The American Merchant Marine Museum has a collection of corporate seals and stock certificates from IMM and its holding. Below are the seal impressions and stock certificates. Also included is a brief corporate tell-all and a digression on USL paper-companies.
IMM/USL Corporate Seals
Seals col.: AMM Impressions col.: IW
List of seals (company – place incorporated – incorporation year)
The Atlantic Transport Co. of W. Va. – Baltimore, MD – 1898
Number One Broadway Corporation – New York – 1920
Roosevelt Steamship Company, Inc – Delaware – 1920
Broadway-Whitehall Corporation Formerly Number One Broadway Corporation – New York – 1920
Transportation Trading Co., Inc – New York – 1923
American Steamship Corporation – Delaware – 1925
American Pioneer Line-Atlantic Division, Inc. – New York – 1928
Atlantic Australian Line – New York – 1928
International Mercantile Marine Dock Company, Inc. – New York – 1928
The Baltimore Mail Steamship Company – Maryland – 1930
American Lines Company – Nevada – 1931
United States Lines Company – Nevada – 1931
North Atlantic Transport Company – Republic of Panama – 1939
Main Corp. – Republic of Liberia – 1971
Ming Corp. – Republic of Liberia – 1971
Mist Corp. – Republic of Liberia – 1971
IMM Stock Certificates
Kicked In and Kicked Out
An interesting take on the activities of IMM and its various subsidiaries at the time of the ratification of the Merchant Marine Act of 1936 is “tell-all” by Ewing Young Mitchell, a former Assistant Secretary of Commerce in the early Roosevelt Administration: Kicked In and Kicked Out of the President’s Little Cabinet (1936).
Main, Ming and Mist Corporation
Out of curiosity, I decided to figure out who the Main, Ming, and Mist were. I discovered they were paper-front companies that owned the sister ships, American Main (1972), American Ming (1973), and American Mist (1972). These three ships were Far East feeder vessels and were managed on behalf of United States Lines by Jardine, Matheson, & Co. They were eventually returned to United States Lines and subsequently renamed, Strait Container, American Islander, and American Comanche. The American Ming and American Mist ownership passed to further paper-front companies whose only holdings were the single ships. Do note: USL filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1986.
Main Corp fleet:
American Main (1972) – Liberia ; renamed Strait Container (1978) – Liberia
Ming Corp fleet:
American Ming (1973) – Liberia owner Conship Corp (only holding) ; (1973) owner Ming Corp – Liberia ; renamed American Islander (1977) – Liberia ; renamed Formosa Container (1979) – Liberia ; (1984) owner Pro-Line Sg Co Ltd – Liberia.
Mist Corp fleet:
American Mist (1972) – Liberia ; renamed American Comanche (1978) owner American Comanche Ltd – London.
Tianjin Eagle (1975) – Panama ; renamed Trade Splendor (1989) owner Trade Splendor Inc – Panama.