President Franklin D. Roosevelt Speeches and Statements
Regarding Merchant Marine President Roosevelt was a man of the
sea and understood the importance of a strong merchant marine
during war and peace. During World War I, he was Assistant
Secretary of the Navy, in charge of arming of merchant ships and
convoys. One of his first acts as President was to proclaim
Maritime Day to commemorate the first steam-assisted trans-
Atlantic crossing by the SS Savannah. His proposed legislation
to modernize and professionalize the merchant marine, passed as
the historic Merchant Marine Act of 1936. During World War II,
he resisted attempts to incorporate the merchant marine into the
Army or Navy because of potential problems with inter-service
rivalry, increased costs, and greater need for manpower.
Instead, he oversaw the operation of the War Shipping
Administration out of the Oval Office. Views And Two Reports On
Subject Of Adequate Merchant Marine. Message From The President,
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, March 4, 1935 Pr