Title 46, ShippingRelease 119-102
§56307 Return of Vessels
Title 46 › Subtitle V — Merchant Marine › Part E — Control of Merchant Marine Capabilities › CHAPTER 563 — EMERGENCY ACQUISITION OF VESSELS › § 56307
Summary
When the government takes a vessel for use but does not take ownership, the Secretary of Transportation must either give the vessel back in at least the same condition it was in when taken or pay the owner enough money to restore it to that condition. Normal wear and tear is allowed in either case.
Full Legal Text
Title 46, §56307
Shipping, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
When a vessel requisitioned for use but not ownership is returned to the owner, the Secretary of Transportation shall—
(1)return the vessel in a condition at least as good as when taken, less ordinary wear and tear; or
(2)pay the owner an amount sufficient to recondition the vessel to that condition, less ordinary wear and tear.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Historical and Revision Notes
Revised SectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 5630746 App.:1242(a) (4th sentence).June 29, 1936, ch. 858, title IX, § 902(a) (4th sentence), 49 Stat. 2015; Pub. L. 97–31, § 12(131), Aug. 6, 1981, 95 Stat. 165. The words “requisitioned for use but not ownership” are substituted for “taken and used under authority of this section, but the ownership thereof is not required by the United States” to eliminate unnecessary words.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
46 U.S.C. § 56307
Title 46, Shipping
Last Updated
Aug 21, 2026
Release point: 119-102