Christ on the Water
LT Hunter Wood, USMS
Oil on Canvas, circa 1944
AMMM 1947.014.001

Our “Christ on the Water” painting is located below the main sanctuary, in the lower rear hallway of the Mariners’ Memorial Chapel, outside the Protestant and Catholic chapels.  

The Painting

Also known as “Jesus and Lifeboat,” this painting by noted marine artist LT Hunter Wood, USMS, portrays merchant seamen adrift in a lifeboat, presumably after being torpedoed. Wood painted it in 1944 for the chapel being built at the U.S. Merchant Marine Cadet Basic School in San Mateo, California, as a tribute to all merchant seamen, especially to cadet-midshipmen (as they were then known) who had been torpedoed during World War II. The figure holding the tiller wears a midshipman’s combination cover (hat) with its distinctive anchor device. Other notable details include the tattoos on the arms of one seafarer. Somewhat unusually, the painting is on what appears to be sail canvas, likely used marine paints, and the varnish seems to have been spar varnish. Wartime shortages of artist supplies partly explain these materials, but Wood seems to have liked using marine materials for his artwork. To date, no statement by the artist has emerged about this painting to explain its composition, but maritime historian Frank Braynard described it as Wood’s most ambitious work. Due to budgetary constraints, the San Mateo campus closed in 1947, and the painting came to Kings Point, where it was installed in the chapel in Wiley Hall, which served as the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy’s interfaith chapel from 1942 to 1961. The painting remained there for decades until the Academy moved the artwork to the lower level of the Mariners’ Memorial Chapel in 2023, after having it professionally conserved and cleaned.

The Artist

Hunter Alexander Wood (1908-1948) was the son of famous marine painter Worden George Wood. At age seventeen, Wood commenced training at the New York State Schoolship, now known as the State University of New York Maritime College. In the 1930s, Wood sailed for several steamship companies and did freelance work as an artist in advertising, allowing him to develop his own distinctive style, earn a commercial aviator’s license, and serve a stint in the New York National Guard. Wood joined the U.S. Coast Guard with the rank of Chief Boatswain’s Mate on December 17, 1941, just ten days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and saw action during the invasion of North Africa in late 1942 before serving as an artist in the Coast Guard Combat Artist Unit. In 1944, Wood took a commission as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Maritime Service (USMS) at the new U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York, with occasional forays to other facilities, such as the Cadet Basic School in San Mateo, California, where he painted “Christ on the Water.” Wood remained with the USMS after World War II ended, advancing to Lieutenant Commander. In 1947, he married Mary Zizan in New York City, just months before he died in 1948 due to an automobile accident. Wood’s paintings continue to grace the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston, Massachusetts, the U.S. Coast Guard Historian’s Office in Washington, DC, the Mariners’ Museum and Park in Newport News, Virginia, and numerous private collections.

UPDATED: Statement on Painting Entitled “Christ on the Water” at the United States Merchant Marine Academy – September 12, 2023

In late August, the painting, titled “Christ on the Water,” was returned to the United States Merchant Marine Academy after several months of conservation and restoration. The conservation firm noted that “it took 4 distinct separate cleanings to remove nicotine, dirt and varnish from the water, boat, and Christ (with aura).” After cleaning and painting, the artwork which hung in the Elliot M. See Room of Wiley Hall for 76 years, was newly installed in the lower rear hallway of the Mariners’ Memorial Chapel, outside the Protestant and Catholic chapels.  

UPDATED: Statement on Painting Entitled “Christ on the Water” at the United States Merchant Marine Academy – May 17, 2023

Today a reputable Pennsylvania art conservation firm carefully removed the painting, titled “Christ on the Water,” from the Astronaut Elliot M. See Room of Wiley Hall. Despite its age, the painting is in generally good condition. However, professional conservation will return the painting to its original splendor allowing many more Kings Pointers to enjoy it for decades to come. The Academy hopes to mount the newly restored painting in the Mariners’ Memorial Chapel in early autumn. 

UPDATED: Statement on Painting Entitled “Christ on the Water” at the United States Merchant Marine Academy – February 17, 2023

In early January, the Academy received a complaint about a painting located in the Astronaut Elliot M. See Room. The Room is in the Academy’s main administration building—Wiley Hall. The painting, titled “Christ on the Water,” depicts an image of Jesus appearing before merchant mariners adrift in a lifeboat. From 1942 to 1961, the Elliot See Room served as the Academy’s interfaith chapel. Since then, until February 2023, the Room was used by administrators, faculty, staff, and midshipmen for meetings and events. The Elliot See Room was also used as a venue for proceedings held to determine whether a midshipman had violated the Academy’s Honor Code.

The complaint suggested that the painting sends an improper message of preferred faith in violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment of the Constitution. The Academy evaluated this complaint. In balancing our responsibility to foster a community of mutual respect and adhere to the law, we have decided to discontinue use of the Elliot See Room for official business. The Room will remain available to members of our community who wish to view the painting.  Finally, we will engage a vendor to clean and restore the painting and eventually display it at the Academy’s Chapel.

Statement on Painting Entitled “Christ on the Water” at the United States Merchant Marine Academy – January 26, 2023

The Academy has taken immediate steps to respond to the constitutional concerns related to a painting hanging in the Elliot See Conference Room in Wiley Hall.

The 10-foot by 19-foot painting, entitled "Christ on the Water" and also known as “Jesus and Lifeboat,” was painted in 1944 by noted marine artist Lt. Hunter Wood, USMS, to hang in the chapel built at the USMMA Basic School in San Mateo, California. The painting depicts an image of Jesus and merchant seamen adrift in a lifeboat, presumably after being torpedoed in the Indian Ocean during World War II. When the San Mateo campus closed in 1947, the painting came to the Academy, and was installed in its current location, which served as the Academy’s interfaith chapel from 1942 to 1961. The American Merchant Marine Museum has custody of the painting and holds it as a heritage asset.

When deciding on a solution to the concerns raised, the Academy explored multiple options to comply with the law while seeking to balance the interests of everyone in our community. Our priority is to ensure the Academy is a welcoming environment for all and that it respects all religions without endorsing one over any others. In light of this, the Academy has chosen to cover the painting with curtains and will also install a plaque describing its history. The curtains will remain closed when official Academy meetings and events are conducted. This solution balances legal requirements with the concerns of those who have an interest in the painting.