Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced that a painting removed by the Biden administration has returned.
The “Christ on the Water” painting’s return was celebrated in an unveiling ceremony. It had been hung for nearly 80 years in the Elliot M. See Room of Wiley Hall at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) before being removed in 2023.
“Burying this historic painting in the basement wasn’t just a mistake—it was an insult to the faith and legacy of service that built this Academy and our nation,” said Duffy. “By restoring ‘Christ on the Water’ to its rightful place, we sent a clear message to our midshipmen: their Christian faith is a virtue to be proud of, not something to be censored.”
“I want to thank Secretary Duffy for his continued support of our Academy and the midshipmen who call this place home,” U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Acting Superintendent Captain Tony Ceraolo stated. “Our purpose today is to preserve a piece of the Academy’s cultural and historical legacy. We honor the past and the resilience of those who came before us. This painting is about history, remembrance, and hope ensuring that the story of our midshipmen and their wartime experiences remain part of our shared institutional memory.”
The painting, also called “Jesus and Lifeboat,” was painted in 1944 by marine artist LT Hunter Wood. The artwork serves as a tribute to merchant seamen, “especially to cadet-midshipmen who had been torpedoed during World War II,” the Transportation Department explained.
Duffy announced his intention to return the painting in May, saying, “We are moving Jesus out of the basement. To all the great midshipmen at the Merchant Marine Academy, you let me know how important this painting was to all of you. Now we all know it was taken out of a place of prominence and put in down in the basement.”
“I worked with the Academy and because this is such a historic painting, I’m announcing that through that work with the Academy, this painting is going to go from the basement back to its place of prominence,” Duffy declared, adding that the picture’s reinstatement would be a “moment to celebrate.”
