How to Join the Merchant Marines
The Merchant Marines have been around longer than the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Navy. During the revolutionary war, a group of mariners took action after hearing of the success at Lexington. Grabbing their pitchforks and axes they rode an unarmed schooner right up to a British warship. They captured the ship and gave birth to the U.S. Merchant Marines.
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Instructions
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Request an application by calling the Merchant Marines headquarters. You can also download an application from their "How to Apply" webpage, or you can complete it directly online. March 1 is the deadline, but start this process early, as this affects your join date.
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Sfter you've completed the application, contact your senator if you want to join the Merchant Marines as an officer. Go to the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and review their nomination webpage. Receive an interview. You'll be competing with other people from your state for a limited number of slots.
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Wait for your senator's office to inform you of your nomination status. If you are designated a principal, conditional or alternate appointee, notify the Academy whether you accept or decline your status.
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Join the Merchant Marines through the normal hiring process. Attend maritime-related training. Apply for a position just as you would a regular job. Submit a resume, cover letter and references.
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Wait a week, as their human resources department gets many applications. Call and ask if the department has received your resume. Find out what you can do to increase your chances of landing a particular job.
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Comments
View all 10 Comments-
As I approach my retirement, this could be a good 2nd career possibility. What do you think?
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how to apply in merchant marine?
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dockwobbler
Apr 27, 2010
To Steam Chief, respectfully submitted: The Promise of Employment Letter Requirement was done away with by the U.S.C.G. in the early 1990s doing away with the Catch 22 but one must now have a TWIC, STCW95 Safety/Watchkeeping and Basic/Advanced Firefighting in addition to the obtaining the Entry Level Z-Card (MMD). Cheers and wind to yer back sir, Dockwobbler, U.S.M.M. -
profgringo
Nov 23, 2009
The best part of the whole article "Request an application by calling the Merchant Marines headquarters" Yeah, like where the heck would that be? People that know nothing about ships, the sea or the men that make a living on the water go on-line and write up stuff like this.
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steamchief
Jul 26, 2009
After 30 years at sea, 20 as Chief Engineer, and still working as an instructor, I really think these responses are off the mark. The infamous "Catch-22" exists here. To get entry level papers, you need a written promise of employment. Without papers, you can't get that promise. You can go to the SIU school, or some other. Be advised that this is a difficult track. It is of course, the U.S. Merchant Marine. An individual is a merchant mariner or merchant seaman, never a merchant marine. An officer on deck is a Mate or the Master. An engineering officer is an Engineer or the Chief Engineer. The previous responses as to "nomination by a Senator", and a "Bachelor's degree", are nonsense. If you're really interested in this career, you'll find the path.Good luck!
