United States Merchant Marine
U.S. civilian mariners
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| February 2025 | Governor Jennifer Gonzalez-Colón officially requested a permanent exemption from air cabotage laws for Puerto Rico. |
| 2024 | Kirk Lunsford received the medal in recognition of 49 years of maritime service, including 34 years as a deckhand on the Guemes Island Ferry and a career as a commercial fisherman in Alaska, notable for two man-overboard rescues. |
| 2022 | President Joe Biden awarded the Secretary of Transportation Outstanding Unit Award to Academy midshipmen for their leadership and efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically for manning ships during the logistical crisis between March 13, 2020 and June 18, 2022. |
| 2022 | The United States merchant fleet comprised 178 privately owned, oceangoing, self-propelled vessels of 1,000 gross register tons and above. |
| December 8 2022 | Joanna M. Nunan becomes superintendent as a Vice Admiral USMS, taking over leadership of the academy. |
| June 18 2022 | Jack Buono's tenure as superintendent ends. |
| 2021 | Multiple sexual assault reports from midshipmen led to a suspension of Sea Year, multiple investigations and lawsuits, prompting government promises to improve safety for women in the Merchant Marine. |
| 2021 | Representative Ed Case reintroduces three reform Acts to Congress, continuing efforts to modify the Jones Act. |
| May 13 2021 | Senator Mike Lee submits S. Bill 1646, the Open America's Waters Act, to repeal coastwise trade restrictions during the 117th United States Congress. |
| 2020 | Defense think tank CSBA conducts a study on the maritime industry, warning that without the Jones Act, the shipbuilding industry could face severe impacts, potentially losing the ability to domestically produce auxiliary ships for government use. |
| December 17 2020 | U.S. Representative Justin Amash introduces H.R. Bill 8996, the Jones Act Repeal Act, during the 116th United States Congress. |
| 2019 | Capt. Michael Surgalski received the medal in recognition of a 40-year career, particularly his service as an instructor at Great Lakes Maritime Academy and as the first master of the Training Ship State of Michigan. |
| 2019 | Timothy J. Nelson, president of Northwestern Michigan College, received the medal for his leadership from 2000-2019, which transformed the Great Lakes Maritime Academy's educational program. |
| 2019 | Representative Ed Case (Hawaii) introduces three reform Acts to Congress: H.R. Bill 298, H.R.299, and H.R.300, aimed at addressing shipping competition, rates, and relief. |
| 2019 | The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) estimates that repealing the Jones Act would potentially boost shipbuilding output by over $500 million. |
| 2018 | The Northeast United States imported liquefied natural gas from Russia due to a lack of Jones Act-compliant LNG tankers, demonstrating a limitation in domestic maritime shipping capabilities. |
| November 9 2018 | Jack Buono becomes superintendent, serving as a Vice Admiral in the USMS. |
| August 2018 | Commodore Harry J. Bolton Jr. received the medal, recognizing his 44 years of maritime experience, including service in Grenada Invasion, First Gulf War, and Operation Iraqi Freedom, and his leadership as Commanding Officer of the Training Ship Golden Bear. |
| 2017 | Capt. Michael Horn received the medal in recognition of a 41-year career in the U.S. Merchant Marine, including service as an instructor and mentor to Great Lakes Maritime Academy cadets. |
| 2017 | Capt. Mark Phillips received the medal in recognition of a 42-year career in the U.S. Merchant Marine, including service as an instructor and mentor to Great Lakes Maritime Academy cadets. |
| 2017 | Capt. Konstantinos E. Malihoutsakis received the medal in recognition of 34 years of distinguished service. |
| 2017 | Sadie O. Horton posthumously received official veteran's status for her World War II service, becoming the first recorded female Merchant Marine veteran of that war |
| September 8 2017 | The Jones Act was simultaneously suspended for Hurricane Harvey (which hit Texas) and Hurricane Irma (which hit Florida), and later waived for Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria after two days of debate. |
| 2016 | The United States Merchant Marine Academy returned to the Skyline Conference for the 2016-17 academic year and concluded its membership in the Landmark Conference. |
| 2016 | The academy's 'Sea Year' program was temporarily suspended due to allegations of sexual assault and harassment. |
| 2016 | Kenneth R. Force concludes his 45-year service as director of the USMMA regimental band. |
| 2016 | Military Sealift Command reports employing more than 5,500 federal civilian mariners |
| 2016 | The Lexington Institute published a study highlighting the Jones Act's role in national security and border protection, arguing it helps prevent international terrorism. |
| 2015 | William D. Eglinton received the medal as the author of 'Marine Engine Room Blue Book'. |
| 2015 | Average salary of American mariners was $39,000 |
| October 22 2015 | A Military Sealift Command oiler and a United States civilian tanker conducted an unusual at-sea refueling exercise to demonstrate operational flexibility and increase readiness of naval auxiliary assets. |
| 2014 | Michael Hochscheidt, Engineering Department head at Great Lakes Maritime Academy, received the medal in recognition of more than 30 years of instruction. |
| 2014 | Federal government reports directly employing approximately 5,100 seafarers |
| 2014 | The United States Maritime Administration employed approximately 6.5% of all American water transportation workers. |
| 2014 | The Heritage Foundation releases a report critiquing the Jones Act, arguing that it is an ineffective method of promoting U.S. shipbuilding and claiming it increases shipping and energy costs while stifling competition and industry innovation. |
| December 19 2014 | Public Law 113-291 was passed, amending the previous legislation and further refining the structure and governance of the Congressional Board of Visitors. |
| June 2014 | The former MV Liberty Star was rechristened as the T/V Kings Pointer, becoming the fifth vessel of the academy to carry that name. This rechristening followed the dedication of the academy's newly replaced Mallory Pier. |
| March 2013 | The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a comprehensive study examining the effects of the Jones Act on Puerto Rico's freight rates and economic implications. |
| 2012 | Mark A. Ricker Jr. received the medal for humanitarian service in areas affected by Superstorm Sandy. |
| 2012 | Robert Mason, Great Lakes Maritime Academy pilotage instructor, received the medal in recognition of more than 30 years of instruction. |
| 2012 | Crew of the container ship Horizon Reliance received the medal for rescuing the crew of the distressed vessel Liahona during a storm off the coast of Hilo, Hawaii. |
| 2012 | James A. Helis becomes superintendent, serving as a Rear Admiral in the USMS. |
| November 2 2012 | The Secretary of Homeland Security issued a temporary conditional waiver of the Jones Act for shipping petroleum products from the Gulf Coast to New England and Central Atlantic regions for 12 days, following fuel shortages caused by Hurricane Sandy. |
| August 21 2012 | NASA agreed to transfer the MV Liberty Star to the U.S. Department of Transportation for use as a new training vessel at the academy. |
| June 2012 | The Federal Reserve Bank of New York indicated that the Jones Act may hinder economic development in Puerto Rico. |
| January 2012 | Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano granted a waiver to the Russian ice class marine tanker Renda to conduct an emergency shipment of gasoline from Dutch Harbor, Alaska, to Nome. |
| 2011 | 2nd Officer Andrew Chen received the medal for humanitarian service in Operation Tomodachi, providing disaster relief following the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan. |
| 2011 | Able Seaman Christopher Lewis received the medal for humanitarian service in Operation Tomodachi, providing disaster relief following the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan. |
| 2011 | The U.S. Navy discontinues the Navy Reserve Merchant Marine Insignia and introduces a new Strategic Sealift Officer Warfare Insignia for merchant marine naval reserve officers. |
| 2011 | Government Accountability Office (GAO) conducted a study on maritime crew entries into the United States, revealing approximately 5 million maritime crew entries annually, with 80% of seafarer aliens working on passenger ships covered by the Passenger Vessel Services Act of 1886. |
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This contents of the box above is based on material from the Wikipedia articles United States Merchant Marine, Merchant Marine Outstanding Achievement Medal, United States Merchant Marine Academy & Merchant Marine Act of 1920, which are released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.