Loose Lips Save Ships: PRESS RELEASE 12.7.2019

PRESS RELEASE: December 7, 2019 Scotts Valley, CA. LOOSE LIPS - SAVE SHIPS: Today, America’s Supremacy on the High Seas is being seriously challenged by Russia, China and Iran. While the United States Navy is strong and well equipped, the United States Merchant Marine, that provides 95% of the supplies for the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps, has less than 100 U.S. Flag Cargo Ships available for military resupply.

In the first 4 months of World War II, 114 merchant ships were sunk. This is not only an issue about the number of ships, this is also an issue about the crews to operate these ships. Currently, America is short over 1800 Mariners to operate our current inventory of U.S. Flag merchant ships.

Significantly, this is the third time in American history that we have allowed the Merchant Marine to deteriorate.

This situation could prove catastrophic in a future conflict. This is an American Achilles Heel that the Russian, Chinese and Iranian military are fully aware. This is a real National Security Emergency.

Making this issue more complicated, few Americans are even aware of the existence of the United States Merchant Marine. Despite the Merchant Marine's critical importance to National Security, even fewer Americans are aware of the Merchant Marine’s vital role in American History.

At a time, when the Jones Act is being challenged, the maritime industry requires public support to be able to secure the significant subsidies that will be required to permit America to rebuild its U.S. Flag international ocean-going maritime fleet.

The deterioration of our merchant fleet has been occurring over decades. In an effort to bring the plight of the Merchant Marine to National attention, the documentary film, The Last Liberty was, originally, produced in the 1980’s. At that time, America still had 350 ships. Today, America has less than 100 ocean-going merchant ships in a World Fleet of over 50,000 ships in International Trade.

Recent actions by President Vladimir Putin, have made the original film, The Last Liberty, strikingly prophetic.

Employing the Original narration track and significant new historic and contemporary footage, creates an opportunity to craft a modern tale for today’s Americans: the documentary film Lessons of the Last Liberty.

Lessons of the Last Liberty provides a modern perspective of the historical importance of the United States Merchant Marine spanning from 1776 to 2019. This film stars President Franklin Roosevelt, President Vladimir Putin, with a cameo appearance by Humphrey Bogart.

Lessons of the Last Liberty will, initially, be distributed through a Loose Lips – Save Ships Affiliate Marketing Program to the 650,000 U.S. Maritime Industry workers. Whereby, the various Maritime Museums, Historic Ships, and Maritime Organizations, will be able to generate revenue by alerting their members to this historic film. This, Tell a Friend Program, permits a portion of the rental or sales of the video to be returned to the organization that originated the original lead.

However, this Loose Lips – Save Ships Program is only networking within the Maritime Industry and Navy. What is needed to alert the American people to the National Security importance of the United States Merchant Marine is a National Marketing Campaign.

The Producer's intent is that Lessons of the Last Liberty will rally the Maritime Industry together, in a National Marketing Campaign which will permit the Merchant Marine Story to reach beyond the Maritime Industry and Navy, and also reach Americans who are: hundreds or thousands of miles from salt water.

Lessons of the Last Liberty is an opportunity to bring the important story of the Merchant Marine to a new generation of Americans by Connecting the Dots – Through Maritime History.

Lessons of the Last Liberty is, now, available at www.thelastliberty.com Contact: Robert Ferrand producer@thelastliberty.com 650-576-3334