XXII. Annual List of Merchant Vessels
The law provides that the Commissioner of Navigation shall publish annually a list of vessels of the United States belonging to the commercial marine, specifying their official number, signal letters, name, rig, tonnage, home port, and place and date of build, distinguishing sailing vessels from those propelled by steam or other motive power. The list for the year 1919 was the fifty-first list so published.
Under the provisions of an act passed in 1912 it is required that upon affidavit by a reputable ship builder as to the rebuilding of unrigged wooden vessels, giving date and place of their rebuilding, and certifying that they are sound and free from rotten wood and in every respect seaworthy, a notation to this effect shall be included in the list. It is noted that the provision applies only to unrigged wooden vessels, and thus does not cover the case of rigged barges, whatever their size.