About Sal Mercogliano

Salvatore R. Mercogliano is an 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.

The Tanker War, Part II: A Historical Perspective

June 14, 2019 by Sal Mercogliano

By Sal R. Mercogliano - The June 13, 2019 attacks on MV Front Altair and MV Kokuka Courageous, following the assault on four tankers at the anchorage of Fujairah on May 12, has raised the specter of a naval confrontation between Iran and the United States. This method of assault and conflict between these two nations is not new. The United States and Iran were embroiled in an … [Read more...]

On National Maritime Day, Where is the U.S. Merchant Marine?

May 22, 2019 by Sal Mercogliano

May 22 is National Maritime Day in the United States. Initiated by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1933, it commemorates the sailing of the American steamship Savannah across the Atlantic to England in 1819. Since 1933, the date has been celebrated as a recognition for all those merchant mariners who have sailed in the past and the present, and honor those … [Read more...]

To Waive or Not To Waive, that is the Jones Act Question?

April 30, 2019 by Sal Mercogliano

By Salvatore R. Mercogliano, Ph.D. - Maritime news hubs and trade associations are abuzz with rumors that the Trump Administration is considering a waiver of the nearly 100-year-old Merchant Marine Act of 1920, commonly referred to as the Jones Act, for the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. A ten-day waiver was passed in the fall of 2017 during relief operations … [Read more...]

CATO’s Continued Attempt to Skin the Jones Act

December 5, 2018 by Sal Mercogliano

On December 6, 2018, the CATO Institute is hosting a conference, entitled – “The Jones Act: Charting a new Course after a Century of Failure”. This forum aims to discuss the future of the U.S. maritime industry, but the overarching supposition and basis for the entire endeavor is the abject failure of the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, commonly known as the Jones … [Read more...]

Veteran’s Day In Peace And War

November 11, 2018 by Sal Mercogliano

by Salvatore R. Mercogliano, Ph.D. (gCaptain) This Veteran’s Day we remember the thousands of Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, Airmen, and Coast Guardsmen who gave their lives in defense of the United States of America. We should also remember the thousands of merchant mariner veterans who set sail under the flag of the United States and exposed themselves to risk and … [Read more...]