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Franklin Roosevelt News

01 Mar 2017

Last Port of Call for the U.S. Merchant Marine?

Part II in a two-part series, continued from the January 2017 edition of Maritime Reporter & Engineering News. Read Part I here. If reliance on the foreign commercial market is risky because of uncertain reliability, then what of U.S. Government ownership of a fleet of vessels? That has also been on the menu since the early 20th century. President Woodrow Wilson proposed in September 1914 that the U.S. Government acquire commercial cargo vessels. Congress disagreed, which delayed enactment of the President’s proposal until the Shipping Act, 1916. A compromise was struck to permit U.S. Government ownership as a war time measure – but all vessels so acquired had to be sold to private owners within five years of the end of the war.

09 Jan 2015

Navy to Christen High Speed Vessel

The Navy will christen the future USNS Trenton (JHSV 5) Jan. 10 during a 10 a.m. CDT ceremony in Mobile, Alabama. Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus will deliver the ceremony’s principal address. Virginia Kamsky, chair and chief executive of Kamsky Associates, Inc., will serve as the ship’s sponsor. “This ship represents the hard-working men and women of New Jersey and the importance of the American cities along the Delaware River. It represents American shipyard, factory, and assembly line workers who have been the backbone of the Arsenal of Democracy since President Franklin Roosevelt coined the phrase more than seven decades ago. It represents the American spirit of hard work, patriotism and perseverance,” said Mabus.

05 Jul 2012

Battleship Commissioned as Floating Museum

USS Iowa in Action: Photo credit USN

One of the most powerful battleships of all time, the Iowa was built starting in 1940. After it was commissioned, the ship transported President Roosevelt to the Tehran Conference in 1943. The ship also saw action in World War II and the Korean War. The Navy awarded the ship to a nonprofit group to display as an interactive naval museum that will highlight its place in American history, explains CBS News. Among those in attendance at the rededication included Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

14 May 2012

Battleship on Voyage to New Home

USS Iowa: Photo credit Naval Historical Foundation

Following years of aging in the San Francisco Bay area’s ghost fleet, the 887-foot long ship that once carried President Franklin Roosevelt to a World War II summit to meet with Churchill, Stalin and Chiang Kai Shek is coming to life once again as it is being prepared for what is most likely its final voyage. Firing its 16-inch guns in the Arabian Sea, the battleship Iowa shuddered. As the sky turned orange, a blast of heat from the massive guns washed over the ship. This was the Iowa of the late 1980s…

25 Jan 2011

This Day in U.S. Coast Guard History – January 25

1799- Having existed essentially nameless for 8-1/2 years, Alexander Hamilton's "system of cutters" was referred to in legislation as "Revenue Cutters."  Some decades later, the name evolved to Revenue Cutter Service and Revenue Marine. 1940- The ocean station program was formally established on 25 January 1940 under orders from President Franklin Roosevelt. The Coast Guard, in cooperation with the U. S. Weather Service, were given responsibility for its establishment and operation. The program was first known as the Atlantic Weather Observation Service and later known (and "beloved') by thousands of Coast Guardsmen who served after World War II as the "Ocean Station" program.

28 Mar 2010

This Day in Coast Guard History – March 29

1867-The lighthouse at Timbalier Bay was destroyed in a hurricane. The brick tower "was leveled to the ground and covered with from three to six feet of water."  The Lighthouse Board commended the keepers, "who faithfully performed their duty, barely escaping with their lives, and living for some days in an iron can buoy . 1898-  Lieutenants David Jarvis and Ellsworth P. Bertholf and Surgeon Dr. Samuel J. Call of the USRC Bear reached Point Barrow, Alaska, after a 2,000 mile "mush" from Nunivak Island that first started on 17 December 1897, driving reindeer as food for 97 starving whalers caught in the Arctic ice. This Overland Rescue was heralded by the press and at the request of President William McKinley, Congress issued special gold medals in their honor.

23 Jan 2010

This Day in Coast Guard History – Jan. 25

1799- Having existed essentially nameless for 8-1/2 years, Alexander Hamilton's "system of cutters" was referred to in legislation as "Revenue Cutters."  Some decades later, the name evolved to Revenue Cutter Service and Revenue Marine. 1940- The ocean station program was formally established on 25 January 1940 under orders from President Franklin Roosevelt. The Coast Guard, in cooperation with the U. S. Weather Service, were given responsibility for its establishment and operation. The program was first known as the Atlantic Weather Observation Service and later known (and "beloved') by thousands of Coast Guardsmen who served after World War II as the "Ocean Station" program.

18 Aug 2006

Navy Christens New Amphibious Assault Ship Makin Island

The U.S. Navy will christen Makin Island, the newest and last ship in the Wasp-class of amphibious assault ships, on Aug. 19, 2006, during a ceremony at Northrop Grumman Ship Systems in Pascagoula, Miss. Sen. Trent Lott of Mississippi will deliver the principal address at the ceremony. Silke Hagee, wife of Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. Michael W. Hagee, will serve as ship's sponsor. The ceremony will be highlighted by the time-honored Navy tradition of the sponsor breaking the bottle of champagne across the bow to formally christen the ship. Makin Island is named for the daring raid carried out by Marine Corps Companies Alpha and Bravo, Second Raider Battalion, on Japanese-held Makin Island, in the Gilbert Islands, on Aug. 17-18, 1942.

05 Sep 2002

Navy Secretary Grants Governor's Request to Honor New York

Governor George E. the terrorist attacks. This new class of ship is currently under construction with the first to be commissioned in the spring of 2003. The amphibious transports will be used to transport and land Marines, their equipment and supplies by embarked landing craft or amphibious vehicles augmented by helicopters in amphibious assault. most survivable amphibious ship ever put to sea. word of Secretary England's decision in a phone call Wednesday evening. said. The Governor recently wrote a letter to Secretary England requesting that the Navy revive the name USS New York in honor of September 11's victims and to give it a surface warship involved in the war on terror. a surface ship.

29 Jul 2003

USNS Bob Hope Pays Tribute to Namesake

From Commander, U.S. The Military Sealift Command’s (MSC) USNS Bob Hope (T-AKR 300) honored its late namesake by doing what Bob Hope would have wanted – supporting the troops. USNS Bob Hope has been deployed for the past 81 days in the Arabian Gulf in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. During the ship’s three main missions within the 5th Fleet area of responsibility, USNS Bob Hope transported nearly 38,912 tons of combat gear. “The officers and crew of USNS Bob Hope have been proud to carry almost 40,000 tons of equipment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom,” said the ship’s master, Capt. Joseph “David” Henderson Jr. “Some of the equipment was used to support units like the 101st Airborne, a unit Mr. Hope entertained 33 years ago in Hue City, Vietnam.

18 Jun 2001

No Leg Left to Stand On -- An Obituary for MarAd?

Unless things change dramatically, I am writing as the last Deputy Administrator of the Maritime Administration (MarAd). At least the MarAd we have known, sometimes loved, but always needed for the last 50 years. As I look at the Administration's budget proposals to transfer management of the Maritime Security Program (MSP) to the Department of Defense (DOD) and eliminate funding for the Title XI shipbuilding loan guarantee program, I cannot help but conclude that MarAd's days are numbered as a freestanding federal agency. This is not simply melodramatic doom saying from a former bureaucrat whose first credo in life is perpetuation of the species (or in this case the agency).