USS Centers
United Seamen’s Service Centers
Everyday, seafarers arrive in foreign ports after working strenuously at sea. They may be unfamiliar with the city; or in need of medical help and don’t speak the native language.
For these seafarers, help awaits them at the United Seamen’s Service (USS) Centers in Bremerhaven, Germany; Casablanca, Morocco; Okinawa and Yokohama, Japan; Busan, Korea; and on the island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean that offer a “home away from home” for all seafarers.
Our centers have a long history in serving men and women that work on ships. USS Casablanca Center has been in operation since 1952 and Busan, Korea since 1954; Bremerhaven, Yokohama, Okinawa have all been in operation sine the late 1940’s.
Since 1942, United Seamen’s Service has provided recreation, communication, counseling, dining and health services for thousands of seafarers at its eight centers worldwide and to those on ships, in hospital or detention. For more than 67 years, our staff has recognized that there is nothing like a nourishing meal, a place for camaraderie and a “home away from home” when one is lonely or in need.
USS Centers welcome all seafarers along the U.S. Service personnel transiting and stationed in ports around the world, especially fleet sailors. Center staff offers a listening ear, guidance and information and essential contacts for medical referrals, if needed. Outreach programs to ships, hospitals and detention centers bring the USS services to seafarers who are unable to visit the centers.
Our open-door approach addresses the concerns of entire port communities and promotes respect and understanding for seafarers throughout the world.
