May 20 is European Maritime Day. The purpose of the day is to raise awareness of the importance of the oceans and the role that they play in the lives of Europeans.
On 20 May 2008, the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union, and the European Commission signed a Joint Tripartite Declaration Establishing a "European Maritime Day". This was done as part of the Integrated Maritime Policy, which was proposed by the European Commission in October 2007 and endorsed at the European Council on 14 December 2007.
Each year, a European Maritime Conference is held. This year's conference is in Piraeus, Greece.
The sea has played a role in the lives of Europeans in my family. My great-great-grandfather's brother Ola Peter Troedson was a sjöman (seaman) in Grevie, Skåne, Sweden. My great-great-grandmother's brother Andreas Eriksen was a skipperborger (skipper/ship master, social layer above the working class) in Haugesund, Rogaland, Norway. My 4th-great-grandfather Hugh Winters lived in the port city of Leith, Scotland and worked as a fireman, probably on ships. James Mapplebeck's father's family was from Rawcliffe, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, which is about 3 miles from the port city of Goole. His father's brother Robert Mapplebeck was a mate of a home trade passenger ship, and his father's brother William Mapplebeck was a captain who drowned when his ship was lost at sea.
References
European Commission: European Maritime Day
European Commission - PRESS RELEASES - Press release - 20 May: European Maritime Day set up by European institutions
European Maritime Day
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