US Merchant Mariners & National Security
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- Опубликовано: 1 окт 2024
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Mike and Jake host Captain John Konrad to talk all things Merchant Marine.
We talked about the Merchant Marine Academy, being a merchant mariner, and how they fit into national security.
What is the Military Sealift Command thing, and why does it keep confusing the counting of Navy ships? What is the Jones Act, and why is it so political?
The US has a ghost fleet of ships staged on both US coasts in case WWIII kicks off-but where are the people? Who were the most famous merchant mariners?
What went wrong with the USS Bonhomme Richard fire response? Why is Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge still not cleaned up?
Which US military branch is the biggest merchant mariner customer? Hint…. it's NOT the Navy.
Tune in for answers to all of the above-and more!
John is the founder and CEO of gCaptain and author of Fire on The Horizon. He is licensed to captain the world's largest ships, has sailed from ports worldwide, and managed billion-dollar offshore construction projects in some of the world's harshest marine environments.
This episode is PACKED with intel, but we still had some fun along the way. You should expect nothing less! OBTW, there is a FREE BOOK in the show notes.
For those interested in #military #navy #mariner #sealift #warfare #shipping #nationalsecurity #defense #nationaldefense
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Show Notes
(01:21) Intro
(03:01) larger than aircraft carriers
(04:15) Military Sealift Command
(05:30) peacetime vs wartime
(06:18) WWII merchant mariners
(09:54) counting ships
(10:58) US-flagged ships
(11:25) Captain Phillips
(11:48) the shift away from US flags
(12:17) 85 of 50,000 ships
(13:10) The Jones Act
(14:57) railway to nowhere
(18:02) where are the people?
(20:28) Secretary Pete
(21:00) manning crisis
(23:59) 3,000 people short
(25:56) WWIII
(27:46) divested support ships
(28:58) USS Cole attack
(29:51) USS Bonhomme Richard fire
(31:19) Baltimore bridge cleanup
(32:33) USNS ship shortages
(33:28) no support, no projection
(34:26) the Air Force!?!
(35:06) the miracle of shipping containers
(35:50) Vietnam logistics log jam
(37:20) famous merchant mariners
(39:30) sea story time!
(42:27) outro
Having witnessed the unloading of bombs from a cargo ship to support USAF operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, I'll describe it as an endless line of flatbed semi-trucks hauling away bombs to a munitions storage area at a nearby airbases. There is no way to move this amount of weight efficiently by any other means. How can we expect to sustain a war with a near peer adversary next to their shores? This is a prime example of the Ostrich strategy for dealing with a stressful situation. Plus, we're paying good money to knowledgeable people to ignore this problem. Amazing.
Agreed. This argument has been had since Rome became a naval power in the Mediterranean Sea, sometime after the first Punic War, but definitely before Ostia. Thomas Jefferson entertained the idea of using coastal gunboats only as a navy, as they could be hauled out of the water and stored dry when not needed. History and current events are full of non-sailors with wonderful ideas on how to save filthy lucre on the water, not understanding the potential costs of their parsimony in blood, sweat, and treasure when the time comes. 💯
I found the Merchant Marine fascinating since I was a kid and I really hate the state of the Merchant Marine and lack of attention to its plight. I know the TRANSCOM commander advocates in Congress for the Merchant Marine and for improved infrastructure, including shipyards. MSC falls under TRANSCOM.
Other notable merchant mariners: Louis L'Amour, James Garner, Jimmy Buffett, Jack Lord
Geraldo Rivera attended SUNY Maritime
For passenger vessels, it is the much older PVSA (Passenger Vessel Services Act) of 1886. The Merchant Marine Act of 1920 (aka the Jones Act) deals with cargo.
Pako,
Great episode!!! Thank you so much. The Merge and gCaptain team is strong. Awesome.
Thank you!
KPer here! I guess USMMA is no longer america's best kept secret!
My cousin was the youngest Master in the Merchant Marine and KIA when his ship was sunk by a U--boat just outside the Winward Islands in the Caribbean in the early years of WW2.
PAKO very interesting, we all learned a lot. Thanks 👍
I hate this channel. It's your fault that I don't get any sleep anymore LOL
Another fine episode, based on the truth of the matter. Objective participants here.
I liked the fact that they mentioned: lobbies, corrupt media, current weak situation of the merchant navy.
The most important asset of the reserve forces are the reservists. Without educated, dedicated and motivated personelle, those reserv ships will remain as scrap metal!
US has 1/3 Billion of population. Education system can direct youth into merchant shipping.
Excellent, eye opener episode. Thanks 👍
My favorite quote comes from a sea captain who told me he only has two rules: always pay me on time, and dont endanger my life.
One thing that didn't come up which is more of a Coast Guard thing, is our lack of icebreaking ships. There's an interesting video from Perun who talks about the competing interests for the Artic, including from China which jas strangely designated itself as a sub-arctic nation.
We have icebreakers on our long list of topics!
@@TheMergeMedia oh I can't wait!!
John is tame compared to Sal 😂
Great episode!!!
My Dad (R.I.P.: 1950-2022), was a U.S. Merchant Marine from 2003-2007, prior to the Merchant Marine, he was a Machinist Mate (retired E-7 Chief Petty Officer), while taking part of the Philippine Enlistment Program, 1947-1992), with about 30 yrs of service, participating in overseas operations, with working onboard the following ships (Navy and MSC ships), USS Alamo (LSD-33), USS Sterrett (CG-31), USS Paul F. Foster (DD-964), (prior to being designated ex-Paul F. Foster as an SDTS, arrived in San Diego recently), USNS Observation Island (T-AGM-23), USNS Kiska (T-AE-35), USNS Rappahannock (T-OA-204), USNS Joshua Humphreys (T-AO-188), USNS Shasta (T-AE-33), and the last MSC ship my Dad served on, the USNS Rainier (T-AOE-7) before officially retiring in 2007
Awesome, thanks for sharing!
My dad was a merchant marine for 30 years. Did your father pass while serving?
@ladyintensity no, thankfully. He actually passed away in early August of 2022 due to a stroke, which it had just passed his 2nd anniversary of when he passed away. During that time, he was a few months short of his 72nd birthday (my Dad's birthday was on Dec. 3rd), what I remember of Dad, that he would always come back from rotating duty stations ranging from Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station, Naval Base San Diego, Amphibious Naval Base Coronado, Naval Base Point Loma, historically NAS Miramar, including Naval Air Station North Island, where my Mom would always drop him off. From every deployment he's been on from both when he was in the Navy (1974 to 2000, when he completed his enlistment contract), but he later re-enlisted in the Navy once 9/11 occurred, and later continue on until 2003 when he officially retired from military service with close to or about 29 yrs, and then moving on to work with the U.S. Merchant Mariners, he then did that for 4 years, and officially went onto retirement (with all full benefits), on all his deployments, my Dad would always bring back care packages and souvenirs from all the countries and U.S. territories he's visited (e.g., Bahrain, UAE, Philippines, South Korea, Singapore, Guam). Notably Australia, which is one of my Dad's favorite countries to go to while on port visit. The best thing my Dad always said was that he had always wanted to retire in paradise, which he did peacefully. My oldest sister did make a request and communicated with the U.S. Embassy in the Philippines to have him buried over at Fort Rosecreans National Cemetery, but due to the long process and cost. My oldest sister instead called off the arrangement and considered to have his family (on his side of the family tree) to have him buried in his hometown, which was the best option, and what he would have wanted.
i’m looking at these videos because i haven’t heard from a friend who’s a sea merchant in asia i hope he’s ok
He's more than likely ok. They work long hours, pretty much till they wake and sleep. And when they get any time off the ship they are buying things on land and making the most of their time. My dad was one for 30 years
I love this interview, so amazing! Thank you
China has been aggressive towards its neighbors in the South China sea, often utilizing fishing boats to conduct the aggression.
Would be interesting to see China's "alternate naval capability" with their maritime militia, deep sea fishing boats and whatever else they have...
Compared to the US merchant marine, reserve fleet and military seal lift command.
Not just the vessels but also the experienced crews that would be available if something big broke out...
Great episode. I appreciate the actual discussions.
Thank you!
👽👽👽👽🌏👽👽👽👽
I thought he was talking about a hand gun too.