06/12/2026
Brought to My Attention:
"Copied from M.E.B.A. Telex:
FOURTH ARM OF DEFENSE CELEBRATES 251
While the country gets ready to celebrate 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the Fourth Arm of Defense is one year older.
On Friday, June 12, the U.S. Merchant Marine turns 251 years old. It hearkens back to the struggle of the 13 colonies to win their independence from Great Britain. Without a strong Navy, the colonies relied on privately-owned commercial ships and their crews to serve as privateers. The Battle of the Margaretta was a small but significant sea battle at the start of the American Revolution. It took place on June 11–12, 1775, near what is now Machias, Maine. After local patriots seized a British supply ship, they pursued the armed British schooner HMS MARGARETTA. Led by local militia captain Jeremiah O’Brien, the Americans boarded and captured the vessel after a fierce fight. The battle demonstrated that American merchant seamen could play a direct role in defending the colonies and supporting the revolutionary cause. Throughout the Revolutionary War, merchant mariners carried supplies, served as privateers, and transported troops and cargo, making them an essential component of the war effort.
In the World War II era, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt referred to the Merchant Marine as the “Fourth Arm of Defense,” the U.S. had the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps as distinct services. The Air Corps/Army Air Forces operated as part of the Army and was the military aviation service. Calling the U.S. Merchant Marine the “fourth arm” placed it alongside the fighting services as an essential element of national defense because it provides the transportation network needed to support the armed forces in both peace and war."
A big thanks to David Nolan for sending this to me today...
🛳️ 🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️
