[james McIntyre]

"As dawn broke over Machias Bay,Maine,one June 12,1775,forty men armed with guns,axes,swords and pitchforks and led by a revolutionary fireband named Jeremiah O'Brien brought their private sloop,Unity,quietly around the lee side of Round Island. Their target,the British armed schooner,Margaretta,immediately attempted to fire on the unarmed Unity but Unity was too close. O'Brian commanded his crew to ram the British Ship,boarded her and proceeded to engage in hand-to-hand combat. By the end of the hour,the British Captain was mortally wounded,and the British ship surrendered.
 
O'Brian and the Unity crew claimed four double fortified three-pounders,fourteen swivel guns and several smaller guns. Unity  had become a warship for the soon to be proclaimed United States of America in the first sea engagement of the Revolutionary war. During the Revolutionary war more than 11,000 Merchant mariners died in service to our fledgling nation. They were the first to sacrifice their lives but they would not be the last.
 
The War of 1812 was founght ostensibly because of the merchant marine. British warships were seizing American vessels on the high seas and impressed over 10,000 seamen into service for the British Navy or British merchant fleet. American ships were also being seized or sunk if they did not call on a British port. Because the United States had a limited number of Navy ships (23) the war was mainly fought with merchant ships as privateers. America has 517 privateers during the war of 1812 and these privateers eventually captured 1300 enemy ships worth $40 million.
 
That was a tremendous amount of money at the time considering that Alaska was bought for $7.2 million and the Louisiana Purchase for $12 million. This was the primary reason the British came to the peace table. It did not end there though. Our country  has since built  up its own large Merchant Marine fleet  and made it's kown sacrifices. During the First  World War more than 700 merchant ships were sunk. Over 800 merchant ships were sunk in WW2. The Merchant Marine was present at Normandy,on D-Day and all other WW2 invasions."
........By David L. Brewer 111 Vice Admiral,USN,Commander US Navy Military Sealift Command,May 2004

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[james McIntyre]

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