National Maritime Day - May 22, the 1819 Savannah crossing, and the US Merchant Marine
National Maritime Day is observed on May 22 in the United States, commemorating the 1819 transatlantic crossing of the steamship Savannah from Georgia to Liverpool. Federally proclaimed since 1933 (47 Stat. 798), it honors the US Merchant Marine and the nation’s commercial seafarers. Not a federal holiday.
Civic memorialPublished 12 de octubre de 2026
- Se observa en
- Dónde se observa
- Cuándo
- mayo
- Frecuencia
- Misma fecha cada año
- Días libres
- 1 día - algunas jurisdicciones dan libre
- Estatuto público
- Conmemoración cívica - izas a media asta en edificios públicos
National Maritime Day is the smallest of the federally proclaimed civic days - and one of the most quietly consequential. The country runs on ships; the day honoring them is marked by a Presidential Proclamation and a wreath.
International Maritime Day
The International Maritime Organization (IMO), the UN agency governing global shipping, observes its own International Maritime Day on the last Thursday in September each year. The IMO observance dates to 1978 and is unrelated to the US May observance; the IMO day is global in scope. National Maritime Days are also held in the UK (around September), India (April 5), and many other maritime-dependent countries.
The 2025 IMO theme was "MARPOL at 50 - Our Commitment Goes On," marking the 50th anniversary of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships. The IMO observance tends to be technical, with regulatory briefings and shipping- industry panels. National Maritime Day in the US is more historical, focused on the service history and the operational merchant marine.
Merchant Marine Memorial Day (USMM)
A separate commemoration, Merchant Marine Memorial Day, is observed on June 4 (originally the date in 1942 of a German U-boat attack that killed 164 US merchant mariners off the coast of North Carolina). The USMM observance is administered by the American Merchant Marine at War Memorial in New York City; the 1976 law establishing it (Public Law 94 - 256) was signed by President Gerald Ford. National Maritime Day and Merchant Marine Memorial Day together cover the historical and service dimensions of US maritime activity.
Maritime commerce today
The US-flagged merchant fleet today numbers around 180 large ocean-going vessels, with another 30,000+ Jones Act vessels operating in US coastal trade. The US imports and exports roughly $1.6 trillion of goods by sea each year, representing roughly 40 percent of total US international trade by value. Major US ports handle record container volumes: the Port of Los Angeles processed over 9.9 million TEU in 2021, and the Port of Long Beach handled 9.3 million. The combined Los Angeles / Long Beach complex is the ninth-largest container port in the world.
The Military Sealift Command operates 125+ ships supporting US naval logistics worldwide. The NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps and the US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps both include maritime- trained officers. Together with the US Coast Guard, these services employ roughly 90,000 uniformed and civilian personnel serving in maritime roles.
The SS Savannah
The SS Savannah was a 320-ton, hybrid paddle-wheel / sailing ship launched in 1818 at Corlears Hook, New York. She made her transatlantic crossing in 1819, departing Savannah, Georgia on May 22, and arriving in Liverpool on June 20. The ship used steam for roughly 80 of the 29-day crossing; the remaining time was under sail. Her hybrid design was not commercially viable, and she was sold for cargo in 1821 and wrecked off Long Island in 1821. The Savannah is commemorated in the US Merchant Marine stamp issued in 1962, and her figurehead is preserved at the Smithsonian.
Modern observance
Observance clusters around three channels: ports and naval installations (often hosting memorial ceremonies and ship tours); maritime academies (graduation events, drill demonstrations, and educational programming); and shipping and logistics firms (industry awards, partnerships with the US Merchant Marine). The Military Sealift Command, the Maritime Administration, and the National Maritime Historical Society coordinate annual programming.
Industry conferences and labour conventions typically align with National Maritime Day. The Navy League of the United States hosts its annual May luncheon on or near May 22. Port authorities in major US ports (Long Beach, Houston, New York/New Jersey, Los Angeles, Baltimore) host wreath-laying and bell-ringing ceremonies. The National Maritime Memorial in San Francisco hosts the largest West Coast event.
Origin and 1933 statute
National Maritime Day was established by joint resolution of Congress on May 20, 1932 (47 Stat. 798), in the depths of the Great Depression, to honour the SS Savannah's 1819 transatlantic crossing - the first steamship crossing of the Atlantic. The joint resolution designated May 22 as the observance day, citing the Savannah's arrival in Liverpool on that date. President Roosevelt issued Proclamation 2093 on May 22, 1933, formalising annual presidential proclamation.
The 1932 resolution passed both chambers unanimously. The American merchant marine had been deeply wounded by the post-World War I Depression; the joint resolution was framed as both a tribute to maritime history and a recognition of the ongoing role of merchant shipping in US trade. The Marine Engineers' Beneficial Association, Seafarers' International Union, and the Maritime Trades Department (AFL-CIO) all lobbied for the resolution.
The Savannah, May 22, 1819
On May 22, 1819 the hybrid paddle-wheel vessel SS Savannah left Savannah, Georgia bound for Liverpool. It was the first steam-powered vessel to cross the Atlantic. The crossing took 29 days - 18 of them under sail because coal capacity was limited; the single funnel and mast sat side-by-side. The ship returned to the US in 1820, ran aground in 1821 at Long Island, and was sold for salvage. The Savannah was rediscovered and given a commemorative postage stamp in 1970; the SS Savannah Museum in Savannah, Georgia preserves drawings and a bell.
Merchant Marine in wartime
Congress chartered the US Shipping Board in 1916 and recruited merchant crews for World War I; the wartime fleet peaked at 2,463 vessels. World War II was the defining moment: 6,236 ships were delivered through the Maritime Commission, and 3,530 merchant seamen died (only Army Air Corps casualties exceeded the merchant marine fatality rate per capita). Every War Shipping Administration vessel carried a Merchant Marine insignia; veterans of World War II merchant service are eligible for veterans\u2019 benefits under the GI Bill amendments of 1988.
Modern merchant marine
The US-flag merchant fleet today numbers about 180 oceangoing vessels - tiny relative to Greece, China, Japan, or Singapore - but the Jones Act (1920, 46 U.S.C. section 55102) requires cargo shipped between US ports to travel on US-built, US-flagged, US-crewed vessels. Federal sealift command operates eight Ready Reserve Force ships and the Military Sealift Command fleet of 125+ noncombatant vessels.
Academies
The United States Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, New York was established 1943; the California Maritime Academy (1941, CSU), Maine Maritime Academy (1941), Massachusetts Maritime Academy (1891), SUNY Maritime College (1874), Texas A&M Maritime Academy (1962), and Great Lakes Maritime Academy (1969) form the six state maritime academies. All graduate licensed officers for the Merchant Marine.
Related days
- Memorial Day - May (last Monday), federal holiday honoring military dead.
- Veterans Day - November 11, federal holiday for military veterans.
- Thanksgiving - fourth Thursday in November, federal holiday since 1863.
Primary sources: 47 Stat. 798 (1932 joint resolution); 36 U.S.C. section 128 (Maritime Day); FDR Proclamation 2093 (May 22, 1933); National Maritime Day Proclamation of the President (annually since 1980).