Foreign Ship Registry Act

Foreign Ship Registry Act
Long title	An Act to provide for the admission of foreign-built ships to American registry for the foreign trade, and for other purposes.
Acronyms (colloquial)	FSRA
Nicknames	Foreign Ship Registry Act of 1914
Enacted by	the 63rd United States Congress
Effective	August 18, 1914
Citations
Public law	Pub. L.Tooltip Public Law (United States) 63–175
Statutes at Large	38 Stat. 698
Legislative history
	Introduced in the House as H.R. 18202 by Joshua W. Alexander (D-MO); Reported by the joint conference committee on August 14, 1914; agreed to by the House on August 17, 1914 (Agreed) and by the Senate on August 17, 1914 (40-20); Signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson on August 18, 1914;

The Foreign Ship Registry Act was a federal legislation that provided for the admission of foreign-built ships to the American registry.

Legal Repercussions

It provided admission of foreign-built ships to the American registry for foreign trade, making it easier for them to legally hoist the American flag. The bill provided for the survey, measurement, and inspection of such ships, though it did not require American ownership of a majority of stock in corporations applying for American registry, which was a clear violation of international custom and international law. Theoretically, Germany could get American registration, hoist the U.S. flag on its merchant vessels, and avoid the British Blockade. This possibility provoked much British protest; however, the German owners of vessels in American harbors dared not risk losing their property and did not take advantage of the act.

Suspension of the 1914 Statute

On September 7, 1917, President Woodrow Wilson issued Executive Order 2696 suspending the United States statute for a period of two years.^[1]

References

^ Peters,Gerhard; Woolley, John T. "Woodrow Wilson: "Executive Order 2696 — Suspending Law Admitting Foreign-Built Ships to American Entry," September 7, 1917". The American Presidency Project. University of California - Santa Barbara.

Periodical Bibliography

"TO RAISE OUR FLAG ON 14 OCEAN LINERS; International Mercantile Marine Co. to Change Registry When Act Is Amended. 160,000 ADDED TONNAGE Lapland, Arabic, and Cymric Among the Ships That Will Fly American Emblem". New York Times. August 6, 1914. p. 7.
"SHIP REGISTRY BILL PASSES THE SENATE; Conference Report Defeated by 40 to 20 Vote and the House Measure Adopted Entire". New York Times. August 18, 1914. p. 12.
"SIGNS SHIP REGISTRY BILL.; Fully 100 Foreign-Built Vessels Ready to Raise American Flag". New York Times. August 23, 1914. p. 15.
"NEW REGISTRY BILL SIGNED.; Final Step In Opening of American Registry to Foreign Ships". New York Times. September 5, 1914. p. 14.

Sources

Foreign Ship Registration Act
Text of the Foreign Ship Registry Act
Foreign Ship REgistraty Act
"Vessel Documents". Maritime Records. U.S. National Archives and Records Administration.

[1] Peters,Gerhard; Woolley, John T. "Woodrow Wilson: "Executive Order 2696 — Suspending Law Admitting Foreign-Built Ships to American Entry," September 7, 1917". The American Presidency Project. University of California - Santa Barbara.