The United States Maritime Service (USMS) was established in 1938 under the provisions of the Merchant Marine Act of 1936 as voluntary training organization to train individuals to become officers and crewmembers on merchant ships that form the United States Merchant Marine per . Heavily utilized during World War II, the USMS was largely dissolved in 1954, and its resources were absorbed into other federal departments. However, while the service is no longer structurally organized, remnants of the service still exist today and the service still actively commissions officers to function as administrators and instructors at the United States Merchant Marine Academy and the state maritime academies. Current role The U.S. Maritime Service falls under the authority of the Maritime Administration of the U.S. Department of Transportation. The Commandant of the United States Maritime Service is the Maritime Administrator, who also serves as the director of the National Shipping Authority and the chairperson of the Maritime Subsidy Board. The Secretary of Transportation may determine the number of individuals in the service, set the rates of pay, prescribe the service's uniform, and create and issue awards for the service. By law, the U.S. Maritime Service's rank structure must be the same as that of the U.S. Coast Guard, but uniforms worn are those of the U.S. Navy with distinctive USMS insignia and devices. The U.S. Maritime Service is not part of the uniformed services of the United States. The officers in the service cannot claim veteran status or military benefits including retirement. Uniformed officers serving in the U.S. Maritime Service cannot be deployed or assigned to another military service, and thus are not subjected to the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Graduates of the state maritime academies Student Incentive Payment Program and graduates of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy are required to report annually to the Maritime Administration to comply with their service obligations. Superintendents or presidents of the seven maritime academies in the U.S. are frequently commissioned in the U.S. Maritime Service, such as the superintendent of the United States Merchant Marine Academy. Additionally, some administrators and instructors at the maritime academies may be assigned rank in the Maritime Service. Those with U.S. Maritime Service rank indicate that by listing their rank and name, followed by "USMS". History The merchant marine in the United States was in a state of decline in the mid-1930s. At that time, few ships were