maritime_academy

Thanks But No Thanks – Says US Navy To TS Kennedy

Having just recently departed for their ~~summer~~ winter training cruise, Mass Maritime Cadets got a surprise call from the state department… Cape Code Online tells us:
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Tags: · maritime_academy, mass_maritime, training_ship

Manned Models – An Unusual Training Device

From the gCaptain archives…

Our friend Peter Mello at Sea-Fever, a must read maritime blog, brings us the model building obsession of William Terra. This one stopped me cold for a number of reasons. First Battleships have been a personal obsession of mine since childhood and were the subject of the weapons presentation during my plebe year at Annapolis. Second, these “manned models” are an excellent (some say superior) alternative to simulators for shiphandling training. Last, if it comes from Sea-Fever it’s bound to be interesting.

In the post titled “The Germans are coming! The Germans are coming! (by pickup and trailer)” Sea-Fever writes;

Four years in the making and a few more needed to “complete” the project, Mr. Terra built a 1:20 scale, 30′, navigating model of the World War II German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee. (Wikipedia entry) Per Bizmark & Tirpitz:

The model is scratch built like a canoe using 2,54 – 10,16 cm (1 – 4 in) bass wood strips and then covered with fiberglass.

Estimated weight 318 kg (700 lbs).

The beam is 1,32 meter (52 in).

The length is about 9,1 meter (30 foot).

It can carry 2 persons.

The model is powered by a 15 hp (11,2 kw) outboard engine under rear gun turret.

It can sail 24 kilometer per hour (15 mph).

Furthermore the model has a music system build in.

While William Terra cruise the lakes of Maine he enjoys listening to Wagner.

The Commander-in-Chief in the photographs is William Terra.

William Terra would like to see more models build in this scale

Click HERE for photos and related links.

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Tags: · battleship, bismark, manned_models, maritime_academy, maritime_training, mass_maritime, models, naval_history, port_revel, shiphandling, ship_models, Training

gCaptain’s Meeting With SUNY Maritime College

Ft Schuyler

Over the holidays, some of gCaptain’s crew went back to our hometown of NYC, er the suburbs of NYC. While back east, we started working closely with Jane Bartnett of the Communications Office at Suny Maritime College (and John’s alma mater). The main goal of our discussions was to brainstorm ideas for building a strong working relationship going into the future.

Unfortunately, our first idea was shot down pretty quickly and it went something like this:

gCaptain – “Can’t you just make reading gCaptain a requirement for your students?”

Schuyler – “I thought you said you want them to be interested!”

Good point. We then came to the more rational conclusion that the best thing we can do is to provide SUNY Maritime with a regular column here on the blog that will focus on important issues in the maritime community. And, next time that gCaptain is in NY (probably sometime in March) we will stop by and speak to some of the cadets in attempt to generate some interest.

As many of you probably know, we just recently switched our Forum software to a more robust system. One category that we see a lot of opporotunity in is the Cadets Corner, a private category that only cadets can gain access to. Not only that, but we believe that cadets will find interest and knowledge in the wealth of information that has been generated thanks to all our members.

Be sure to keep an eye out for the Suny Maritime College column that we will begin sometime in the near future. For now, we want to thank to Jane and the rest of the people at SUNY Maritime for meeting with us and seeing the potential in the things we are doing here at gCaptain.

To repay Jane for treating us to lunch, we thought we would post this information on a free conference that they have coming up next week. If you happen to be in the area, we recommend that you check it out. [Continue Reading →]

Tags: · conferences, maritime_academy

Empress Of The North – Preliminary Report Published

empress uscg Empress Of The North Preliminary Report Published

The preliminary report on the Empress Of The North grounding and subsequent abandonment (no fatalities) was released by the NTSB today. The BBC reports;

Marino Cattiotti was put in charge for four hours because another navigator was ill, the National Transportation Safety Board report said.

More than 200 people were evacuated when the Empress of the North hit a rock 25 miles (40km) from Juneau.

The report called the designation of Mr Cattiotti as navigator “imprudent”.

Hull ripped

Mr Cattiotti was fresh out of a maritime academy, the National Transportation Safety Board preliminary report said.

It was his first voyage on the ship.

The report said instructors believed that “placing a recent graduate of the school with no watch experience outside of a training environment, on watch, at night, in pilotage waters, in an unfamiliar vessel, without any additional preparation and/or supervision, was imprudent”.

Mr Cattiotti had said he had not taken part in any drills or had any training on the Empress of the North.

Not that this is a surprise to gCaptain readers as we reported such in gCaptain’s 16th ever post, “Alaska Cruise Ship – New Mate, Wrong Turn” and also HERE back in May. What’s surprising is we have received insider knowledge that the Coast Guard had asked the young mate to voluntarily hand over his license and “find a new profession”. While this is standard operating procedure following an incident it is worrisome in cases like this. We are, however, happy to report that the young mate made the right choice in not handing over his license and is looking (or has found) a new job. No word on the Captain’s state of employment though.

Tags: · alaska_cruise_ship, Empress Of The North, empress_of_the_north_grounding, Lifesaving Incidents, maritime_academy, national_transportation_safety_board, ntsb

Training Ship Texas Clipper – A Sinking Embarrassment

Texas Clipper Sinking

With over nine years of planning completed Texas A&M’s training ship the Texas Clipper was prepared to start her new life as an artificial reef. Texas Parks and Wildlife writes; “A small armada of boats carried curious visitors to the site as officials from the USCG and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service observed the reefing. A helicopter hovered overhead to capture an aerial view of the event for the media and those who could not venture onto the Gulf waters. A number of former crew members of the ship made it through the rough seas aboard chartered and private vessels to witness the transition to her fourth and final life as home to sea life and a destination for divers and anglers.”

Only there was a problem…

Today’s Houston Chronicle tells us;

A World War II ship purposely sunk in the Gulf of Mexico to create an artificial reef has tipped onto its side, blocking access to the interior for fish and divers.

The sinking capped years of problems, including an unplanned sinking near Beaumont and a $600,000 cleanup of hazardous chemicals.

State officials were hoping the Clipper would become a destination for divers and boost local tourism by an estimated $30 million per year. It was meant to stand upright so divers and fish could explore the 80-foot high, 473-foot long ship by swimming through decks and cabins.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department spokesman Aaron Reed said it was unclear what caused the ship to tip. The sinking of the ship has already cost the state about $4 million.

Tim O’Leary, owner of a dive shop on the coast, had expected the wreck to keep his business busy into December. But the ship is on its side now, more suited for skilled cave divers. Continue Reading…