    [United States Statutes at Large, Volume 134, 116th Congress, 2nd Session]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    Proclamation 10038 of May 21, 2020
    National Maritime Day, 2020
    By the President of the United States of America
    A Proclamation
    Since the founding of our great Nation, we have relied on merchant
    mariners to deliver goods to market and strengthen our national
    security. On National Maritime Day, we recognize the United States
    Merchant Marine for all it does to facilitate our commerce and protect
    our interests at sea.
    Our Nation's merchant mariners enable peaceful trade with countries
    around the world and provide vital sealift support to our Armed Forces.
    Whether on the ocean or our inland waterways, merchant mariners support
    our economy by transporting billions of dollars of imported and exported
    goods. These men and women also sail bravely into combat zones to
    deliver supplies and weapons to our military men and women, playing a
    critical role in the success of their mission.
    This year, as we celebrate the 75th anniversary of the end of World War
    II, we pay tribute to the United States merchant mariners who served as
    the ``Fourth Arm of Defense''; for our Nation during the war. Earlier
    this year, I was proud to sign into law long-overdue legislation to
    award the Congressional Gold Medal to the valiant civilian merchant
    mariners who maintained critical supply lines to our overseas troops and
    allies during the Second World War. Many of these mariners endured
    brutal attacks from German U-boats, and more than 6,000 of them perished
    at sea or were held as prisoners of war. This number includes 142
    students of the United States Merchant Marine Acad

    emy--distinguishing it as the only one of the five service academies
    authorized to carry a battle standard.
    As we remember the tremendous sacrifices of the World War II merchant
    mariners, we also continue to honor the present-day citizen mariners who
    make up our Nation's world-class Merchant Marine. Today, we pay tribute
    to their expertise, patriotism, and dedication to serving our country
    and ensuring our national security.
    The Congress, by a joint resolution approved May 20, 1933, has
    designated May 22 of each year as ``National Maritime Day''; to
    commemorate the first transoceanic voyage by a steamship in 1819 by the
    S.S. Savannah. By this resolution, the Congress has authorized and
    requested the President to issue annually a proclamation calling for its
    appropriate observance.
    NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of
    America, do hereby proclaim May 22, 2020, as National Maritime Day. I
    call upon the people of the United States to mark this observance and to
    display the flag of the United States at their homes and in their
    communities. I also request that all ships sailing under the American
    flag dress ship on that day.
    IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-first day of
    May, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty, and of the

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    Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-
    fourth.
    DONALD J. TRUMP