Fox News reports that, as a result of Iran detaining a Maersk-owned ship registered in the Marshall Islands, the U.S. Navy will begin "accompanying" all U.S. flagged ships through the Straits of Hormuz. The article is careful to explain "accompanying" is different from "escorting."
Unfortunately, the story is somewhat dishonest. Fox should have told you there are almost no U.S. flagged ships, either cargo or passenger, operating on international routes. Most U.S. owned ships are registered in the Bahamas, Panama, Liberia, Malta or Bermuda because it is much cheaper to do so.
The practice of "flag of convenience" is quite old, Wikipedia says it began in the 1920s when U.S. regulations and unions became cumbersome for shipowners who began registering their ships in Panama. That sounds about right.
