merchant marine

Several months after Pearl Harbor, cabin boy Julio and his loyal Boxer Jack fight to survive after their merchant marine ship is torpedoed by German U-boats. Includes historical facts and a timeline of World War II.

"Unshackling America challenges the persistent fallacy that Americans fought two separate wars of independence. Williard Sterne Randall documents an unremitting fifty-year-long struggle for economic independence from Britain overlapping two armed conflicts linked by an unacknowledged global struggle. Throughout this perilous period, the struggle was all about free trade. Neither Jefferson nor any other Founding Father could divine that the Revolutionary Period of 1763 to 1783 had concluded only one part, the first phase of their ordeal. The Treaty of Paris of 1783 at the end of the Revolutionary War halted overt combat but had achieved only partial political autonomy from Britain. By not guaranteeing American economic independence and agency, Britain continued to deny American sovereignty. Randall details the fifty years and persistent attempts by the British to control American trade waters, but he also shows how, despite the outrageous restrictions, the United States asserted the doctrine of neutral rights and developed the world's second largest merchant fleet as it absorbed the French Caribbean trade. American ships carrying trade increased five-fold between 1790 and 1800, its tonnage nearly doubling again between 1800 and 1812, ultimately making the United States the world's largest independent maritime power"--Provided by publisher.

As a young ship's officer in the British Mercantile Marine, Jim is branded a coward when he deserts a passenger-crowded ship he believes is sinking. Trying to atone for his cowardice, he prowls the unmapped jungles of the Far East in search of the feudal warlord who is terrorizing the peace-loving natives. He helps the enslaved natives, is raped by a tribal chief, and finally sacrifices his life for them. A tale of both cowardice and redemption. Includes critical reviews and interpretations.

Describes the events surrounding Operation Pedestal, the attempt to resupply the island of Malta, the enemy attack on British and U.S. ships that threatened the Allied position, and the determination of two injured American merchant mariners to defend their cargo of fuel oil.

Presents information about several marine and maritime careers, discussing requirements and job outlook, providing lists of training programs and education opportunities, featuring pertinent Internet addresses, and including profiles of people working in the field.