2018 US Code
Title 50 - War and National Defense
Chapter 57 - Claims Under the Clarification Act
Sec. 4704 - United States as entitled to all benefits of exemption and limitation of liability accorded to owners of vessels

The United States shall, with respect to vessels owned by or chartered to the War Shipping Administrator ¹ under bareboat charter or time charter or operated directly by such Administrator or for his account, be entitled to the benefits of all exemptions and of all limitations of liability accorded by law to the owners of vessels. With respect to any such vessel, the term "the United States" shall include agents or other persons acting for or on behalf of the Administrator in connection with the operation thereof.

(Mar. 24, 1943, ch. 26, §4, 57 Stat. 51.)

Section was formerly classified to section 1294 of the former Appendix to this title prior to editorial reclassification and renumbering as this section.

War Shipping Administration terminated as of Sept. 1, 1946, and functions, powers, duties, etc., transferred to United States Maritime Commission for period Sept. 1, 1946, to Dec. 31, 1946, for purpose of liquidating Administration, by act July 8, 1946, ch. 543, title II, §202, 60 Stat. 501.

United States Maritime Commission abolished by Reorg. Plan No. 21, 1950, eff. May 24, 1950, 15 F.R. 3178, 64 Stat. 1273, set out in the Appendix to Title 5, Government Organization and Employees, which transferred part of its functions and part of functions of its Chairman to Federal Maritime Board and Chairman thereof, that Board having been created by that Plan as an agency within Department of Commerce with an independent status in some respects, and transferred remainder of Commission's functions and functions of its Chairman to Secretary of Commerce, with power vested in Secretary to authorize their performance by Maritime Administrator, the head of Maritime Administration, which likewise was established by the Plan in Department of Commerce with provision that Chairman of Federal Maritime Board should, ex officio, be that Administrator.

Federal Maritime Board, including offices of members of Board, abolished by section 304 of Reorg. Plan No. 7 of 1961, eff. Aug. 12, 1961, 26 F.R. 7315, 75 Stat. 843, set out in the Appendix to Title 5, Government Organization and Employees. Functions of Board transferred either to Federal Maritime Commission or to Secretary of Commerce by sections 103 and 202 of Reorg. Plan No. 7 of 1961.

Maritime Administration transferred from Department of Commerce to Department of Transportation by Maritime Act of 1981, Pub. L. 97–31, Aug. 6, 1981, 95 Stat. 151, which was repealed in part by Pub. L. 109–304, §19, Oct. 6, 2006, 120 Stat. 1710. See section 109 of Title 49, Transportation.

Vessel operations conducted under Vessel Operations Revolving Fund, applicability of this section to, see section 50301(a) to (e) of Title 46, Shipping.

¹ See Transfer of Functions note below.