"From the earliest times man has turned to the waters to carry goods and passengers. Through the centuries he has harnessed many different forms of energy to move his cargoes on rivers, bays, and seas. He has built rafts to move upon the currents, galleys rowed by men, sailing ships of great variety to tap the strength of the winds, and steam and motor ships driven by the energy of coal and oil. Now man is ready to use the primordial source of power, the conversion of matter into energy, to send his merchant vessels on their voyages."