Every so often a publication comes along that pulls the whole American maritime story into one place. Returning from Ebb Tide: Renewing the United States Commercial Maritime Industry, the first book from the Navy League’s Center for Maritime Strategy, is one of those. And it is available as a free digital download.
What the book covers
Edited by Dr. Steven Wills and introduced by Admiral James Foggo, the volume gathers essays from experts and practitioners across the maritime world, from retired admirals who commanded Military Sealift Command to analysts, educators, and merchant mariner advocates. It is organized around three questions: What is the current state of America’s commercial shipping industry? What does strategic sealift actually require? And what will it take to rebuild the merchant marine?
The answers are sobering. The book traces how decades of policy choices, underinvestment, and fragmentation hollowed out a fleet that once led the world, while China assembled a commanding position across shipbuilding, container equipment, port cranes, and terminal ownership. It also documents the workforce side of the crisis: maritime academies under strain, declining mariner numbers, and the retention challenges that come with the job.
Why we recommend it
The diagnosis will be familiar to anyone who follows Transportation Institute’s work, and that is exactly the point. When naval strategists, defense planners, and commercial shipping experts independently arrive at the conclusion TI has advanced since 1967, that a strong U.S.-flag fleet and a robust mariner workforce are matters of national security, the case stops being an industry talking point and becomes a national consensus. The book does not just diagnose; each section offers concrete recommendations for rebuilding.
Read the introduction from the Center for Maritime Strategy: https://centerformaritimestrategy.org/publications/returning-from-ebb-tide-introduction/