Overview

• Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed the relocation of the 'Christ on the Water' painting back to the Elliot M. See Room at the Merchant Marine Academy in New York.
• The painting, created in 1944 by Lt. Hunter Wood, honors merchant seamen torpedoed during World War II and was displayed at the academy for nearly 80 years.
• In 2023, the Biden administration moved the painting to the basement following a complaint from the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, citing constitutional concerns.
• Duffy emphasized the painting's historical and emotional significance to midshipmen and worked with academy leadership to facilitate its return.
• The Military Religious Freedom Foundation has threatened legal action over the decision, maintaining its objection on constitutional grounds.