The Schooner Bowdoin Encounters Rough weather in the Laurentian Channel, image by Roberto Riveira, Maine Maritime Academy

In this modern age, all maritime schools are spending a great deal of money and time buying and training our students to operate the latest technologies in ship operations and management.  Why then would Maine Maritime Academy want to also train them to sail an eighty year old sailing ship?

The answers are many, but first let it be said that we don’t require all of our students to sail on our sail training vessel, the 1921 built, wooden, two-masted schooner Bowdoin.  We require our Vessel Operations & Technology students (candidates for 500 or 1600 ton licenses) to do so, and we encourage all others to do so.

The primary reason we encourage all students to take advantage of this training is that we consider it the finest basic training there is for a career at sea.  It is training with consequences.

How many mates, standing watch in the enclosed, air conditioned bridge of a container ship or tanker, do you think would be able to answer the question “What direction and strength is the wind at this moment?” without having to look, either out the wheelhouse windows, or worse, at the anemometer?  It would be a rare mate on a sailing ship who couldn’t tell you immediately, without even glancing at the compass.  Most of them could tell you even when they are off watch.  And most of them will notice, even when down below having dinner, if the wind shifts by more than a point.

Why?  Because such information has consequences on board a sailing ship.  It has consequences on board a container ship or a tanker as well, but too many mates are too far removed from their environment to notice such things.

A training program on board a sailing ship requires no contrived input from the “trainers” since the environment provides the curriculum.  If you simply require the trainees to plan and execute the voyage they will get plenty of training.  That is what makes it such a powerful training tool.  There need be no lecture on the effects of a wind shift on your planned route.  It will be obvious when it occurs, and it will demand a solution immediately.  There will be no grade to debate.  You will either arrive on time, and without damage, or you will not.  It will be quite clear if you have passed the final exam.

The consequence of each and every decision is obvious…sometimes painfully so.  A delayed decision about reefing might be made out of laziness, inattention to the changing conditions or simply out of decision-making paralysis.  Regardless of the reason, such a delay may easily require all hands to be called in the middle of the night to tie in a reef (shorten sail) in the midst of a squall, increasing the risk to all.  All hands will know who didn’t pass that test of seamanship.  There are consequences to even the smallest things.  A furled sail incorrectly secured to the spar will find its way out of its lashing in a squall, perhaps causing the loss of the sail.  The consequences of that mistake are more than financial.  Shipmates on some vessels will have to be put at risk to climb aloft to secure the damaged sail before more harm is done.  Then the vessel will have to proceed at reduced speed until a sail repair lesson is completed.

Auxiliary Sail class practicing reefing with MMA’s second, smaller schooner Puritan in Castine harbor, with the Bowdoin and many of our small boats in the background.

Every aspect of seamanship is revealed in its purest and most demanding form.  Some examples:

Meteorology:  You must understand the minutest details of meteorology if you are to take advantage of every slant of wind between departure and arrival.  To miss the signs of an approaching storm or squall can have severe consequences.

Marlinspike Seamanship:  You will use knots and splices, bends and beckets, deadeyes and lanyards, wire and rope, canvass stitches and patches, and rigging techniques that though old, are still important today.  For what is modern cargo gear (yes, even a container crane) but a refinement of the old sailing ship rig?  It may be nearly unrecognizable now, but the basic principles are exactly the same, and an understanding of the basics will help the mate understand the most modern equipment.

Stability:  A sailing ship is a stability model in motion.  You see and feel every force.  You are engaged in a perpetual inclining experiment.  You must constantly monitor the forces of the sails and the seas so as to stay within the safe limits of your dynamic stability curves.  While a sailing ship’s generous stability may be forgiving, the crew may not be when you cause them to be thrown from their bunks by misreading the approaching wave, or failing to slack a sheet.

Shiphandling:  As master of a modern containership, car carrier, or LNG ship you will be carrying more sail area than the largest sailing ship ever built.  If you don’t understand the effects of wind on a sail you will forever be at a disadvantage when handling your vessel.  If, however, you have learned to handle a sailing vessel you will find it intuitive to use the wind as an assisting force whenever possible.  Even when not under sail, a sailing ship is a strict teacher of shiphandling, for such vessels are typically under-powered, carry a large amount of windage, and have very delicate projections at each end (bowsprits and boomkins and such).

Cargo Stowage:  Given the amount of heel that sailing vessels typically carry when under sail, cargo stowage is arguably more demanding than on any other type of vessel.  Imagine being told to stow your cargo for a voyage that will be conducted with an anticipated list of ten degrees, which will alternate every few days from port to starboard.  And expect to roll deeply on a regular basis.  Your cargo lashings and shoring will be severely tested.

Navigation:  Gone is the notion of laying down a trackline in advance and following it for days or weeks on end.  Under sail there is no such thing as a rhumb line or a great circle track from departure to destination.  Every day is spent going in every direction but the one you desire, hoping to make good, on average, a track approximately toward your destination.  Your navigation is constantly challenged as you carry each tack as close to danger as circumstances and good seamanship permit, in order to take advantage of a good slant of wind.

Navigation instruction on board the Bowdoin, at Bras D’Or Lakes, Nova Scotia

Merchant Navies of many countries have long recognized the value of a traditional sailing vessel to train men and women to sail on power driven merchant ships.  Some of our students will benefit by this training for a merchant marine career.  But with all the traditional sailing ships operating in the world today, we are in fact training many of our students to be the mates and masters aboard these sailing vessels.  Tall Ships America (formerly the American Sail Training Association) lists over 150 such vessels in their directory, and all of them need qualified and certified mates and masters.  Maine Maritime Academy is the only school in the US where a student can get a college degree, a license, and all the necessary international certificates to sail in these positions.  We have a large number of faculty and staff with extensive experience in this field, and as a result we have assembled a concentration in Sail Training.  This curriculum includes courses dealing with topics such as rigging, sail handling, and sailing vessel stability.

In August of 2003 we determined by poll that forty percent of our incoming mate candidates considered sail training to be a “major” factor in their choice of MMA over other maritime colleges.  It is a niche market, and we are proud to be in the lead position in this unique field, especially since it compliments our core mission so well.

Details about MMA’s Sail Training Curriculum can be found at:  http://sailtraining.mma.edu/

Navy 44's round the leeward mark during the 2005 Lloyd Phoenix Regatta in Annapolis, MD

By Art Pine, images by Robert Almeida

Step aboard a naval vessel these days, and you quickly see a stunning breadth of high-technology equipment. Navigating? Today’s ship is the province of GPS receivers and computers.  Posting a lookout? That task is handled largely by satellites and sophisticated radar. The helm is highly automated. And nuclear power is the propulsion of choice.

So why bother training today’s officer candidates on sailing vessels?

The debate has been going on for decades, intensifying with each advance in shipboard technology. In the latest go-around, Vice Admiral Jeffrey L. Fowler, the U.S. Naval Academy’s superintendent from mid-2007 to August 2010, raised hackles by trimming the sail-training program there, reducing opportunities for midshipmen to take part.

Fowler argued that, especially at a time when the nation is at war, the Academy couldn’t afford to let midshipmen spend too much time on sail-training, which he viewed as little more than a sport. He said mids would be better served by doing all their training on board gray-hull warships—sometimes referred to as “grayships”—where they most likely would be assigned after they were commissioned.

But proponents of sail-training contend that, anachronistic as it may seem, providing midshipmen, Coast Guard cadets, and maritime academy students with intensive training on sailboats offers unparalleled opportunities for teaching seamanship, shiphandling, navigation, and leadership skills—at a depth that they’re unlikely to get on board warships.

Former Navy Midshipman Ryan Kimmel directs maneuvers from the bow

‘A Vital Building-Block’

“It’s a vital building-block, not only for seamanship and navigation, but for leadership development and learning how to make decisions under stress,” said Rear Admiral Garland P. Wright Jr., who was co-captain of the Academy’s intercollegiate champion sailing team in 1977 and now is deputy director of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency.

“The conditions and situations that you face under sail can’t be replicated either in a classroom or aboard a gray-ship,” he continued. “You assume an awful lot of responsibility when you take a sailboat offshore, and you face a lot of challenges. It’s not just about seamanship—it’s risk-management and decision-making as well.”

To be sure, no one is suggesting that sea-officer academies provide all of their underway training on sailing vessels. Even the most hard-bitten advocates concede that summer cruises on board gray-hull ships are essential. So is the training provided aboard yard patrol boats (YPs) that the Academy uses for teaching shiphandling.

But neither vessel offers what sail training provides. The month that third-class mids spend on big ships of the Fleet amounts largely to an orientation cruise, to acquaint them with shipboard routine and let them experience what enlisted personnel do. On their first-class cruise, they get limited training as division officers and on the bridge.

During the year, the mids train on board YPs — stubby, 108-foot, twin screw diesel craft – which give them an opportunity to practice docking and shiphandling on the Severn River. They also take longer trips in summer to nearby seaports such as New York, Philadelphia, and Baltimore. There’s no doubt that the time is well spent.

Out of Their Element(s)

Yet on both types of vessels, the crew is largely protected from the elements. Likewise, the movements of those vessels are far less affected by the wind, current, and sea-state than sailboats are. Engines keep the gray-hull going, no matter what the weather or seas. And plenty of other people are on board to help set a course and manage the crew.

By contrast, the 16 specially built 44-foot sloops (called 44s) that make up the heart of the Naval Academy’s sail-training program are totally dependent on wind, waves, and currents; the midshipmen who act as skipper and crew members do everything themselves. They must cope swiftly with emergencies.

Proponents say that makes mids, who have had extensive experience on board sailboats, decidedly more sensitive to how wind, waves, and currents affect a vessel; more aware of how vital it is for crew members to work together; and more skilled in handling unexpected challenges, from a sudden hardware failure to a blown-out sail or backstay.

“Things happen on a sailboat much faster than on a grayship,” said Gary Jobson, a New York Maritime Academy graduate and former naval officer who is now an ESPN commentator and president of U.S. Sailing. “Everybody has a job, and every action you take makes a difference. You need to make split-second decisions, and work as a team.”

Mids also gain the kind of direct experience in voyage planning, vessel-preparation, watch-scheduling, personal responsibility, team-building, leadership, and decision-making while under stress that they don’t ordinarily encounter during their training cruises on board Fleet ships—or even as junior officers once they’ve been commissioned.

Stress That Can’t Be Simulated

Mayhem ensues at the leeward mark during a particularly windy Navy Fall 2005 regatta

“Sail-training puts people under a type of stress that you just don’t get from a grayship or simulator,” said Captain Kathryn Hire, a former Naval Academy sailboat skipper who rose from Navy flight officer to NASA astronaut.  “This kind of thing is really important for a naval leader.”

That, in turn, builds confidence among the mids who have taken part in the sail-training program, making them better leaders when they’re on the 44s and more effective officers after they’re commissioned, Wright said. “Confidence builds optimism, optimism builds resiliency, and resilience builds success.”

Moreover, sea officers who have had sail-training as midshipmen or cadets say the lessons they learned on a sailboat invariably made them better shiphandlers on warships or merchantmen after they’re out in a fleet, and their skills stay with them throughout their naval or merchant marine careers.

Jobson recalls his early days on a destroyer, when the captain called all the junior officers to the bridge for docking practice in the face of strong winds and currents. While others blundered, those who had had sail training brought the ship in perfectly on the first try. “Coping with wind and currents was second nature,” Jobson said.

Intercollegiate sailors race to the reach mark in Vanguard 420s on the Severn River in Annapolis

Hire says sailors make better aviators as well, because they’ve already acquired a keen appreciation of the effects that relative motion and constantly shifting winds can have on a vessel before they begin flight training. And they find that that quickly translates into operating aircraft, too.

“They just have a natural feel for the wind—that it’s not always steady— and a better appreciation of relative motion, and  they’re a lot more alert to both of those than aviators who haven’t had sail-training,” Hire said.

And because sails are built like airfoils, sailors also develop a better feel for the dynamics of wings and ailerons.

Sailing at Other Academies

Coast Guard cadents learn the fine points of sail on board the 75-year old cutter Eagle, a 295-foot barque that prior to World War II, was a sail-trainer for the German navy. The square-rigger regularly travels U.S. coastal waters and annually visits several foreign ports. Here, her crew takes in sails in the waters off Corpus Christi, Texas, in 2010. (USCG Photo)

The Navy isn’t the only service that uses sailing vessels to help train its officer-candidates. The U.S. Coast Guard Academy sends all its swabs (plebes) on a weeklong training cruise on board the USCGC Eagle (WIX-327), a 295-foot, 75-year-old, square-rigged barque that regularly plies coastal waters and visits several foreign ports each year.

Every voyage includes 120 underclass cadets, who serve in enlisted billets, and 21 upperclassmen in officers’ slots. Coast Guard Captain Eric Jones, the Eagle’s skipper, points out that cadets may not fill officer roles on a standard ship because they aren’t commissioned, but they are authorized to do so on board the square-rigger.

He calls the Eagle the “ultimate leadership laboratory.”

The Coast Guard Academy also is acquiring eight new sloops, similar to the Navy 44s, to triple the size of a 12-day coastal sail-training program that offers cadets the same goals and training regimen as the Naval Academy’s 44s. The acquisition is being financed by donations from alums. The school will retain four Luder 44s it has been using for years.

At the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at King’s Point, New York, and several state maritime academies as well, sailing vessels are part of the training. Although those programs generally are less ambitious than those of their Navy and Coast Guard counterparts, students nonetheless are exposed to some basic sail-training on board small recreational boats.

The Merchant Marine Academy requires all plebes to undergo sail-training and strongly encourages them to take part in its offshore sailing team and intercollegiate dinghy team. It also maintains a 110-foot schooner and a fleet of six 26-foot sloops and 60 dinghies, along with a variety of sailboats donated by private citizens.

Tall Ships America, formerly the American Sail Training Association, counts at least 31 large sail-training ships at sea-service academies in Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Russia, Brazil, Argentina, Poland, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, and other countries. And that doesn’t count the smaller vessels such as pleasure-boat-sized sloops and dinghies.

“Sail-training is an irreplaceable element in training mariners of any sort,” said retired Navy Rear Admiral Philip H. Greene, the Merchant Marine Academy’s superintendent. USMMA mids spend months on board large cargo vessels as well, but “technology can’t replace those skills” they “learn and hone” in sail-training.

Naval Academy Inventory

The 44s aren’t the only vessels in the Naval Academy’s inventory. New mids receive 15 hours of sail-training during their plebe summer on board one of the 30 smaller (26-foot) sailboats the Academy maintains. There also is a fleet of 115 dinghies for midshipmen to use for practice and to race in intercollegiate competition.

The school additionally maintains an assortment of seven donated boats, from 24 feet to 52 feet long, to take part in races offshore and on Chesapeake Bay; larger boats are used for transatlantic voyages. The Academy has a varsity offshore sailing team that competes in a wide variety of contests. In all cases, the boats are manned entirely by mids.

But the Navy 44s are where the real action is in Academy sailing. Spartan by any standard, the 44s are more complex, sturdier, and more difficult to sail than a comparably sized recreational boat, and everyone on the ten-member crew is needed to make things go smoothly.

Mids get more hands-on experience on board 44s than they do on YPs. The crews on 44s are split into two five-person watches, which rotate in handling all the tasks of running a ship. By contrast, the YPs maintain ten-person watches all the time, so individual mids don’t get as much on-the-job training in each billet.

The mids maintain a Navy-style command structure, with a captain, executive officer, navigator, assistant navigator, engineer, first lieutenant, two watch captains, bowman, and (in case of racing) a tactician. Mids stand regular watches and rotate among the jobs. They’re expected to acquire the necessary skills in each billet before they can take command.

Hands-on Learning at Sea

Coast Guard Academy cadets set sails high in the rigging of the Eagle in the North Sea during this year’s summer training cruise, which marked the vessel’s 75th anniversary. Her skipper, Captain Eric Jones, says that because of the opportunities the Eagle affords cadets, she is the “ultimate leadership laboratory.” (USCG Photo)

In the summer, midshipmen crews take the 44s on three-week deployments offshore—planning the voyage, laying out the courses, and dealing with any emergencies that may arise. An active-duty officer or civilian instructor serves as a safety officer, but leaves the running of the boat entirely to the mids.

“Our academic courses provide the foundation, but sail-training puts meat on the bones,” said Navy Captain Stan Keeve, the Academy’s director of professional development. “It does a fantastic job of giving midshipmen a chance to test not only their skills but the character of their leadership. You become a more competent maritime officer.”

Newly commissioned Marine Corps Second Lieutenant Michael Smithson can attest to the challenges mids learn to overcome in sail-training. On an offshore cruise in 2010 his Navy 44 unexpectedly lost steering in six-foot seas and heavy winds, forcing him to rig emergency steering, arrange for emergency repairs, and navigate through shoal waters.

“There’s nothing contrived about being on a sailboat 70 miles off the New Jersey coast and being responsible for the lives of eight other crew members,” recalled Smithson.  “Mother Nature is a powerful thing, and a 44-foot sailboat out in the Atlantic Ocean is awfully small. Leadership opportunities like that are hard to come by.”

Sail-training isn’t cheap. The Naval Academy’s sail-training program costs the service about $204,000 a year for materials. It uses about two dozen military and paid civilian personnel to operate the program and perform routine maintenance. And it uses 50 civilian volunteers to serve as coaches and safety officers for training cruises and races.

The Eagle costs the Coast Guard $800,000 a year for operations and maintenance, plus about $1.5 million for overhauls—usually every three to five years—performed at the U.S. Coast Guard Yard in Baltimore.  Designing and building the eight new 44s cost $6.4 million—half donated by the Coast Guard Foundation.

Highs and Lows

The Navy 26s, designed by Steve Colgate, are an integral part of sail training for the US Naval Academy Offshore Sailing Team

Sail-training at the Naval Academy has had its ups and downs over the years.  Begun in 1846, a year after the Academy was founded, sail-training was abandoned in 1909, after the service finished converting its fleet to steam propulsion—and essentially ignored for 27 years.

Revived in 1936, it gradually grew to include the Navy 44s and a flotilla of smaller sailboats donated by private citizens. The Academy just finished replacing its fleet of 44s with a new Mark II version that, while similar in appearance, incorporates a wholly new hull design and deck plan. Two new Mark IIs for racing are due in next summer.

The program also has depended on who was superintendent. Admiral Charles R. Larson, who held the post from mid-1994 to mid-1998, and Vice Admiral Rodney P. Rempt, who served from mid-2003 to mid-2007, were staunch advocates of sail-training, and the program expanded dramatically.

Ralph Naranjo, a nationally known sailing authority and author who held the Vanderstar Chair at the Naval Academy during that time and played a key role in the  program, says the number of summertime missions on board 44s soared to 105 during Rempt’s years, from 48 before.

“The growth of the program [under Rempt] was meteoric,” Naranjo recalled.

But Vice Admiral Richard J. Naughton, superintendent from mid-2002 to mid-2003, and Fowler clearly had their doubts about it. Under Fowler, opportunities for sail-training were cut sharply; missions on Navy 44s fell to an average of 28 during his term.

Under the current superintendent, Vice Admiral Michael H. Miller, the number of sail-training missions on the 44s has risen to 65. And Miller has strengthened the link between the sailing program and the Academy’s professional development program, employing sail-training missions to help teach subjects such as leadership, ethics, and law.

Scuttling the Sailing Association?

Meanwhile, separately, the Navy has ended its support for the U.S. Naval Sailing Association (USNSA), which occupied offices at the U.S. Naval Station across the Severn River and set rules and professional standards for sail-training at Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps units and for sailing clubs at armed forces marinas on both coasts.

The service also formally abolished its office of Director of Navy Sailing, ousted the USNSA from its offices, and cut financial aid for its program. Sailing association officials are pondering whether to continue past the end of this year or disband—a step advocates say would be a service-wide setback for sailing.

Retired Navy Captain Gerard M. Farrell, who just stepped down as chairman of the U.S. Naval Sailing Foundation, said the group is “trying to figure out if it has a role to fill. The Navy appears to be backing away from any formal recognition [of USNSA] in officer training. If that’s the case, then the association seems not to be required anymore.”

Jobson, a former member of the committee that advises the Naval Academy on sail-training, said the “roller-coaster” expansion and contraction of the program is only hurting the Academy. He said the Navy needs to decide what kind of sail-training the Academy should provide and stick to it, no matter who is superintendent.

“It’s important that the Academy institutionalize its sail-training, so we don’t change our tactics with each administration.”

Mr. Pine, a former naval officer, is a veteran journalist who has worked as a Washington correspondent for The Baltimore Sun, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and the Los Angeles Times. 

Reprinted from Proceedings with permission; Copyright © 2011 U.S. Naval Institute/www.usni.org

Jealous of your ASU buddies’ “girls gone wild” college experience?  How about your friends over in NYU bragging about how hip Manhattan is?  Are you sick and tired of having to explain where your school is with reference to the Throggs Neck Bridge?  Keep this in mind SUNY Maritime students; it gets better, much better.

According to a report released by PayScale, Inc., a global compensation data house, SUNY Maritime is ranked in the top 20 best colleges by salary potential for new graduates.  To give you some perspective, schools on the list include Princeton, Harvard, MIT, and Stanford.  In fact, at number 13 on the list with a median starting salary for recent grads of $57,300 and mid-career median salary of $109,000, SUNY Maritime ranks ahead of Cornell, Yale, Brown and even Berkeley.  Also interesting to note, SUNY is ranked first among public universities, and fifth among engineering schools.

So next time your sitting in class with 20 other dudes, 1 female and the fear of the Throggs Neck Bridge crumbling down on you, stew on this; you’re going to make more money right out of school and throughout your career than most of your other friends can only dream of.

Speaking of the newly appointed SUNY Maritime College president, SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher said, “Admiral Carpenter’s 30-plus years of naval experience and leadership make her ideally suited to be the next president of SUNY Maritime, where she is certain to enhance the college’s national reputation for excellence in academic, athletic, and leadership training. Admiral Carpenter is among the Navy’s elite, and she will be an outstanding addition to the SUNY leadership team.”

Carpenter was among the first women to be designated as a naval aviator. Graduating from flight school at the top of her class, she was selected for immediate duty as the first selectively retained graduate instructor pilot in the T-44 advanced multi-engine pipeline. In 2005, she became the Navy’s first woman aviator promoted to the rank of admiral.

College Council and Search Committee Chair Timothea Larr said, “Our extensive national search produced a strong pool of candidates from higher education, the Navy, and the maritime industry, all of which was a reflection of SUNY Maritime College’s recognized reputation for excellence. Admiral Carpenter emerged as an outstanding model of leadership and accomplishment. The search committee was highly impressed with Admiral Carpenter’s demonstrated record of leadership and significant executive accomplishments, as well as her training background and graduate studies. She will advance SUNY Maritime College’s vision of being first and foremost in international maritime education, training, and research.”

Admiral Gary Roughead, Chief of Naval Operations, said, “I applaud the selection of RADM Carpenter to head SUNY Maritime. She brings extraordinary experience and perspective from her many assignments in the U.S. Navy.”

Admiral Jonathan W. Greenert, who has been tapped as the Navy’s next Chief of Naval Operations, said, “I have had the honor and privilege of serving with Admiral Wendi Carpenter for several years. She has a unique combination of intellect, leadership, and management. Wendi is among our most innovative and insightful Flag Officers. I predict great things at SUNY under her leadership.”

Admiral Carpenter said, “SUNY Maritime College is a unique campus that offers students some of the strongest, most competitive programs and training in the country. I am delighted to be considered for this position and grateful to Chancellor Zimpher, Chairwoman Larr, and the search committee for their confidence in my ability to serve as Maritime president. I look forward to putting my 30-plus years of Naval experience in many different areas of executive leadership into practice at SUNY Maritime College.”

Outgoing Maritime President Admiral John Craine said, “It has been an honor serving The State University of New York and Maritime College, and I am delighted to be turning over leadership to Admiral Wendi Carpenter. I have the utmost confidence that she will thrive as president and truly support and encourage the outstanding work of the students, faculty, and staff of this wonderful institution.”

About Rear Admiral Wendi B. Carpenter


Rear Admiral Wendi B. Carpenter is the daughter of an Air Force veteran of WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. Raised throughout the United States, she graduated from the University of Georgia in 1976 with a bachelor of science degree in psychology.

Carpenter was commissioned in 1978 through Aviation Officer Candidate School in Pensacola, Fla., and in July 1979 was designated a Naval Aviator. Graduating at the top of her class, she was assigned as the Navy’s first selectively retained graduate instructor pilot (SERGRAD) in the T-44 aircraft at VT-31, NAS Corpus Christi, Texas. In 1981, she was ordered to sea duty with the “Ironmen” of VQ-3, NAS Barbers Point, Hawaii, where she served as a mission commander, aircraft commander, and instructor pilot in the EC-130 F/G/Q aircraft. Carpenter deployed throughout the Pacific, western United States, and Alaska in support of the nation’s strategic nuclear triad. She completed a shore tour as an aviation assignments officer in Washington, D.C, and, in 1985, accepted a Reserve component commission.

Carpenter has held a total of five commands at the commander, captain, and flag level in the areas of logistics, training, and aviation in fleet, joint, and coalition operations, giving her a unique warfighting perspective. She has also completed numerous fleet and shore staff assignments.

Carpenter has accepted numerous recalls to active duty, including her current assignment. In June 2008, she assumed command of Navy Warfare Development Command where she and her team work to deliver capability for Navy, joint, and coalition forces through concept generation and development, doctrine, modeling and simulation, and experimentation.

Previous flag assignments include deputy commander, Navy Region Southeast; acting director, OPNAV N31 (Information, Plans, and Security); vice director, Standing Joint Forces HQ, U.S. Joint Forces Command; and deputy commander, Second Fleet. She has represented the United States in a number of coalition and NATO forums in Europe and Africa.

Carpenter has pursued graduate studies in marketing and holds a master of arts in international relations from Salve Regina University. She is a distinguished graduate of the Naval War College and completed Capstone 06-02, as well as executive programs in business, strategic planning, and innovation at National Defense University, Defense Acquisition University, University of North Carolina Business School, Chapel Hill, and Babson College. She has accumulated over 3,500 military flight hours.

Carpenter’s awards include Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit (3), Meritorious Service Medal, Navy Commendation Medal (5), Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, and various unit awards. She is most proud of the FY01 DON CIO Award for “e-Business” in government, which was won by the 75-member team she led as Commanding Officer, DCNO N4, Fleet Readiness and Logistics.

About SUNY Maritime College

The first maritime school in the country, SUNY Maritime College couples its academic programs with a structured cadet life in the regiment for both men and women. SUNY Maritime offers undergraduate and graduate degrees, 20 varsity athletic teams, Summer Sea Terms to Europe aboard the training ship Empire State VI, five ROTC options, and US Coast Guard license and intern programs. SUNY Maritime prepares students for careers in the maritime industry, government, military, and private industry. Recent graduates of the college have benefited from nearly 100 percent job placement.

Source: Suny Maritime College

Maritime academy trainees should receive thorough grounding in bunker management before going to sea

By Chee Khin David Wong, DNV Petroleum Services – Via DNV

Singapore – Crew competence is failing to keep pace with the development in ship operations, even as advancement in technology and design is giving rise to progressively sophisticated vessels with greater efficiency and environmental-friendly features.

DNV believes this is an important cause of the reverse trend in ship safety today.

Among the areas of improvement, effective bunker management as a basic requirement for safe vessel operations is particularly lacking attention, says DNV Petroleum Services (DNVPS) regional manager Bill Stamatopoulos.
“We see a major problem with young seafarers working on a big ship and not knowing enough about fuel quality, bunkering procedures or proper fuel handling. Very few of them have seen how contaminated bunkers can cause the ship engine to break down suddenly and threaten the safety of everyone onboard, especially in rough weather conditions.”

Besides safety considerations, Mr Stamatopoulos says shipboard personnel must manage strict fuel regulations as well as the economic imperative of ensuring the right quality and quantity of fuel is received, given today’s high bunker prices.

IFO 380, the most common heavy fuel grade used by commercial vessels, averages US$650 per tonne, compared to less than US$500 per tonne in 2010.

Current fuel regulations include MARPOL Annex VI, with a global fuel sulphur cap of 4.50% and a 1.00% limit in the Baltic Sea and North Sea Emission Control Areas (ECAs).

From Jan 1, 2012, the global sulphur cap will be reduced to 3.50%.

The North American ECA will also enter into force on Aug 1 next year, with the likelihood of raising demand for the more expensive low sulphur fuel products. This in turn will add to the fuel expenses of shipping companies trading in the ECAs.

In addition to MARPOL Annex VI, the EU Directive 2005/33/EC requires ships in the EU community ports and inland waterways to use fuel with a sulphur content not exceeding 0.1%.

“It’s vitally important for the ship crew to know how to get the most out of their fuel – safely and without contravening the applicable fuel regulations,” says Mr Stamatopoulos, adding that “training and competence development in bunker management must start in school, not on the vessel.”

Upon entering the industry, shipboard personnel should undergo regular competence assessment and continual training to keep abreast of changes in the operating environment.

“Most important of all, their employers – the shipping companies – must invest in a strong safety culture,” Mr. Stamatopoulos says.

Committed to sharing its knowledge and expertise in marine fuel, DNVPS has been providing pro bono training to maritime academies in Greece, Norway, Russia and Singapore.

Mr Stamatopoulos and his team this year have conducted courses for graduating students from the Merchant Marine Academy of Makedonias in Thessaloniki and the Merchant Marine Academy of Aspropyrgos in Athens.

Source: DNV

10 – A Learning Experience

Sure the new Vessel Management and Integrated Bridge Systems sound impressive but Captains are not looking for a mate that knows what buttons to press on a console, they are looking for someone who can think through what happens when the buttons are pressed. Years studying manuals is simply not as effective as months spent tracing cargo lines and rebuilding values.

9 – Management Skills

A chief mate is only as good as his crew. On the Rusting Rover, undermanned and in poor condition, even the simplest jobs can quickly because an “All Hands” event with mates and seaman doing the jobs together. By working closely with the crew you learn what makes them tick; knowledge that will serve you well later in your career.

8 – Networking

While the Marine Superintendant knows a lot about the fleet’s new ship he is more likely to have sailed the rest bucket. All companies have a ship “everyone” has sailed “back in the day” and by merely mentioning your rig it won’t be difficult to get them sharing sea stories at the next company picnic.

7 – Hard Work Gets Recognized

The reason Joe Perfect got the job with Polar is because companies recognize it takes a lot of hard work to get a 3.9 GPA and Joe will likely work just as hard for the company… but as the old joke goes; “What do you call the last member of the graduating class? Mate!” Five years into your career no one will ask what your GPA was. What they will say is ” wow, you spent 5 years repairing leaks on our worst ship. You must be a had worker.”

6 – Learn Different Ships

Your new company may not have the impressive pay scale of Transocean but it may have more flexibility is ship assignments. While the offshore king has only semis and the more coveted Drillings, traditional shipping companies have contracts aboard a wide range of vessels. The breadth of your experience is what will get you a master’s job by age 30, not your previous pay scale.

5- World Travel

The best ships of the biggest companies have the high dollar contracts. Matson isn’t going to send it’s best ship tramping around SE Asia, it will be put on a liner run to Hawaii. The M/V Rust Bucket, however, will take grain to Africa then refit to pick up containers in Singapore.

4 – Failure

Failure is the best learning device. With skyhigh dayrates the gem of the fleet is rigged against failure. With redundant designs, new equipment and the company willing to pay expensive 3rd party contractors at the first sign of trouble the mate aboard the gem of the fleet is unlikely to be tested with failure. Conversely Danny Salt, three voyages away from the trip to {insert shipbreaker} has a much better chance to witness critical failures at the worst possible times. These failures will test his ability and he will grow with the experience.

3 – Beats Working 9-5

The facts are in and the jury has convened, shipboard “managers” are now spending more time behind the computer than hitting the deck and junior mates aboard new ships can now spend weeks sitting in control rooms, bridges and chart rooms. This puts them at a disadvantage. When the big cargo tank needs to be mucked in August and the stripping pump dies will the Chief Mate know how to fix it? Can he accurately determine when the guys are at their breaking points? Will he have the self-confidence and knowledge to grab his boots and help the guys fix the pump?

2 -This is great!!

Read any blog on the topic of happiness, productivity or selling yourself for a promotion and the key ingredient is a positive attitude. Nobody like to hear the new Captain say “On the M/V Pride of the Fleet, we did this or had that!” while every sole aboard will appreciate the one who says “WOW you guys run a top notch operation her on the M/V Pride Of The Fleet, I’m so glad to be here.” Your outlook, job satisfaction and motivation to get things done will be higher when upgrading to a new vessel than moving down to the Rust Bucket that has a ten page deficiency list.

1 – Meeting new people

No one stays longer than they have to aboard the M/V Bucket ‘o Rust. From unqualified or inept people hired off the street to the fleet’s best captain who’s asked to do one hitch as a company favor, the number of short service employees is going to be highest on the worst ship. For better or worse each person who passes through your ship will have a lesson to teach even if the next captain’s only purpose in life is to serve as a warning to others.

No Worries Mate

So before you get too depressed about your 2.0 GPA and graduation just months away, lower your standards and reap the rewards later in your career. For a wise old bosun once told me; “Never trust a Captain that doesn’t smoke like a chimney, drink like a fish or has never sailed a working ship.”

We’re sure that there quite a few readers of gCaptain that have fond memories of the T.S. State of Maine (ex USNS Upshur), which is why we wanted to pass along the link to the Facebook page that was recently set up by Captain Larry Wade, Master of the T.S. State of Maine, commemorating the history and memories of the the vessel that served as Maine Maritime training ship for 17 years.  From the “T.V. State of Maine, ak ‘The Grey Ghost’” facebook page:

The last ride of the state of Maine USNS Upshur.  USNS UPSHUR, STATE OF MAINE III is underway to the ship breaker in Brownsville Texas.

Attached is a final photo taken by Carl Castiglioni. Interestingly Carl worked with me on the Harkness final days prior to starting the TANNER conversion into the current STATE OF MAINE IV.

I must say that the Drydock Photo certainly looks better than the Photos while in USCG possession on the beach in Mobile.

Sad day for a grand ship that provided the Merchant Marine with a long string of Licensed Officers.

Larry

For those of you who spent some time on the vessel, be sure to “Like” “T.V. State of Maine, ak ‘The Grey Ghost’” page and share some stories.

[Image courtesy Facebook]

On 25 January, in Facebookese Akhona Geveza wrote: “Ey gudpeople 2day is my last day in South Africa *crying* sometymz in lyf have to choose btwn the ones we love and education.anyway i love you all guys i wll miss u you all.” In March she made her last entry: “enjoying my time in Korea,missing u all”

A South African National Ports Authority, Transnet, cadet doing her onboard training on the container ship, Safmarine Kariba – was found to be missing around noon on 24 June.  After a two hour search, her body was found at sea by local police near the port of Rijeka, Croatia where the vessel was due to berth.

A memorial service was held onboard the Safmarine Kariba on Friday, 25 June 2010.  The vessel’s engine was stopped soon after the vessel had left the port of Rijeka at the location where Ms Geveza was found.  The crew gathered on the bridge wing, the ship’s horn was blown and a minute of silence was observed as the crew lowered a floral wreath into the sea in remembrance of Ms Geveza.

South African newspapers subsequently reported claims that she had told a colleague she had been raped by the ship’s Ukrainian chief officer. Other Transnet cadets were quoted making allegations of male and female rape, pregnancy and bullying and harassment.

Says Safmarine: “As soon as we became aware of the allegations regarding Ms Geveza, Safmarine instructed that the Chief Officer onboard the vessel be relieved from duty…
Safmarine is not the only provider of training berths to South Africans and we are therefore most concerned that the Sunday Times article may erroneously leave the impression that all the sexual allegations mentioned in the article took place on Safmarine vessels. That is not the case.”

Among the allegations made by South Africa’s Sunday Times newspaper are:

“Several cadets in the maritime studies programme, speaking to the Sunday Times on condition of anonymity, said there was systematic abuse of power by senior officers, who threatened cadets’ careers if they did not perform sexual acts. The sex abuse allegations include claims that :

• Two male cadets were raped by senior officials while at sea;
• A female cadet terminated two pregnancies that followed her rape at sea;
• Three female trainees were pregnant at the end of their 12-month training stint;
• A male cadet was sent home a month before finishing his programme because he refused to have sex with a senior official; and
• A female cadet has a child with a married South African Maritime Safety Agency executive after he forced himself on her and threatened to cancel her contract if she told anyone.

Said a former female cadet: "When we arrived on the vessel, there were 10 women, and we were told that the captain is our god; he can marry you, baptise you and even bury you without anybody’s permission. We were told that the sea is no man’s land and that what happens at sea, stays at sea."

Said another former female cadet: "It was like we were dumped in the middle of a game park."

The former male cadet who was allegedly raped said: "I really don’t want to talk about it. Bad things are happening at sea and I am one of the victims."

As an African woman in a male-dominated industry was, in a sense, a pioneer. Over the past two years 15 women have graduated from the Transnet programme, 14 of whom are still at sea.

Says a contributor to a Facebook memorial page: page W’l 4ever b proud of u sisi, u broke da boundaries. showing dat even f u’r a village gel, da sky s da limit. u r da inspiration”.

Inquiries

Safmarine Kariba was a UK-registered vessel and Nautilus International has called for the UK government to ensure there is a full and transparent inquiry into Akhona’s death and the subsequent allegations of rape and harassment.

General secretary Mark Dickinson says the case should serve as ‘a wake-up call’ to the international shipping industry. ‘The reports are deeply shocking and extremely serious and it is imperative that every effort is made to investigate and learn from this as a matter of urgency,’ he adds.

‘It is essential for the shipping industry and for the UK register that no effort is spared to establish the truth of the allegations and – if true – to ensure that appropriate action is taken,’ Mr Dickinson states.

‘The claims being made run the risk of putting the issue of equal opportunities back decades,’ he warns. ‘It is therefore critical that there must be no whitewash and no cover-up and that the authorities and the owners respond in a constructive and engaged way.’

Mr Dickinson says research by Nautilus a decade ago shows serious problems of sexual harassment in shipping. As a result, the union developed equal opportunities policies with the UK Chamber of Shipping and these had subsequently been taken up across the European Union.

The union is also writing to the UK transport minister and home secretary to highlight the need for Britain to play a leading role in the criminal and accident investigations. Nautilus is reviewing its existing arrangements for enabling members to report problems onboard their ships, and has also approached the Chamber of Shipping to discuss ways in which the industry can reassess its equal opportunities policies and to ensure that lessons are learned from the case of Akhona Geveza.

‘We are determined that this incident is not swept under the carpet and that some good can come from this tragic loss of life,’ Mr Dickinson says.

‘We have a 30% wastage rate among young people entering the industry, and we really need to make very sure that bullying, harassment and discrimination are not tolerated in shipping and that all seafarers, regardless of sex, sexual orientation and race, are not treated in ways that were not even acceptable 100 years ago.’

Transnet has established an independent bard of inquiry and the South African police are also investigating.

As yet, there is no news of an investigation by the UK authorities.

A vibrant 19 year-old is dead, the tip of a particularly nasty iceberg. The industry has a duty of care towards these youngsters and it’s time to take that duty seriously.

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.

For those who are unaware, Port Revel in France and Massachusetts Maritime Academy both host shiphandling classes aboard diminutive versions of real life vessels. These classes are for Marine Pilots and senior maritime officers. BBC News tells us;

To the casual onlooker, it may look like a group of overgrown children sailing in rather extravagant model boats.

But, in fact, they are some of the shipping industry’s most experienced sea captains on one of the world’s most unusual safety training courses.

The lake in Marchwood, near Southampton, Hampshire, boasts a fleet of seven scaled-down model cargo ships on which veteran captains, pilots and senior deck officers can hone their skills.

The ships, which are big enough for two people to sit in, behave exactly like the real thing as they negotiate the 13-acre lake’s artificial channels and tides.

They range from a scaled version of a 300,000 tonne vessel that itself weighs in at six tonnes to a radio-controlled model tug.

So is this simply an excuse for taking some time off work to muck about on the water?

Having taken the class myself I can honestly say the answer is no.

Upon first arrival at the academy I was skeptical of the ability to learn advanced shiphandling techniques on a model that is a fraction the size and weight of the original, however, during my first “test drive” I quickly realized the value of this class. The reason it’s the best option for this type of training is two fold. First the alternative, bridge simulators, do not give you the “feel” of the water and fail to project the sense of emergency when things start to go wrong. This class however, uses real boats that happen to be very expensive and rare… knock one of these against pier and real damage will occur that you will feel it both in the seat of your pants and in your gut.

Second this training is valuable since, as Captain Clarke tells the BBC: “You cannot turn up at Fawley oil refinery in a ’150,000-tonner’ and say I just want to do a few practice turns.”

To be honest with our readers I originally took the class because Advanced Shiphandling Training was a U.S. Coast Guard requirement for receiving my Unlimited Master’s (captain of large ships) License and Mass Maritime provided the training in half the time (just 5 days) required by the simulator based schools. I learned to love the class because it provides a unique hands on experience that allows you to test shiphandling theory at in accelerated and valuable way.

Related Video:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Today’s photo of the week, by Captain Richard Robson, shows SUNY Maritime’s training ship Empire State anchored in a clam sea. You can find information on the ship’s latest cruise HERE.