Dia De La Marina

Felipe Calderon will be in Mazatlan today for  Dia de la marina events.  Dia de la marina  commemorates the the date in 1917 when article 32 of the Constitution of the United Mexican States went into effect. The article states that any vessel flying the Mexican flag must be crewed by seamen who are Mexican by birth, which if it sounds like it’s discriminatory towards immigrants, it is.

The first Mexican admiral was an out of work former United States Admiral (David G. Porter), and naval officers up to the time of the Revolution tended to be either Spaniards or U.S. citizens… who had an annoying habit of changing sides during coups and counter-coups.

Several even went over to the enemy in 1846, when Commodore Shubrick sailed into Mazatlan, setting up the United States’ Navy’s first overseas base… and it’s first and last Mexican base.  Since this WAS for a short time the U.S. Pacific Fleet headquarters, I guess its appropriate to celebrate Felipe Calderon’s visit to the Mazatlan navy yard with an American sea chanty, filmed aboard the U.S.S. Reasoner in San Diego in 1978.  Ahoy!