‘Faithful American patriots’: Secretary Duffy returns Jesus painting back to prominence after Biden-era removal

For nearly 80 years, a painting of Jesus guiding stranded sailors hung at the United States Merchant Marine Academy’s Wiley Hall as a symbol of the sailors’ religious heritage. Now, Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy is returning the painting to a place of prominence back from the dark basement to which it was relegated during the Biden years.

During his visit to the academy in May, Duffy announced his intention to reinstall the painting that was removed in 2023.

‘God is good for these Mariners — true FAITHFUL American patriots!’

On Monday, Duffy celebrated the successful installation in a social media post.

“Jesus is out of the basement!” Secretary Duffy wrote on X. “I promised you I would restore faith at @UsmmaO by returning ‘Christ on the Water’ to its place of prominence, where it belongs after being taken down under Biden and my predecessor. God is good for these Mariners — true FAITHFUL American patriots!”

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Photographer: Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images

“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,” U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Acting Superintendent Captain Tony Ceraolo said in a press statement. “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.”

“Christ on the Water,” also known as “Jesus and Sailboat,” had been a fixture at the academy since 1947, when it was originally installed. Painted by marine artist Lt. Hunter Wood, USMS, in 1944, the painting is guessed to be set on sail canvas, likely with marine paints, and the varnish seems to have been spar varnish.

The Biden administration removed the painting in 2023 due to a complaint from the Military Religious Freedom Foundation. It was placed in a flood-prone space in the lower area of the building.

Now back on full display in the Elliot See Room of Wiley Hall, the painting can be enjoyed by the numerous faithful patriots at the academy. Duffy’s post included a photo of more than two dozen midshipmen.

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