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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Lots of misinformation in here and a lot that miss the point of ELI5.
Military Sealift Command: what you probably have in mind when you think “merchant marine.” These are civilian sailors on mostly grey ships that support military missions
Merchant Marine: any person holding a Merchant Mariner Credential working on a U.S. commercial vessel, in the simplest terms
People who sail MSC are merchant mariners, but not all merchant mariners sail for MSC.
You have to become a Third Mate to work your way up to becoming a Captain, and you become a Third Mate by working your way up (hawsepiping) or going to an academy, of which there are 6 state and 1 federal.
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