The U.S. Department of Transportation announced the restored Christ on the Water painting has returned to the Merchant Marine Academy’s Wiley Hall, where it hung for nearly 80 years.
The unveiling featured remarks from Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy, Acting Superintendent Capt. Tony Ceraolo, Historian Dr. Josh Smith, and Midshipman Colin Mushorn.
Created in 1944 by merchant marine officer Lt. Hunter Wood, the painting shows seamen in a lifeboat with Christ off their bow. It is considered a key part of the Academy’s cultural and wartime legacy. It was moved in 2023 to the Mariners’ Memorial Chapel basement under the Biden administration.
At the ceremony, Secretary Duffy said the restoration and return fulfilled a promise to restore the piece to a place of honor on campus.
“Our purpose today is to preserve a piece of the Academy’s cultural and historical legacy,” said Capt. Ceraolo, who commended the ceremony as recognizing the Academy’s heritage. “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.”
Also known as Jesus and Lifeboat, the painting was created for the Merchant Marine Cadet Basic School chapel in San Mateo, California, as a tribute to seamen lost in World War II. After that, the campus closed in 1947, and it was relocated to Kings Point, where it was placed in Wiley Hall, which served as the Academy’s chapel until 1961.
According to the DOT, wartime shortages led Lt. Wood to paint on sail canvas with marine paints and spar varnish. Historian Frank Braynard called it his most ambitious work. For generations of midshipmen, the piece has stood as both a historic artifact and a tribute to the merchant marine’s wartime service.
Jesus is out of the basement!
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… pic.twitter.com/99ddlMnyDr
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) September 30, 2025
We brought Jesus out of the basement!
Now, more than ever, Americans should be proud of their faith and commitment to patriotic duty.
The historic, “Christ on the Water” painting is back in its place of prominence at @UsmmaO where it belongs🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/yOXrlbrlY3
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) September 30, 2025
