National Maritime Day Proclamations 1964 to 1968 by President Lyndon B. Johnson honor American Merchant Marine

National Maritime Day Proclamation 1964

National Maritime Day Proclamation 1965

National Maritime Day Proclamation 1966

National Maritime Day Proclamation 1967

National Maritime Day Proclamation 1968

National Maritime Day Proclamation 1964 by President Lyndon B. Johnson of the United States of America

WHEREAS our country, in facing the challenges and opportunities of rapidly changing and expanding world trade, looks upon the sea lanes as highways of international good will and opportunity; and

WHEREAS the Nation looks to the maritime industry, working in cooperation with the Maritime Administration of the Department of Commerce and other Government agencies, to provide maritime programs and guidance that will best serve all Americans; and

WHEREAS the American merchant fleet is an essential element of our economy which provides employment for seamen, shipbuilders, shoreside workers, and those in supporting industries, and which, by transporting our products to world markets abroad, significantly advances our efforts to achieve an equitable international balance of trade and payments; and

WHEREAS the ships and men of the United States Merchant Marine stand ready to carry our flag abroad in peaceful competition today, or to deploy our seapower to the shores of any adversary in time of conflict; and

WHEREAS a strong merchant marine is essential to the economy and security of the free world, and merits the respect and support of our business community and the citizens of our Nation; and

WHEREAS the Congress, by a joint resolution approved May 20, 1933 (48 Stat. 73), designated May 22 as National Maritime Day, in commemoration of the departure from Savannah, Georgia, on May 22, 1819, of the S.S. Savannah on the first transoceanic voyage by any steamship, and requested the President to issue a proclamation annually calling for the observance of that day:

NOW, THEREFORE, I, LYNDON. B. JOHNSON, President of the United States of America, do hereby urge the citizens of the United States to honor our American Merchant Marine on Friday May 22, 1964, by displaying the flag of the United States at their homes and other suitable places.

I direct the appropriate officials of the Government to arrange for the display of the flag on all Government buildings on National Maritime Day, and I request that all ships sailing under the American flag dress ship on that day in tribute to the American Merchant Marine.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States of America to be affixed.

DONE at the City of Washington this 23rd day of April in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and sixty-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the one hundred and eighty-eighth.

Lyndon B. Johnson

National Maritime Day Proclamation 1965 by President Lyndon B. Johnson of the United States of America

International commerce and the ships which make it possible have contributed immeasurably to America's greatness. The sea and ships are an integral part of this country's past, present, and future.

In war and peace merchant ships and merchant seamen have served us well. The forms of ships may change -- from the tiny sailing ship Mayflower, to the nuclear ship Savannah and the automated liners of tomorrow -- but their purpose remains the same: to carry people and goods between nations in peaceful commerce or, if need be, to carry the men and equipment needed to protect our interests and our friends overseas.

We must be ever mindful of the state of our merchant fleet. A balanced, economical, and efficient merchant fleet, manned by well trained and skilled seamen, is a vital national resource. The importance of American merchant seapower is underscored by our burgeoning trade, and the increasing demands for ocean transportation that result. The creation and maintenance of a strong and competitive fleet to meet these demands is a complex task requiring the best efforts of government, management, and labor.

I take particular pleasure in noting that this year marks the fifteenth anniversary of the establishment of the Maritime Administration in the Department of Commerce. That agency has the responsibility for insuring that the United States possesses a merchant marine adequate to meet our economic and military requirements for an American-flag merchant marine: It has served us well.

That the American people might be constantly reminded of the importance of the merchant marine in our national life, the Congress in 1933 designated May 22 of each year as National Maritime Day and requested the President to issue a proclamation annually calling for the observance of that day. On that day in 1819 the SS Savannah set forth for the first transoceanic voyage of any steamship.

Maritime Day should serve to remind all Americans that the maintenance of our merchant marine cannot be left to the Government alone, and that our fleet must ultimately be supported by Americans who ship their cargo on American ships.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, LYNDON B. JOHNSON, President of the United States of America, do hereby urge the people of the United States to honor our American Merchant Marine on Saturday May 22, 1965; by displaying the flag of the United States at their homes and other suitable places, and I request that all ships sailing under the American flag dress ship on that day in tribute to the American Merchant Marine.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States of America to be affixed.

DONE at the City of Washington this twenty fourth day of March in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and sixty-five, and of the Independence of the United States of America the one hundred and eighty-ninth.

Lyndon B. Johnson

National Maritime Day Proclamation 1966 by President Lyndon B. Johnson of the United States of America

Today the American Merchant Marine continues a long tradition of essential service to the American economy and defense. Throughout our history, American ships have contributed to the development of our modern economy, as well as to the strength and unity of the country. As this Nation's economy continues to expand, we will continue to need ships-fast, modern descendants of the famous "Clippers"-to carry our products to the far corners of the earth and return with the raw materials essential to our national prosperity.

Our merchant marine is also vital to our friends all over the world. The transportation of surplus commodities to many of the underdeveloped countries is an important part of our foreign aid program.

As long as the United States may be called upon to defend the Free World's interests anywhere on the globe, our ships are necessary to insure continuous supply of the military material that helps to prevent or defeat aggression by any country.

The complex task of creating and maintaining a merchant marine adequate to our needs for peacetime commerce, and sufficient for defense purposes, requires the efforts of government, management and labor and the support of all Americans.

To remind the American people of the important role of the American Merchant Marine in the life of this Nation, the Congress in 1933 designated May 22 of each year as National Maritime Day and requested the President to issue a proclamation annually in observance of that day. May 22, 1819, is the day the SS Savannah, the first steamship to cross the Atlantic, set forth on its historic journey into the future.

Since May 22 falls on Sunday this year, it is appropriate that the day be observed on the following Monday.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, LYNDON B. JOHNSON, President of the United States of America, do hereby urge the people of the United States to honor our American Merchant Marine on Monday, May 23, 1966, by displaying the flag of the United States at their homes and other suitable places, and request that all ships sailing under the American flag dress ship on that day in tribute to the American Merchant Marine.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States of America to be affixed.

DONE at the City of Washington this 22nd day of March, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and sixty-six, and of the Independence of the United States of America the one hundred and ninetieth.

Lyndon B. Johnson

National Maritime Day Proclamation 1967 by President Lyndon B. Johnson of the United States of America

Throughout American history, the Merchant Marine has been indispensable to our security and prosperity.

Today, our merchant fleet binds us in peaceful commerce with the increasingly interdependent nations of the world.

In this decade alone, our imports and exports have risen nearly 60 percent-from less than $35 billion in 1960 to nearly $55 billion in 1966.

Merchant ships carry the essentials of life to millions in need. They transport military supplies and equipment to our forces abroad. Of all our supplies being sent to Vietnam today, 98 percent are carried by ship.

To remind Americans of the important role which the merchant marine plays in our national life, the Congress in 1933 designated the anniversary of the first transatlantic voyage by a steamship, the SS Savannah, on May 22,1819, as National Maritime Day, and requested the President to issue a proclamation annually in observance of that day.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, LYNDON B. JOHNSON, President of the United States of America, do hereby urge the people of the United States to honor our American Merchant Marine on Monday, May 22, 1967, by displaying the flag of the United States at their homes and other suitable places, and I request that all ships sailing under the American flag dress ship on that day in tribute to the American Merchant Marine.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States of America to be affixed.

DONE at the City of Washington this ninth day of May in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and sixty-seven, and of the Independence of the United States of America the one hundred and ninety-first.

Lyndon B. Johnson

National Maritime Day Proclamation 1968 by President Lyndon B. Johnson of the United States of America

To sustain our Nation's strength through trade and to fulfill our international commitments throughout the world, we rely heavily on the men and ships of the American Merchant Marine.

Our merchant ships are an essential part of the transportation bridges that extend from communities in America to those in Europe and Asia -- and to our servicemen and women wherever they stand in freedom's defense.

They have carried more than- 20 million tons of food, weapons, and supplies to our fighting men in Vietnam.

Last year alone, they delivered about 4 million tons of wheat to our friends in need in foreign lands.

In the same year, they transported 12 million tons of our products to our trading partners abroad -- and returned with 10 million tons of their goods for our people's use.

America's present position as the world's greatest trading power grows from its early tradition, when a strong merchant fleet carried the commerce of a young nation to the seaports of the old world.

The imagination, daring and farsightedness of that fleet was exemplified by the SS Savannah which in 1819 became the first steamship to cross the Atlantic.

It is in honor of that historic voyage that the Congress in 1933 designated May 22 as National Maritime Day and requested the President to issue a proclamation annually in observance of that day, to remind Americans of the importance of the merchant fleet to our national life.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, LYNDON B. JOHNSON, President of the United States of America, do hereby urge the people of the United States to honor our American Merchant Marine on Wednesday, May 22, 1968, by displaying the flag of the United States at their homes and other suitable places, and I request that all ships sailing under the American flag dress ship on that day in tribute to the American Merchant Marine.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 22nd day of April, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and sixty-eight, and of the Independence of the United States of America the one hundred and ninety-second.

Lyndon B. Johnson

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Maritime Day Proclamations and Celebrations
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Maritime Day Proclamations from Statutes-At-Large of the United States of America 1964 to 1968

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