MSC PAO 02-18
May 22, 2002
For more information, contact:
Marge Holtz or Dan Kuester
(202) 685-5055

MSC Ceremony Honors Mariners

The U.S. Navy ceremonial guard posts the colors at Military Sealift Command's National Maritime Day memorial service May 22 at the Washington Navy Yard. (Susan Thomas photo)

Clear blue skies and a gentle southeasterly breeze coming off the Anacostia River provided the perfect setting for the annual National Maritime Day ceremony held May 22 at the Military Sealift Command Headquarters on the Washington Navy Yard.

Rear Adm. David L. Brewer III, USN, commander, MSC, presided over the event that was attended by the Secretary of the Navy, the Honorable Gordon R. England and numerous members and former members of the maritime services and military.

The signal flags of fleet ocean tug USNS Mohawk wave in the breeze during Military Sealift Command's National Maritime Day memorial service May 22 at the Washington Navy Yard. (Susan Thomas photo)

A ship of the MSC fleet, the fleet ocean tug USNS Mohawk, was pierside and served as a backdrop for the ceremony, which included the laying of wreaths in the Anacostia River to commemorate the mariners lost at sea in peacetime and war.

"For more than half a century, Military Sealift Command has benefited from the professionalism and expertise of America's merchant mariners. Whenever, wherever -- if duty called, they delivered," said Rear Adm. Brewer in his speech at the ceremony.

The U.S. Navy's ceremonial firing party stands on the deck of fleet ocean tug USNS Mohawk, while the Navy's ceremonial guard presents the colors. (Barry Lake photo)

With more than 100 ships operating daily around the world, MSC is the largest employer of U.S. merchant mariners. All MSC ships are crewed by civilian mariners.

The command has more than 3,000 civil service mariners serving on MSC ships and nearly 2,000 contractor-employed mariners serving aboard both government-owned ships and chartered ships worldwide.

"We depend on our mariners every day to meet the mission requirements of the best ocean transportation system in the world," said Rear Adm. Brewer.

The U.S. Navy ceremonial guard posts the colors at Military Sealift Command's National Maritime Day memorial service May 22 at the Washington Navy Yard. (Barry Lake photo)

Merchant mariners play a critical role in our nation's defense, enabling the U.S. military to operate anywhere in the world. MSC's civilian mariner-crewed ships have been at the tip of the spear in the Arabian Sea, providing critical fuel, food and supplies to Navy and allied ships participating in Operation Enduring Freedom. MSC ships have also carried ammunition destined for military planes flying over Afghanistan.

The U.S. civilian mariners have been on the front lines preserving U.S. freedom since the nation's infancy -- serving in every conflict from the Revolutionary War to the present. The per capita death toll of the U.S. Merchant Marine in World War II was second among the armed services to only that of the U.S. Marine Corps.

Navy Rear Adm. David L. Brewer III, Commander, Military Sealift Command, and the Honorable Gordon R. England, the Secretary of the Navy, toss a wreath into the Anacostia River in honor of fallen mariners during Military Sealift Command's National Maritime Day memorial service May 22 at the Washington Navy Yard. (Barry Lake photo)

Navy Yeoman stands at parade rest during Military Sealift Command's National Maritime Day memorial service May 22 at the Washington Navy Yard. (Barry Lake photo)

National Maritime Day is celebrated May 22 each year to commemorate the first voyage of SS Savannah, a steam ship, across the Atlantic Ocean on May 22, 1819. A Joint Resolution of Congress designated the day in 1933.

The U.S. Navy ceremonial guard presents the colors at Military Sealift Command's National Maritime Day memorial service May 22 at the Washington Navy Yard. (Susan Thomas photo)