The United States Merchant Marine was formed in 1775 when a group of Maine mariners boarded an unarmed schooner and captured the British warship HMS Margaretta. The act inspired others, who interrupted the British supply chain all along the eastern seaboard of the United States and the Merchant Marine was born. The organization pre-dates both the United States Coast Guard (1790) and the United States Navy (1797).
external links:
" class="external">http://www.usmm.org US Merchant Marine Act of 1936:
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