Politics & Government

U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Turns 70

Gov. Andrew Cuomo pays tribute to Kings Point service academy, which was dedicated 70 years ago Monday.

It happened 70 years ago Monday. 

With World War II in full swing and the Battle of the Atlantic raging, the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy's campus at Kings Point was dedicated Sept. 30, 1943.

After recognizing the need to standardize training aboard vessels, Congress passed the landmark Merchant Marine Act in 1936. Two years later, the U.S. Merchant Marine Cadet Corps was established.

But the campus gave the corps a permanent home on the Long Island Sound. Then-President Franklin D. Roosevelt said at the time: “The Academy serves the Merchant Marine as West Point serves the Army and Annapolis serves the Navy.”

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo paid tribute to the Academy as it turns 70. “Today we celebrate the 70th anniversary of the United States Merchant Marine Academy and recognize the invaluable contributions of the Merchant Marine Cadet Corps,” Cuomo said. “Members of the Merchant Marines have served New York and the United States both in foreign military conflicts and domestic emergency situations, and we are grateful for their service.”

USMMA graduates have participated in every conflict since World War II.  


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