Monday 11 January 1999
As of 0800 this morning, the Empire State was located at 35 degrees 9 minutes north latitude, 070 degrees 39 minutes west longitude. That puts her approximately 240 nautical miles due east of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. She is heading 195 degrees true (SSE) , doing 12.5 knots. The depth of water under the keel is 2500 feet. The weather at her position is partly cloudy, wind out of the NW @ 13 kts, sea state 4 (15 feet), air temp 54 degrees F, water temp 70 degrees F.
Captain's log
"Today was the first training day of Sea Term '99, and a nice one at that. We awoke to a much smother ride as we close in on warmer latitudes. Last night the ship passed into the Gulf Stream at about 1900. Usually, the Bridge watch gets that information when the engineers report that the sea water temperature entering the condensers has gone up dramatically. Last night the watch got to "see" the Gulf Stream . Almost the instant the ship crossed into the stream, the Cadets on watch saw frost smoke (surface fog) created by cold air moving over the warm water. The phenomenon was not only interesting, it proved useful. Since sailing we have had a stuck anemometer and are unable to get wind direction. Because it is situated on the top of the mast and we have been dancing around in the seaway, it has been low on the repair list. The frost smoke gave the Cadets a very easy wind direction indicator as the wisps flew by the ship."
As most of you know, the Massachusetts Maritime Academy Sea Term is hard work for the Cadets, Officers and Crew of the Training Ship Empire State. Every day is tightly scheduled and lasts for 10 or 12 hours. The work week is at least 6 days, often 7 days long. The weather can go from snow and freezing rain to hot sun and blue skies in the course of a couple of days. It is during the sea semester when the cadets put into practice what they have been learning in the classroom. That is when the MMA education really comes alive.
Some people refer to the trip as a "Cruise". It may sound like a lot of fun when you list the ports - Barbados, Aruba, and Miami - and you are shoveling snow here in New England while they are putting on sun block and working in short sleeves, but the sea term has about as much in common with a "Cruise" as "airline food" has to "food". An average cadet will only have 5 or 6 days off during the two month voyage. He or she will work extremely irregular hours in tight quarters under adverse weather conditions, on a moving platform while sleeping in tiny bunks stacked three high in a room with 160 of their closest friends. They do it because they want the challenge; because they want to be different from ordinary college students; and because they love it. Here is a snapshot of their duties over the next 6 weeks:
Division 1 has the watch today, Division 2 is in training and Division 3 has maintenance. That means the Cadets in Div 1 are doing 4 hours on watch , then have 8 hours off before going on watch again. Their duties span the gamut from lookout duties on the bow in freezing temperatures, wind and snow to throttle man in the engine room in 120 degree temperatures and 100% humidity. Someone is at the helm steering the ship, someone is plotting courses and positions in the Navigation Lab. Someone is deep in the engine room making fresh water for showers and drinking, and someone is supervising 35 other cadets in the engine room to make sure the propeller turns.
"Training" means that those cadets sit in a classroom, listen to lectures, and work in the labs on the ship. They have midterms, quizzes and a final exam and will earn 6 academic credits. It is similar to classroom work ashore except that they have more lab work, small class sizes (6 to 7 cadets per instructor), and the classroom moves...from "A" to "B"... and up and down.
"Maintenance" is the maritime word for "Work". Sometimes the work is maritime related, interesting, and educational; like when the engineers take a motor apart to see why it won't work or the deckies splice wire rope or make "fancy work" with line wrapped around the railings on the ship. Sometimes work is a four letter word! The decks have to be swept and polished many times a day, the galley is constantly getting sanitized, and anytime you put a huge piece of steel in salt water you are always chipping and painting, chipping and painting.
Every day the divisions with watch and training rotate duties so that the students get personal instruction that matches what they are doing on watch. Every week the division with maintenance jumps into the rotation and one of the other divisions picks up maintenance duties. By the end of the sea term every cadet will have had the same number of days of watch, training and maintenance. By the end of their senior year at the Academy every cadet in a Deck or Engine major will have had at least 180 days at sea in positions of ever increasing responsibility. They will have learned their job, of course, but they will also have learned independence, self-discipline, attention to detail, and leadership.