The Navy League of the United States presents Maritime Americans: Vital to the Future of Our Country. No industry has been more vital to the success of our country than America’s maritime industry. Our industry provides jobs for hundreds of thousands of Maritime Americans in every corner of our  nation—from longshoremen in ports along our four seacoasts, to towboat operators navigating the  Mississippi, to shipbuilders in East Coast dry docks, to the men and women who crew American-flag vessels of all types.