Merchant Marine Research Paper

It is December 7, 1941 and Pearl Harbor has been bombed, America is entering World War II. However as war quickly approaches there are problems that arise, such as the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean being in the way of us getting to the enemy. These bodies of water raise many logistical problems, for example how do we transport thousands of soldier with weaponry, food, fuel, and tanks all the way to the Pacific Islands and Europe? The answer is one that you don’t often learn about in your high school history class; the United States Merchant Marine was an invaluable part of the United States’ victory over the Axis forces during World War II. War is a highly demanding venture on resources and man power, and the fact that the US was waging war across the ocean added to the difficulty. The US relied heavily on the merchant fleet from December 7th until Japan finally surrendered August 15, 1945. The need for supplies such as; food, fuel, vehicles, ammunition, and spare parts. During the war 268,252,000 long tons of cargo left United States …show more content…
In 1942 and 1943 every month approximately 40 or 50 merchant vessels were sunk due to enemy submarines (Rosen 78). These brave men faced incredible risk doing what was needed of them. The Merchant Marine has a very rich history involving World War II. I think that it is incredibly disappointing that it is so often forgotten about. Many of these sailors were young kids not much older than 19, I think it’s a shame that people don’t know about their sacrifice and the sacrifice of all the mariners during WWII. “Merchant mariners dies in World War II at rates comparable to the armed forces. But at war’s end, they found themselves overlooked” (Roland 315). The mariners were cheated out of the G.I. Bill and other postwar benefits due to not being afforded veteran’s status after the