships in the current war, but the idea of using them to protect merchant shipping had been debated for several years. Nobody was sure if convoys were Britain's salvation or ruin.

Consolidating merchant ships into convoys might just provide German U-boats with a target-rich environment, and packing ships together might lead to collisions and other accidents. It was potentially a logistical nightmare as well, and allied officers judged it too much so.

With the ability to replace losses, the dilemma of using convoys was not as painful. After experiments through the early months of 1917 that proved successful, the first formal convoys were organized in late May. By the autumn the convoy system had become very well organized, and losses for ships in convoy fell drastically, with 2% losses for ships in convoy compared to 10% losses for ships traveling on their own. The convoy loss rate dropped to 1% in October. However, convoy was not mandatory, and monthly loss rates did not fall below their 1916 levels until August 1918.

The need for administering the merchant marine during wartime was demonstrated during the First World War. Commerce warfare, carried on by submarines and merchant raiders, had a disastrous effect on the Allied merchant fleet. With the resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare in 1917, U-boats sank ships faster than replacements could be built.

1919-1930 Another of ISU's successes was the strike of 1919, which resulted in wages that were "an all-time high for deep sea sailors in peacetime."

However, ISU had its shortcomings and failures, too. After a round of failed contract negotiations, ISU issued an all-ports strike on May 1, 1921. The strike lasted only two months and failed, with resulting wage cuts of 25 percent. The ISU, as with all AFL unions, was criticized as being too conservative. For example, in 1923 the Industrial Workers of the World publication The Marine Worker referred to the ISU's "pie-cards" (paid officials) as "grafters and pimps."

Joseph Curren started working on ships in 1922. In 1929, the California Maritime Academy was established.

Merchant Marine Act of 1920

The Merchant Marine Act of 1920 – Is a United States federal law or statute established to protect all maritime workers including those from shipping companies, off shore oil rigging companies, fisherman and essentially anyone employed in the maritime industry. The act laid foundation for the industry and established important rules and regulations that are still in effect today. The act has long list of regulations but the most significant is the Jones Act. The act governs the transportation of all merchandise about United States coastal ports. All merchandise coming into a United States port from other United States port must be carried out by Jones-Act approved vessels. These vessels must be built in America, manned by American sailors, owned and flagged by the United States of America. "The Merchant Marine Act of 1920 is an earnest effort to lay the foundation of a policy that will build up and maintain an adequate American merchant marine in competition with the shipping of the world. The first section declares that the United States needs for national defence and the proper growth of its commerce a merchant marine of the best type of ships sufficient to carry the major part of its commerce, such vessels to be owned ultimately and operated privately by its citizens. It asserts it to be the policy of the United States to do whatever may be necessary to secure such a merchant marine, and the Shipping Board is directed to keep this purpose and object always in view as the primary end to be attained in the disposition of our ships, in the making of rules and regulations and in the administration of the shipping laws. This expresses the thought, desire, pur- pose and aim of the American people. This section is the chart to guide and the yardstick to measure every act of the Shipping Board and should be kept in mind in the construction of every provision of the act and in every decision the board may make".

The Merchant Marine Act of 1920 is commonly referred to as the Jones Act after the most significant section (27), and author/sponsor Senator Wesley L. Jones. The Jones Act protects multiple aspects of the United States including job security, National security and stimulates the American economy. The United States Navy provides a great deal of work to the domestic maritime industry by employing them to fix and build their fleet. Without the Jones Act, transportation of goods could possibly be outsourced to other countries. This would allow foreign countries in United States water ways and could potentially pose a serious threat during wartime. The United States maritime policy along with the United States Coast Guard federal regulations are among the most stringent in the world. The Jones Act ensures vessels adhere to these regulations and standards which have many positive impacts to include; reduced workplace injuries, maximum protection for marine wildlife by establishing safe emission and pollution levels. American mariners operating in American ports streamlines communication, decreases security breaches all while stimulating the American economy.

1930-1941 In 1933, John L. Lewis founded the Committee for Industrial Organizations within the AFL. The committee split from the AFL in 1938 as the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO).

In 1934, Harry Lundeberg joined the Sailor's Union of the Pacific in Seattle.

The ISU was weakened by the loss of the Sailors' Union of the Pacific in 1934. Furuseth charged that the SUP was being infiltrated by "radicals" from the IWW., and demanded the SUP cease activities with the Maritime Federation. The SUP refused and the ISU revoked their charter.

The ISU was involved the West Coast longshoremen's strike of 1934. Lasting 83 days, the strike led to the unionization of all West Coast ports of the United States. The San Francisco general strike, along with the 1934 Toledo Auto-Lite Strike led by the American Workers Party and the Minneapolis Teamsters Strike of 1934, were important catalysts for the rise of industrial unionism in the 1930s.

West Coast sailors deserted ships in support of the International Longshoremen's Association longshoremen, leaving more than 50 ships idle in the San Francisco harbor. ISU officials reluctantly supported this strike. In clashes with the police between July 3 and 5, 1934, three picketers were killed and "scores were injured." During negotiations to end the strike, the sailors received concessions including a three-watch system, pay increases, and better living conditions.

In April 1935 at a conference of maritime unions in Seattle, an umbrella union was established to represent the membership of the ISU as well as maritime officers and longshoremen. Called the Maritime Federation, Harry Lundeberg was named its first president.

In 1935, the Maritime Federation was formed and Harry Lundeberg named president. He was also named Secretary-Treasurer of SUP.

The merchant marine in the United States was in a state of decline in the mid-1930s. At that time few ships were being built, existing ships were old and inefficient, maritime unions were at war with one another, ship owners were at odds with the unions, and the crews’ efficiency and morale were at an ebb. Congress took action to fix the problems in 1936. The Merchant Marine Act, approved on June 29, 1936, created the U.S. Maritime Commission "to further the development and maintenance of an adequate and well balanced American merchant marine, to promote the commerce of the United States, and to aid in the national defense."

The commission realized that a trained merchant marine work force was vital to the national interest. At the request of Congress, the chairman of the Maritime Commission, VADM Emory S. Land worked with ADM Russell R. Waesche, Commandant of the Coast Guard, to formulate a training program for merchant-marine personnel. Called the U.S. Maritime Service, the new training program was inaugurated in 1938. It used a combination of civilian Maritime Commission and uniformed Coast Guard instructors to advance the professional training of merchant mariners.

In 1936, Joseph Curren called the S.S. California strike.