German submarines began sinking American vessels along our coast after the United States entered World War II in 1941, and it was no longer possible for the Merchants and Miners Line to remain in business. During World War II all of the Merchants and Miners fleet served our country carrying troops and supplies to Europe and the Pacific. By the time the war ended, few Merchants and Miners Line ships had survived, and even the survivors were no longer fit for peacetime service. The cost of reconditioning ships became prohibitive due to post-war inflation. In 1952 the once-famous line, that offered short, relaxing, and inexpensive cruises, gave up after 100 years.
Today there are no American passenger ships at all operating to our ports along the Atlantic Coast.
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