About Sal Mercogliano

Salvatore R. Mercogliano is an associate professor of History at Campbell University in Buies Creek, North Carolina and teaches courses in World Maritime History and Maritime Security. He is also an adjunct professor with the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and offers a graduate level course in Maritime Industry Policy. A former merchant mariner, he sailed and worked ashore for the U.S. Navy’s Military Sealift Command. His book, Fourth Arm of Defense: Sealift and Maritime Logistics in the Vietnam War, available through the Naval History and Heritage Command.

100 Years of the Jones Act – Here is to Another 100 Years!

June 5, 2020 by Sal Mercogliano

Salvatore R. Mercogliano, Ph.D. - June 5, 2020 marks the centennial of the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, commonly referred to as the Jones Act. Earlier this year, I wrote an article on the passage of the act and its important to history, but with this anniversary, many opponents to the law are aiming to see its repeal and demise. As one of the three legs on which the modern … [Read more...]

Merchant Mariners, the Second Battle of the Atlantic, and the 75th Anniversary of VE Day

May 8, 2020 by Sal Mercogliano

Depiction of the sinking of the freighter Robin Moor on May 21, 1941. Credit: American Merchant Marine Museum By Salvatore R. Mercogliano, Ph.D. - In his autobiography, The Second World War, Winston Churchill said of the Battle of the Atlantic, “The only thing that ever really frightened me during the war was the U-boat peril.” Beginning on September 3, 1939, with … [Read more...]

This is Mutiny… Mutiny, I Say! The Maritime Lore Behind President Trump’s ‘Mutiny on the Bounty’ Tweet

April 14, 2020 by Sal Mercogliano

A 1790 painting of the 'Mutiny on the Bounty' by Robert Dodd. Photo: Robert Dodd - National Maritime Museum By Salvatore R. Mercogliano, Ph.D. - In the annals of maritime history and popular culture, the Mutiny on the Bounty holds a lofty place and remains relevant even today. The events that unfolded on April 28, 1789 in the South Pacific, when Acting Lieutenant … [Read more...]

A New Day for the American Merchant Marine: The Philly Shipyard and National Security Multi-Mission Vessels

April 9, 2020 by Sal Mercogliano

NSMV 1. Image: Herbert Engineering and MARAD By Salvatore R. Mercogliano, Ph.D. - National Maritime Day (May 22) came a month earlier than usual with the announcement by the Maritime Administration and TOTE Services, LLC, that Philly Shipyard, Inc., had been selected to build the first of a new class of training ships for the state maritime academies. Known as … [Read more...]

The Cruise Industry’s War Against COVID-19

March 20, 2020 by Sal Mercogliano

Cruises ships are seen docked at Miami port as the tourism industry is affected by the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Miami, Florida, U.S., March 18, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Barria By Salvatore R. Mercogliano, Ph.D. - On Friday, March 13, 2020, the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) announced that their ocean-going cruise lines would be, … [Read more...]