The Man Behind the 'Jones Act'
![Senator Wesley Livsey Jones (Credit: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, photograph by Harris and Ewing, [LC-DIG-hec-15427])](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w200h200c/senator-wesley-livsey-jones-credit-146310.jpg)
Senator Wesley Livsey Jones gave his name to the famous “Jones Act” governing U.S. domestic maritime trade. But what do really know about him? It turns out that he was much more than a leading merchant marine policy maker. (i)Jones had a long career in the U.S. House of Representatives before he was a Senator, was an effective legislator, an astute politician, one of the hardest working legislators of his era, and always viewed as honest and forthright. His many maritime legislative successes included the Merchant Marine Act…
Back to the Drawing Board: Pondering Truths in Design
In producing a column for the Marine Design issue, I considered a number of subjects, but in starting to write about them, somehow my mind connected to “Beam is Cheap.” I have a faint memory of being made aware of this during a discussion of a ship design by a design luminary very early in my career, but I don’t remember who it was.When first putting pencil to paper on some design, I always think about that when I make my first rough sketch. It is a very powerful truism, and over…
Legal End to Presidential Yacht Wrangle
New York Supreme Court Judge dismisses legal complaint against owners of Presidential Yacht 'Sequoia'. The Supreme Court of the State of New York has dismissed a frivolous legal complaint against FE Partners, LLC, that alleged it tried to improperly wrest control of the former Presidential Yacht, the U.S.S. Sequoia. The Hon. Charles E. Ramos ruled that a complaint filed by the owner of the U.S.S. The judge's order came the day after FE Partners filed its response in the case,…
Navy Secretary Names New Combat Logistics Ship
Secretary of the Navy Donald Winter announced on May 29 his decision to name the Navy's newest underway replenishment vessel, USNS Amelia Earhart (T-AKE 6). The name honors Amelia Mary Earhart for her courage, vision, and groundbreaking achievements, both in aviation and for women. Amelia Earhart's name became a household word in 1932 when she became the first woman -- and second person --to fly solo across the Atlantic, on the fifth anniversary of Charles Lindbergh's feat, flying a Lockheed Vega from Harbor Grace, Newfoundland to Londonderry, Ireland. That year, she received the Distinguished Flying Cross from the Congress, the Cross of Knight of the Legion of Honor from the French government, and the Gold Medal of the National Geographic Society from President Herbert Hoover.
