I don’t get it, are they the military or are they not? Aren’t the ships privately owned? Can you not be a ship captain without going to the Merchant Marine Academy?
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They’re civilian not military, but they’re governed and operated under a military structure overseen by the Coast Guard. The Officer command and Enlisted ratings on a merchant marine ship basically translate 1:1 so in times of war the Merchant Marine can be quickly pulled in as an Auxiliary of the Navy.
e.g. the merchant marine delivered large amounts of cargo and fuel during both Iraq wars.
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