MARITIME DAY 2022
Sponsored by The International Seafarers' Center
National Maritime Day. What is it? Why do we celebrate this day?
National Maritime Day is a United States holiday created to recognize the maritime industry. It is observed on May 22, the date in 1819 that the American steamship Savannah set sail from Savannah, Georgia on the first ever transoceanic voyage under steam power. The holiday was created by the United States Congress on May 20, 1933. The first-ever National Maritime Day was observed in 1964. The main idea behind celebrating this day is to support the global economy and to support well organized, safe, and environmentally sound ways of transferring goods from one country to another. In 1920 The Apostleship of the Sea, also known as Stella Maris, was founded in Glasgow, Scotland, to support seafarers in need. Over the past century the Apostleship of the Sea has grown into a world-wide pastoral and welfare organization and has become the largest ship visiting network in the globe, providing seafarers also with practical support and information.
You can define a seafarer as literally being someone who is employed to serve aboard any type of marine vessel. This usually refers to active seafaring workers but can be used to describe a person with a long history of serving within the profession.
Here in Brunswick our mission at the International Seafarers Center (ISC) is to take Christ to the nations by providing seafarers a safe harbor that they can call home. Our services aim to meet the spiritual, emotional, physical, and material needs of thousands of seafarers who visit the Port of Brunswick, Georgia, USA, annually. Our vision is to be an ecumenical Christian non-profit organization exemplifying Christ's love through our services and programs that affect merchant mariners, our volunteers, partners, and the community. We aim to be the best hospitality and humanitarian organization in the global maritime industry, serving people from all walks of life regardless of race, language, or religion.
In 1942 oil tankers SS Oklahoma and the Esso Baton Rouge were attacked off St Simon’s Island. 41 men died from the two ships. By April 11th, most of the rescued mariners began heading home. On the Oklahoma there were 5 men who were burned beyond recognition. On May 26, 1942, there was a funeral service for the five unknown men, and their bodies were interned at Brunswick’s Palmetto Cemetery. The “Unknown Seamen – 1942 were Alfredo Carmona 46, (San Juan PR); Joseph Geary 37, (Boston MA); Arthur James Genter 42, (New Orleans LA); Charles Rivette 20 (Port Arthur TX); Osswald Ryder 21, (Ville Platte LA). It was not until October 8, 1998, that all the men were laid to rest in family plots. (Action in the South Atlantic. The saga of Esso Baton Rouge and SS Oklahoma. By Michael P. Higgins)
National Maritime Day is a United States holiday created to recognize the maritime industry. It is observed on May 22, the date in 1819 that the American steamship Savannah set sail from Savannah, Georgia on the first ever transoceanic voyage under steam power. The holiday was created by the United States Congress on May 20, 1933. The first-ever National Maritime Day was observed in 1964. The main idea behind celebrating this day is to support the global economy and to support well organized, safe, and environmentally sound ways of transferring goods from one country to another. In 1920 The Apostleship of the Sea, also known as Stella Maris, was founded in Glasgow, Scotland, to support seafarers in need. Over the past century the Apostleship of the Sea has grown into a world-wide pastoral and welfare organization and has become the largest ship visiting network in the globe, providing seafarers also with practical support and information.
You can define a seafarer as literally being someone who is employed to serve aboard any type of marine vessel. This usually refers to active seafaring workers but can be used to describe a person with a long history of serving within the profession.
Here in Brunswick our mission at the International Seafarers Center (ISC) is to take Christ to the nations by providing seafarers a safe harbor that they can call home. Our services aim to meet the spiritual, emotional, physical, and material needs of thousands of seafarers who visit the Port of Brunswick, Georgia, USA, annually. Our vision is to be an ecumenical Christian non-profit organization exemplifying Christ's love through our services and programs that affect merchant mariners, our volunteers, partners, and the community. We aim to be the best hospitality and humanitarian organization in the global maritime industry, serving people from all walks of life regardless of race, language, or religion.
In 1942 oil tankers SS Oklahoma and the Esso Baton Rouge were attacked off St Simon’s Island. 41 men died from the two ships. By April 11th, most of the rescued mariners began heading home. On the Oklahoma there were 5 men who were burned beyond recognition. On May 26, 1942, there was a funeral service for the five unknown men, and their bodies were interned at Brunswick’s Palmetto Cemetery. The “Unknown Seamen – 1942 were Alfredo Carmona 46, (San Juan PR); Joseph Geary 37, (Boston MA); Arthur James Genter 42, (New Orleans LA); Charles Rivette 20 (Port Arthur TX); Osswald Ryder 21, (Ville Platte LA). It was not until October 8, 1998, that all the men were laid to rest in family plots. (Action in the South Atlantic. The saga of Esso Baton Rouge and SS Oklahoma. By Michael P. Higgins)