Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy revealed on Thursday that the Merchant Marine Academy is restoring its iconic “Christ on the Water” painting to its original display, two years after it was removed.
The painting, depicting Jesus Christ guiding a boat full of merchants adrift in the ocean, was removed from its display at the academy’s Elliot M. See Room in 2023 following a complaint. After a cleaning and restoration process, the painting was moved to the academy’s basement, but the secretary announced on X, “We are moving Jesus out of the basement.”
“To all the great midshipmen at the Merchant Marine Academy, you let me know how important this painting was to all of you,” Duffy stated in a video posted on X. “Now we all know it was taken out of a place of prominence and put down in the basement. I worked with the academy, and because this is such a historic painting, I’m announcing that through that work with the academy, this painting is gonna go from the basement back to its place of prominence. It will be a moment to celebrate.”
The painting, also known as “Jesus and Lifeboat,” was painted by marine artist Hunter Wood in 1944 as a tribute to all merchant seamen torpedoed in World War II. In 1947, the painting was moved to the Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York.
Duffy visited the academy last month to commemorate Good Friday with the academy’s midshipmen, during which he was shown the painting. The transportation secretary, a devout Catholic, revealed last week that the midshipmen “lost their minds” in excitement when finding out he would have the painting restored to its original display, adding that he had a replica behind his desk at the Department of Transportation.
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Ahead of Thursday’s announcement, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) applauded Duffy’s efforts, writing in a letter that the secretary’s dedication was “a powerful moment of moral clarity and leadership.”
Last month, the White House conducted a weeklong celebration reflecting on Holy Week and Easter Sunday, during which President Donald Trump stated that his administration is “bringing religion back to America.”