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Laser engraved on this commemorative KA-BAR fighting knife is the logo of the U.S. Merchant Marines and a quote to honor their service by United States President Harry S. Truman: “The American Merchant Marine--- Indispensable to Our Freedom.” Also inscribed is the branch’s motto, “In Peace and War.”
The United States Merchant Marine is the fleet of U.S. civilian-owned merchant vessels, operated by either the government or the private sector, that engage in commerce or transportation of goods and services in and out of the navigable waters of the United States. The Merchant Marine is responsible for transporting cargo and passengers during peacetime. In time of war, the Merchant Marine is capable of being an auxiliary to the Navy, and can be called upon to deliver military personnel and materiel for the military. The Merchant Marine, however, does not have a role in combat, although a merchant mariner has a responsibility to protect cargo carried aboard his ship.
Merchant mariners move cargo and passengers between nations and within the United States, and operate and maintain deep-sea merchant ships, tugboats, towboats, ferries, dredges, excursion vessels, and other waterborne craft on the oceans, the Great Lakes, rivers, canals, harbors, and other waterways.
As of 2006, the United States merchant fleet numbered 465 ships and approximately 100,000 people work on U.S. flag merchant ships. Seven hundred ships owned by American interests but registered, or flagged, in other countries are not included in this number.
The federal government maintains fleets of merchant ships via organizations such as Military Sealift Command and the National Defense Reserve Fleet. In 2004, the federal government employed approximately 5% of all American water transportation workers.
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