Currently issued to all graduates of the United States Merchant Marine Academy and the six state-sanctioned maritime academies, the Merchant Marine pin was prescribed as the identifying insignia for all seamen who served in the Maritime Marines during the service’s heyday of World War II. It features the gold fouled anchor employed on Merchant Marine cap devices and rank insignia superimposed over a silver shield resting on ocean waves, centered inside a gold disc. Inscribed around the circumference of the disc are the words “United States Merchant Marine,” with the four main points of a compass rose—North, South, East, and West—identified by letters and arrows.
The United States Merchant Marine Academy and the six state-run institutions are run under purview of the United States Maritime Service.