National Maritime Day is a
United States holiday created to recognize the
maritime industry. It is observed on
May 22, the date in 1819 that the American steamship Savannah set sail from
Savannah, Georgia on the first ever transoceanic voyage under steam power. The holiday was created by the
United States Congress on May 20, 1933.
On May 22, 2002, the Military Sealift Command observed National Maritime Day with a memorial service held in Washington, DC. Rear Adm.
David L. Brewer III, Commander, Military Sealift Command, and
Gordon R. England, Secretary of the Navy, tossed a wreath into the
Anacostia River at the
Washington Navy Yard in honor of fallen mariners.[1]
In 2013, National Maritime Day was celebrated with family picnics and boat tours at the
Port of San Diego, and with maritime career fairs in
Seattle and the
Port of Baltimore, as well as with traditional memorial ceremonies.[2]
On May 22, 2016, the Baltimore events were held at the NS Savannah, Pier 13 of the
Canton Marine Terminal in
Baltimore,
Maryland. Boy Scout Explorer Post # 0438, a re-enactment group representing the First Baltimore Sharpshooters, a.k.a. Aisquith's Sharpshooters, was there in replica uniforms.
Battle of North Point Many other groups, both businesses, non-profit groups, and educational groups were present. Docked alongside the NS Savannah was the Golden Bear (ship), a training ship from California that was built nearby in
Bethlehem Steel in
Sparrows Point,
Maryland, in 1986.
Gallery
A San Diego Port Commissioner celebrates National Maritime Day with the Mayor of Chula Vista, 2011
2007 celebration in Pusan, Korea
Somber commemoration of National Maritime Day in 1944
(federal) = federal holidays, (abbreviation) = state/territorial holidays, (religious) = religious holidays, (cultural) = holiday related to a specific
racial/ethnic group or
sexual minority, (week) = week-long holidays, (month) = month-long holidays, (36) =
Title 36 Observances and Ceremonies