U.S. Code > Appendix to Title 50 > SALE OF SURPLUS WAR-BUILT VESSELS— (§§ 1735—1746) > ACT MAR. 8, 1946, CH. 82, 60 STAT. 41— (§§ 1735—1746) > § 1735. Declaration of policy

§ 1735. Declaration of policy

(a) It is necessary for the national security and development and maintenance of the domestic and the export and import foreign commerce of the United States that the United States have an efficient and adequate American-owned merchant marine
(1) sufficient to carry its domestic water-borne commerce and a substantial portion of its water-borne export and import foreign commerce and to provide shipping service on all routes essential for maintaining the flow of such domestic and foreign water-borne commerce at all times;
(2) capable of serving as a naval and military auxiliary in time of war or national emergency;
(3) owned and operated under the United States flag by citizens of the United States;
(4) composed of the best-equipped, safest, and most suitable types of vessels, constructed in the United States and manned with a trained and efficient citizen personnel; and
(5) supplemented by efficient American-owned facilities for shipbuilding and ship repair, marine insurance, and other auxiliary services.
(b) It is hereby declared to be the policy of this Act [sections 1735 to 1746 of this Appendix] to foster the development and encourage the maintenance of such a merchant marine.