Summer Sea Term 2026: Ship Departure from Galveston, Texas

追加: 2026-05-24

[00:00:59]Trafton. I'm from Harland, Maine. I'm the cadet first assistant engineer aboard the state of Maine.

[00:04:14]My name is Aiden Trafton. I'm from Heartland, Maine. I'm the cadet first assistant engineer aboard the state of Maine. As the cadet first assistant engineer on board the state of Maine, I get to shadow the senior officer, the first engineer here down in the engine room. Uh my biggest job that I had prior to cruise was facilitating the pre- cruise program that we put on for the freshman so they can become familiarized with the ship here uh or where it would have been in Castine. But that was the biggest speed bump we had to overcome this year. We didn't have a physical ship in Castine like I did my freshman year. So we had to facilitate familiarization virtually through a um operation manual that we were given by tote services. and we had to overcome this problem of hands-on training that we really want the freshman to be able to experience, but they weren't able to.

[00:05:06]Uh, I get to facilitate maintenance and work alongside the senior officers down in the engine room. Um, I think that's the most eye opening thing is that stepping from my freshman role to a junior role, I'm no longer being taught how to do it. I'm expected to take the job uh analyze what needs to happen and then uh facilitate that training to the freshman and allow them to accomplish that goal. The general ideas of engineering systems as an engineering ship rate the the core concepts are there but the platforms are different.

[00:05:38]So like on the tanner we were able to go down and visually see the main seawater system, the central freshwater system, the jacket water system, and um the lube oil system are those are the four main systems that we try to familiarize the freshman with. Um the principles there on that ship carry over to this ship.

[00:05:57]Jack and water, you're removing heat from the main engines. Uh CFW, you're removing uh waste heat from machinery around the engine spaces. you know, lubrication, you're lubricating the oil, uh, lubricating the engine and protecting those surfaces. We were able to take the ship's operation manual and apply this platform without it being in casting to those principles and effectively get that information across.

[00:06:21]And during this first leg, you could see that light bulb go off in the freshman's heads. uh they were starting to see the the principles that from the questions that we asked them and they started applying that to their to their everyday life aboard the ship. This being the third platform I've stepped on was probably the most exciting. The Tanner being a single single main engine drive.

[00:06:43]My cadet shipping was quad main engine drive. I know this is a quad main engine diesel electric drive. I think that was probably the most yet intimidating but exciting part about getting this new ship and being able to be a part of this. Um what I was most excited about was probably the modernization. Uh engineering is only stepping forward. So the more systems that we can be introduced to here, the less um or the more prepared we can be for future industry standards. From my senior year of high school when I was first introduced to the school, I knew I didn't want to go anywhere else. being able to take DC terms, uh, the classes that we've had, put all the principle operations, the theory all together and be able to, you know, connect the dots on problems that we've experienced and have that um, have that goal of overcoming the problem and then having that uh, accomplishment at the end is a really great feeling and I I love Maid Maritime for that. Uh my ultimate goal is to get on a container trip and sail the Pacific West Coast. Uh I've always wanted to go to like China, Japan, Guam, uh California, get around there, go to Hawaii. So, you know, being able to get on one of those ships is an opportunity that I wouldn't be able to pass up.

[00:08:04]>> My name is Will Grant. I'm from Winthrop, Maine. I chose Maine Maritime because of the job outlook after I graduate. Um, I like the idea of working for a certain amount of time and then getting a certain amount of time off to let me do the things that I love.

[00:08:20]I chose my major because I knew I wanted to do an engineering major. Um, I like the problem solving and all that stuff.

[00:08:29]And uh, marine systems engineering just seemed like it was going to be the best fit for me, the most challenging, and I was going to be able to get the most I wanted out of it. Even though it's five years, >> um it sounds like it's gonna be worth that. And I think so far it's gonna be worth that >> because ultimately I'm gonna get to where I want to be. I chose MSE 5 over MSE4 because I wanted to ship out. Um like they have the ME, which is great, too. Um, but from what I've heard, the MSE just gets you like that extra step and that extra like ability to solve problems and make you think more and understand things a lot more instead of just being able to fix it or like kind of knowing. I feel like it's going to build a really strong foundation for learning and helping me solve those problems that I'm going to need to solve out in the field. I think the Coast Guard license is definitely really important. Um, especially if you're coming here for engineering because then you can work like it's an unlimited license so I can work on any ship anywhere and have a lot of like openness with career fields that I'm going to want to do. Um, even if I don't think about it right now, I'll still like when I'm working and I hear about something, I'll be able to go look at that and try to and like do it because I'll have that that on the license that's going to give me a lot more freedom with what I want to do. And then aside to that, I'll have the shore side stuff which will let me do like design and all that stuff, work in power plants, all sorts of different stuff. So, there's so many things that you don't even think about now. like I don't even think about right now, but I know that eventually I'm going to look back and be like, I'm glad I did that.

[00:10:19]It's going to be worth it. But right now, I kind of interested in the oil rigs. I think that'd be pretty cool to work on, go work for a month, and then come back and, you know, do hunting and fishing, guiding, things that I love to do on shore. And it's just going to give me that freedom to go do those things.

[00:10:36]far in Galveistston. I've gotten off the ship, gone straight to the beach, and gone fishing right until the end of Liberty every single day. So, it's been a blast. It's been a lot of fun with watches and stuff, learning all the systems on the ship. Um, continuing to learn those, do things that I didn't think I was going to do, like for maintenance, we do like plumbing and stuff. Like, I never thought I was going to be doing plumbing, but it's fun. In the past what 18 days that we've been here, I've learned more than I've learned in in years in such a short amount of time like and you learn them so quick and then you feel like you can just explain the whole system and it's it's pretty rewarding to have that feeling. Coming on I was I'm obviously really excited to um be down in the engine room and learn about all that. I think it's definitely good to know like for the other half of crews um the deck side what they do how that correlates to the engine room um cuz I mean everything on the ship is is you can relate it to one thing or another and they all they all work together to keep the ship moving and and working. So, I think it's going to be definitely cool to go up to the deck and learn what they do and learn how what we're doing down in the engine room is helping them up here. My name is Bethany Ives. I am a marine transportation operations major. I'm from Hollowell, Maine, and my position aboard the training ship, State of Maine, is cadet master. So far, I've been working a lot with the captain of our training ship, Captain Mack. I've also been working a lot with our student leadership with leadership from Texas.

[00:12:17]Um, working to integrate the two schools and develop systems that were already well established on the old ship, but we have to recreate those both on a new ship and with like twice as many people as we had before. A lot of my job has been facilitating and starting conversations about um, Maine does it one way, Texas does it one way, how are we going to bring that together and have it consistent across the board. So, like uniforms slightly different. Um, how do we how are we going to regulate those?

[00:12:46]Pretty much the same. Um, for discipline, um, they've got a different system than we do, but on the ship, we're all equal. So, we're kind of bringing those together to create an even system so that if a main student does something and a Texas student does something, um, both of them not what's supposed to be done, um, how do we hold them accountable equally so that it's fair for everyone? Texas and Maine students do pretty much everything together. Um, training is separate, but utility, so cleaning, maintenance, fixing stuff, um, and watch are all together. So, you might be on, if you're a freshman and you're on the bridge steering the ship, you might be a main student, you might be taking direction from a Texas upper class or vice versa.

[00:13:31]This will be our first time sailing with 500 students, so there'll be some wrinkles to iron out. Um, a lot of it when you have watches with that many people, um, how is everyone getting value out of each watch? How are we splitting up jobs for maintenance so that everybody gets to do something that's actually meaningful? And then just living aboard, how do we share that space in a in a way that's constructive and positive for everyone? This ship provides a platform for us to be able to handle that many students and we're still figuring out how that all works, but um this is something we it wouldn't have been possible on the old ship. So, it's exciting to see it come together.

[00:14:12]People creating new programming that we didn't have before and just opportunities for for training um that are getting added into the curriculum to kind of fill it out and give everybody more. I'm Justin Lau from SAC Main, class of 2027, and I'm a part of the marine transportation operations major.

[00:14:29]Oh, my day is uh it's been very busy.

[00:14:33]I'm the Delta Company at Sega Mate, and between doing ship rate duties and watches, utility maintenance, it's been uh it's learning a lot about leadership and how a officer role would look like on a ship in the future. Uh I'm the Delta Company cadet second mate and it's serves as the uh the shadow for the second mate on board the Tissson. It's uh the navigational officer. So I help with um chart corrections, navigational equipment, helm turnovers, >> safety equipment, pretty much anything at the request of the ship's officers, we we tag along and help with and learn about it. like I uh I've been learning about the safety equipment on board, the navigational console, radars, ectis, all of that. I feel like the the ship's officers have been like letting us take charge as student leadership. They've been kind of they we need we need to help each other out in the sense of they need us and we need them. and having that that bond, I feel like they will assign you a task and kind of just step back and let you do it and and you you feel like you're in in in charge and with just their supervision. And it it's a really great way to learn because the only way to actually do something is to get some hands-on experience with it. It was a big learning curve coming from the the old state of Maine to this one. I mean, this one is significantly larger.

[00:16:03]It's more of a to get from point A to point B is a lot more difficult. Took a lot. It was it was a learning curve for a lot of us and the some of the equipment on board 2 is a lot different than what we are used to and that learning curve set us behind a little bit at first and we're starting to finally crest that top and and understand a lot more information on this. It offers us so much more than the old state of Maine could. I mean having two two bridges that's two opportunities to to learn about more navigation and more safety. It's designed to be a training ship and it does that beyond what it's supposed to do. In this leg, I want to give more opportunity to my freshmo below me. I want them to be able to understand more and kind of uh teach them about maybe some of the things that they're stepping into in the next few years. Um, having them on the helm and having them as lookouts is great, but they need to also know like it's not just that. You're also going to get more time as as on the radars and maybe a familiarization with some of these things that they can look forward to in the future. It's a bunch of people with one common goal of getting from point A to point B. And everybody has to work together without that without even though we're separate and deck and engine. We work we work together at the end of the day. It's it's all of us moving state of Maine from point A to point B. And I feel like that's what living on a ship is supposed to be.

[00:17:24]>> My name is Corbin Chandler. I'm a marine transportation major here at Texas&M Maritime Academy and I will be serving as the Texas&M maritime academy uh sea term commander this summer. I've been working closely with Bethany Ives who's the cadet master for main maritime academy um and just o overseeing all operations whether it's maintenance, utility watch, things like that to make sure our cadetses are where they are supposed to be and um and on time and and things like that. We essentially we do work together and we do share some of the same ideas. Um sometimes we'll kind of split our work evenly. That way uh you know one person's not doing too much and you know she's doing a lot and I'm doing a lot and things like that. We're all one crew so we're we're going off all the same rules and you know trying to get everybody to abide by that. Um but it's it's been pretty great so far as far as like workload goes to be able to share the the commonwealth with with everybody. We haven't had a ship all year. We had the TS Kennedy for about half a semester in the fall and a lot of these freshman, these newer cadetses haven't, you know, stepped foot on a ship and seeing what it's like to work and, you know, to see them being so eager to learn and to be engaged and want to get to work and want to learn and want their seniors to, you know, guide them and encourage them to, you know, do more. Uh, it's really been a great thing to see. The value of CERM, I see learning and engagement in everything that you do. Um, we're here to train to be future officers for the Merchant Marine and you have to be able to take that and run with it. Um, you want to be engaged as much as possible and get your hands on anything that you can. Um, and I think that just starts by asking questions to the maids, to your teachers, um, to people that have that real world knowledge and putting it into practice here on the training ship is just the biggest thing that I think you can take away. And, um, just learning as much as you can. That's what we're here to do. Uh that's why we're getting this degree. I mean, I think the biggest thing was being on this new ship. I mean, these things are state-of-the-art and they're fun to work on. They're fun to navigate. Um and then also working with another maritime academy. You know, we're we're combining two separate worlds, Texas and Maine together just like they did last year. And being able to get to share my stories and hear other stories from the other cadets here from Maine. Um the hospitality has been great. um that Northern Hospitality has been treating us Southerners well and uh we look forward to spending the the next 65 days with them.

[00:19:49]>> Donovan White, I'm from Virginia Beach, Virginia, currently a freshman here. So, at first I was just browsing around through the internet. You know, I started off as a HVAC technician. I wanted something more for myself. So, I was just browsing through the internet what jobs I could possibly have, you know, to still work with my hands and still contribute to society. So I was looking through different maritimemies and I finally landed on Maine Maritime.

[00:20:11]So me and my mom, you know, I told her about it. She was like, "Oh, you want to be a Marine?" I was like, "No, mom. I don't want to be a Marine." So, um, after that, we went to an open house at Maine Maritime Academy and she loved it and I loved it and so I ended up here. I feel great about my decision. Real great. You know, the, uh, outcome getting from this school, you know, the hands-on learning and all the, uh, all the staff have been really nice to me.

[00:20:35]They've been really knowledgeable. It's like a open encyclopedia of nothing but knowledge. So, they've been pointing me in nothing but the right direction. So, I have no regret whatsoever from going from a comfy HVAC job to, you know, going out and trying to be a merchant marine.

[00:20:51]My dream job, you know, definitely uh I want long hitches. I want like something like 60 days on and, you know, 30 days off. You know, I really enjoy the water so far. You know, it's my first time ever on a vessel this big. I never been on a vessel at all actually. So, it's just like and I'm just loving it. I'm enjoying every single aspect of it. You know, the scullery I've been doing just a whole new world, a whole new language that I'm learning. Man, they put me on the helm. I know they were talking to me about it all during pre-crews like you're going all the freshman, they're going to get on the helm. I got on the helm basically steering the ship and it was just like I'm really doing this. It was just like it blew my mind that I was prepared for it. You know, my seniors got me prepared. My bigs were there also kind of assisting me throughout the way and just I got up there. I felt comfortable. I was just able to steer the ship a little bit. That was really nice. Really proud of myself for that one. Right now I'm on the deck for the first half. You know, I'm marine engineering operations. I did Hback before this. I'm really engineered mindset. So, I'm really excited to get down the engine room and just get dirty.

[00:21:57]That's the main thing I want to do is just get dirty. Port I'm most looking forward to would have to be Charleston, South Carolina. All my family's from there, you know. I get to see my nephews, you know, hey Jordan, hey James, and I get to see my mom, my grandma, you know, I'm excited to see them. And also my cousins. Yeah, I'm really excited for them to, you know, for them to see me come in on the vessel. So, I think they'll be pretty excited about that. I think they are all going to be at the port.

[00:22:24]knowing them, they're probably going to have like big old signs trying to embarrass me, you know, like welcome welcome back Donovan or something like that. So then they're going to be really excited to see me. I'm really going to be excited to see them. Also, I'm Isaac Thompson and I'm from South Bristol, Maine. When I came to school, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do, but at Main Maritime, I knew that whatever I did, I would get an outcome that I would want and would be desirable. And uh luckily, I found it in engineering.

[00:22:53]I'm looking forward to the uh the time off um like freedom that you get and kind of like choosing when you want to work and having the ability that when you're home you can really do whatever you want in your time off and really be present in the I can explore I can travel. It's pretty incredible opportunity and being at C is also incredible. I'm looking forward to the opportunity of like working like half the year at sea and half of the year at home. And uh so I'd be off half of the year. And uh in that time off, I feel like it's a really unique opportunity to travel, to explore, and just to be present in whatever you're doing. And uh not a lot of careers are like that. It's a unique opportunity, and I'm excited for it.

[00:23:44]This first leg was pretty cool. I mean, a lot was happening at once. We were learning a lot and um it was just cool to be underway, cool to drive the boat, cool to like stand all the different watches and uh just cool to be at sea looking out and seeing nothing on the horizon except for water and like other ships occasionally. But really, really cool first experience at sea. This new ship is incredibly incredibly cool. It's It feels like a Star Wars ship with the automatic doors sliding and the two bridges and the two engines and it's super super big and definitely people are getting like lost at first. There's a lot happening at once, but the learning curve is like the amount you're learning every day on this ship is way more than you could ever learn in a classroom. I think uh being the first uh this being the first cruise is like a really special and like incredible or just great experience for all of us.

[00:24:46]It's been like even the the juniors, the freshman, and the staff, everyone's learning the ship simultaneously.

[00:24:53]There's been a lot of um familiarization that's happened on that first leg, especially to Galveastston.

[00:25:00]Um, but we're learning fast and it's pretty cool to be able to pass down that knowledge to future classes. I honestly didn't expect that I would be driving like right out of the gate, you know?

[00:25:12]It's pretty cool to be like put on the helm like your first like leg you're driving the boat. It's pretty uh pretty cool experience and like it's feeling how sensitive the the boat is and to rolling if you use too much rudder. It's kind of crazy cuz you know everyone can either be happy with your driving or pretty upset with your driving if the ship starts to roll. So that was a pretty cool experience and uh I think everyone has agreed it's pretty special feeling. The port that I'm looking forward the most to is Charleston. I think uh I don't know there's a pretty cool sailing town sailing uh area. So, always wanted to go to Charleston, explore the museums there, and uh I think it's a nice uh spot where it's like in between the hot and the cold. I checked out the Strand in Galveston. Uh went along and walked along the beach.

[00:26:06]It's really It's really humid here.

[00:26:08]Super super different than Maine.

[00:26:10]There's It's unique for me to be in this climate. I've never been this far south.

[00:26:14]So, it's been it's been very cool. And to see all the the work like the working port, seeing all the stuff happening, it's pretty cool.

[00:26:22]>> Matita. I'm a marine engineering technologies major uh from Salt Lake City, Utah. Oh, I I had a blast. You know, this is first time out to see on a like brand new ship. I was so much new stuff, so much to learn, and I just had fun every day. Like we were doing doing lifeboat drills. We were um I was doing like fire and security watches and I just really got to explore and had a fun time. Uh I loved like relaxing on the fantel with everybody. It was just such a fun time. So I started out as deck first half even though I'm engineer and I got to drive the ship uh which was really crazy. Um, I did take us off course by like 20 degrees. Um, and there was a little panic on the bridge. Um, but that was, you know, my first time ever like driving a ship and I learned I'm pretty terrible at it. But that was a neat experience that never got to do.

[00:27:24]And like I was just excited that it happened. It was really cool going through the Gulf. Uh, cuz there was like oil rigs to like our left and right. We were we're just going through. so many oil rigs like every time you just look out of the distance saw an oil rig and then look to your right oh there's another oil rig and just and then closer and closer we got to Galveastston you saw so many new ships and we're in like a dense like traffic area it was just cool to see all the different varieties that was around here you definitely are on a different schedule uh since we didn't have the ship back at school like this is our first time ever standing watch um but you you've got a 4-hour shift and with 8 hours in between that shift.

[00:28:07]And so like today or not today, but yesterday I had the 8:00 to 12:00 shift.

[00:28:14]So it was pretty all right. You know, you go to bed a little late, wake up a little early. But if you have like the midnight to 4 watch, you're going to bed at like 5:00 in the afternoon or and then waking up at at 11 o'clock in the morning or at night. So you you got some some weird uh sleep schedules, but that's only when you have watch. All the other days, you know, pretty normal sleep schedule, which is pretty all right. Well, I'm I'm in a birthing and we just since we took on the Texans, we're now at like pretty full capacity and it actually like surprisingly is cleaner now that we have more people. Um but I mean they're they're pretty good so far, I'd say. Um, you know, I still it's a tiny rack, but I'm still able to fit all my stuff and you know, everything fits and we're still having a good time. I'd say so far the food has been surprisingly decent. You know, like you have kind of low expectations like we're going a ship, food's going to be all right. But it's been some good food.

[00:29:18]Like, uh, the other night they made this this like spicy chicken and it was it was delicious. Like I went back for I think like triple servings. So, it's nice outside. Everyone goes out to the fan tail and you're just sitting with your lawn chair like watching the sunrise or the sunset, people playing cornhole, you know, inside. They got lounges, watch a movie. I'm I'm here to learn. So, as if anything's happening, I want to be a part of it and see what's going on.

[00:29:46]>> Howdy. My name is Melanche Ustri. This will be my third C term with Texas&M Maritime Academy, and I'll be serving as a lead engine cadet. I'm super excited to see the journey that we're going to go on, not only as Texas&M Maritime Academy, but also Maine Maritime Academy, and I can't wait to see the leaders that we build for the future.

[00:30:05]>> My name is Kase Wildman. I'm from Hampton, Maine. It was actually a late decision for me, but I just want the I just like the work. I'm I'm more hands-on and I saw that this school really focused on that, and I'm that's why I really chose here. What I thought about hands-on is obviously the ship.

[00:30:25]That's obviously we didn't have it this year, but next year it will be great.

[00:30:29]Um, just stuff like that. Being able to get on the ship, all the labs that we have, it's it'll be great these next couple years coming. Definitely getting my hands on some real tools, real work stuff. My first impression is it's huge.

[00:30:44]It's very confusing. Uh definitely got lost the first couple days, but right now I'm feeling pretty good about it and it's been a pretty good time. They have us doing everything. Just getting a well-rounded all together. Right now I'm in a engine watch. So I've been down in the engine room um just working tracing systems, fixing stuff that needs to be fixed. It's definitely a lot different than having your own room, but a lot of us are close, so it's it's pretty good.

[00:31:15]definitely get closer to some of the people that you may have not roommed with during the year. It's been awesome so far. I have never been on a ship like this before. Uh I mean, other than cruise ships, but that's totally different. That's vacation. This is this is definitely not vacation. This is work. You work hard. You get some relax time, but you're you're focused. You're focused on school and working on My name is Parker Brown. I'm an MET major from Hampton, Maine. I ended up here because my dad came here about 40 years ago and then my cousin's here right now. He's a junior and my dad's brother also came here. I chose ME because it gives you a lot of options shore side and at sea.

[00:31:55]So, I'd like to ship out for at least a couple years, pay off my student loans, make some money, and then eventually come shore side and be home a lot more.

[00:32:04]uh working at a power plant or I plan to do the nuclear minor. So working at a nuclear power plant or doing something with that would be a good good idea.

[00:32:12]It's a lot of work, a lot of stairs, but it's good to finally learn the ship and then when you're told to go somewhere, be able to go there or show someone where to go. I'm on deck half right now.

[00:32:23]So the training we're we're doing is we're rotating through a watch and then we'll take turns steering the ship. And it's pretty similar to doing it at school in the simulator, but it's obviously a lot more real and it's taken a lot more seriously. I find it pretty interesting like steering the ship and learning all the different tools that are on the bridge as well as the weather like predicting things like that and going out and taking readings. It's good to learn everything on the ship so you're wellrounded. Never been to Texas before and I've gone out with a couple friends going to try new places to eat that we don't have back in Maine. I like all the shops around. I think that's cool. Something to do, something to explore. After hearing a lot of what the people on the engine side are doing, I'm excited. We're about halfway through the switching. I'm excited to go over to the engine side and start learning the systems and what my major is actually focusing on.

[00:34:58]There we go.

[00:35:40]Good chance.

[00:36:38]Heat.

[00:36:55]Heat.

[00:38:11]Heat.

[00:38:27]Heat.

[00:40:54]stupid.

[00:41:02]Yeah.

[00:42:10]I don't know.

[00:42:30]Yeah.

[00:42:40]Heat.

[00:44:35]Dr. That's the money.

[00:51:08]My name is Aiden Trafton. I'm from Heartland, Maine. I'm the cadet first assistant engineer aboard the state of Maine. As the cadet first assistant engineer on board the state of Maine, I get to shadow the senior officer, the first engineer here down in the engine room. Uh my biggest job that I had prior to cruise was facilitating the pre-cruise program that we put on for the freshman so they can become familiarized with the ship here uh or where it would have been in Castine. But that was the biggest speed bump we had to overcome this year. We didn't have a physical ship in Castine like I did my freshman year. So we had to facilitate familiarization virtually through a um operation manual that we were given by tote services and we had to overcome this problem of hands-on training that we really want the freshman to be able to experience but they weren't able to.

[00:52:00]Uh I get to facilitate maintenance and work alongside the senior officers down in the engine room. Um, I think that's the most eyeopening thing is that stepping from my freshman role to a junior role, I'm no longer being taught how to do it. I'm expected to take the job uh analyze what needs to happen and then uh facilitate that training to the freshman and allow them to accomplish that goal. The general ideas of engineering systems as an engineering ship rate, the the core concepts are there, but the platforms are different.

[00:52:31]So like on the Tanner we were able to go down and visually see the main seawater system, the central freshwater system, the jacket water system and um the lube oil system are those are the four main systems that we try to familiarize the freshman with. Um the principles there on that ship carry over to this ship.

[00:52:51]Jack and water, you're removing heat from the main engines. Uh CFW, you're removing uh waste heat from machinery around the engine spaces. you know, lubrication, you're lubricating the oil, uh, lubricating the engine and protecting those surfaces. We were able to take the ship's operation manual and apply this platform without it being in castine to those principles and effectively get that information across.

[00:53:15]And during this first leg, you could see that light bulb go off in the freshman's heads. uh they were starting to see the the principles that from the questions that we asked them and they started applying that to their to their everyday life aboard the ship. This being the third platform I've stepped on was probably the most exciting. The Tanner being a single single main engine drive.

[00:53:36]My cadet shipping was quad main engine drive. I know this is a quad main engine diesel electric drive. I think that was probably the most yet intimidating but exciting part about getting this new ship and being able to be a part of this. Um, what I was most excited about was probably the modernization. Uh, engineering is only stepping forward.

[00:53:57]So, the more systems that we can be introduced to here, the less um or the more prepared we can be for future industry standards. From my senior year of high school when I was first introduced to the school, I knew I didn't want to go anywhere else. being able to take DC terms, uh, the classes that we've had, put all the principle operations, the theory all together and be able to, you know, connect the dots on problems that we've experienced and have that um, have that goal of overcoming the problem and then having that uh, accomplishment at the end is a really great feeling and I I love May Maritime for that. Uh my ultimate goal is to get on a container trip and sail the Pacific West Coast. Uh I've always wanted to go to like China, Japan, Guam, uh California, get around there, go to Hawaii. So, you know, being able to get on one of those ships is an opportunity that I wouldn't be able to pass up.

[00:54:57]>> My name is Will Grant. I'm from Winthrop, Maine. I chose Maine Maritime because of the job outlook after I graduate. Um, I like the idea of working for a certain amount of time and then getting a certain amount of time off to let me do the things that I love.

[00:55:14]I chose my major because I knew I wanted to do an engineering major. Um, I like the problem solving and all that stuff.

[00:55:23]And uh, marine systems engineering just seemed like it was going to be the best fit for me, the most challenging, and I was going to be able to get the most I wanted out of it even though it's 5 years. Um, it sounds like it's going to be worth that and I think so far it's going to be worth that because ultimately I'm gonna get to where I want to be. I chose MSE 5 over MSE4 because I wanted to ship out um like to have the ME which is great too. Um, but from what I've heard, the MSE just gets you like that extra step and that extra like ability to solve problems and make you think more and understand things a lot more instead of just being able to fix it or like kind of knowing. I feel like it's going to build a really strong foundation for learning and help me solve those problems that I'm going to need to solve out in the field. I think the Coast Guard license is definitely really important. Um, especially if you're coming here for engineering because then you can work like it's an unlimited license so I can work on any ship anywhere and have a lot of like openness with career fields that I'm going to want to do. Um, even if I don't think about it right now, I'll still like when I'm working and I hear about something, I'll be able to go look at that and try to and like do it because I'll have that that unlimited license that's going to give me a lot more freedom with what I want to do. And then aside to that, I'll have the shore side stuff, which will let me do like design and all that stuff, work at power plants, all sorts of different stuff.

[00:57:01]So, there's so many things that you don't even think about now. like I don't even think about right now, but I know that eventually I'm going to look back and be like, I'm glad I did that. It's going to be worth it. But right now, I kind of interested in the oil rigs. I think that'd be pretty cool to work on, go work for a month, and then come back and, you know, do hunting and fishing, guiding, things that I love to do on shore. It's just going to give me that freedom to go do those things. far in Galison. I've gotten off the ship, gone straight to the beach, and gone fishing right until the end of Liberty every single day. So, it's been a blast. It's been a lot of fun with watches and stuff, learning all the systems on the ship. Um, continuing to learn those, do things that I didn't think I was going to do. Like for maintenance, we do like plumbing and stuff. Like, I never thought I was going to be doing plumbing, but it's fun. In the past what 18 days that we've been here, I've learned more than I've learned in in years in such a short amount of time like and you learn them so quick and then you feel like you can just explain the whole system and it's it's pretty rewarding to have that feeling. Coming on I was I'm obviously really excited to um be down in the engine room and learn about all that. I think it's definitely good to know like for the other half of crews um the deck side what they do how that correlates to the engine room um cuz I mean everything on the ship is is you can relate it to one thing or another and and they all they all work together to keep the ship moving and and working. So, I think it's going to be definitely cool to go up to the deck and learn what they do and learn how what we're doing down in the engine room is helping them up here. My name is Bethany Ives. I am a marine transportation operations major. I'm from Hollowell, Maine, and my position aboard the training ship, State of Maine, is cadet master. So far, I've been working a lot with the captain of our training ship, Captain Mack. I've also been working a lot with our student leadership with leadership from Texas. Um, working to integrate the two schools and develop systems that were already well established on the old ship, but we have to recreate those both on a new ship and with like twice as many people as we had before. A lot of my job has been facilitating and starting conversations about um, Maine does it one way, Texas does it one way, how are we going to bring that together and have it consistent across the board. So, like uniforms slightly different. Um, how do we how are we going to regulate those?

[00:59:40]Pretty much the same. Um, for discipline, um, they've got a different system than we do, but on the ship, we're all equal. So, we're kind of bringing those together to create an even system so that if a main student does something and a Texas student does something, um, both of them not what's supposed to be done, um, how do we hold them accountable equally so that it's fair for everyone? Texas and Maine students do pretty much everything together. Um, training is separate, but utility, so cleaning, maintenance, fixing stuff, um, and watch are all together. So, you might be on, if you're a freshman and you're on the bridge steering the ship, you might be a main student, you might be taking direction from a Texas upper class or vice versa.

[01:00:25]This will be our first time sailing with 500 students, so there'll be some wrinkles to iron out. Um, a lot of it when you have watches with that many people, um, how is everyone getting value out of each watch? How are we splitting up jobs for maintenance so that everybody gets to do something that's actually meaningful? And then just living aboard, how do we share that space in a in a way that's constructive and positive for everyone? This ship provides a platform for us to be able to handle that many students and we're still figuring out how that all works, but um this is something we it wouldn't have been possible on the old ship. So, it's exciting to see it come together.

[01:01:05]People creating new programming that we didn't have before and just opportunities for for training um that are getting added into the curriculum to kind of fill it out and give everybody more. I'm Justin Lau from SAC Main, class of 2027, and I'm a part of the marine transportation operations major.

[01:01:23]My day is uh it's been very busy. I'm the Delta Company cadet at Second Mate and between doing ship rate duties and watches, utility maintenance, it's been uh it's learning a lot about leadership and how a officer role would look like on a ship in the future. U I'm the Delta Company cadet second mate and it's serves as the uh the shadow for the second mate on board the Tissson. It's uh the navigational officer. So I help with um chart corrections, navigational equipment, helm turnovers, >> safety equipment, pretty much anything at the request of the ship's officers, we we tag along and help with and learn about it. like I uh I've been learning about the safety equipment on board, the navigational console, radars, ectis, all of that. I feel like the the ship's officers have been like letting us take charge as student leadership. They've been kind of they we need we need to help each other out in the sense of they need us and we need them. And having that that bond, I feel like they will assign you a task and kind of just step back and let you do it and and you you feel like you're in in in charge and with just their supervision. And it it's a really great way to learn because the only way to actually do something is to get some hands-on experience with it. It was a big learning curve coming from the the old state of Maine to this one. I mean, this one is significantly larger.

[01:02:57]It's more of a to get from point A to point B is a lot more difficult. Took a lot. It was it was a learning curve for a lot of us and the some of the equipment on board 2 is a lot different than what we are used to and that learning curve set us behind a little bit at first and we're starting to finally crest that top and and understand a lot more information on this. It offers us so much more than the old state of Maine could. I mean having two two bridges that's two opportunities to to learn about more navigation and more safety. It's designed to be a training ship and it does that beyond what it's supposed to do. In this leg, I want to give more opportunity to my freshmo below me. I want them to be able to understand more and kind of uh teach them about maybe some of the things that they're stepping into in the next few years. Um, having them on the helm and having them as lookouts is great, but they need to also know like it's not just that. You're also going to get more time as a as on the radars and maybe a familiarization with some of these things that they can look forward to in the future. It's a bunch of people with one common goal of getting from point A to point B. And everybody has to work together. Without that, without even though we're separate and deck and engine, we work we work together. At the end of the day, it's it's all of us moving state of Maine from point A to point B. And I feel like that's what living on a ship is supposed to be.

[01:04:17]>> My name is Corbin Chandler. I'm a marine transportation major here at Texas&M Maritime Academy and I will be serving as the Texas&M maritime academy uh sea term commander this summer. I've been working closely with Bethany Ives who's the cadet master for main maritime academy um and just o overseeing all operations whether it's maintenance utility watch things like that to make sure our cadetses are where they are supposed to be and um and on time and and things like that. Essentially, we do work together and we do share some of the same ideas. Um, sometimes we'll kind of split our work evenly. That way, uh, you know, one person's not doing too much and, you know, she's doing a lot and I'm doing a lot and things like that. We're all one crew, so we're we're going off all the same rules and, you know, trying to get everybody to abide by that. Um, but it's it's been pretty great so far as far as like workload goes to be able to share the the Commonwealth with with everybody. We haven't had a ship all year. We had the TS Kennedy for about half a semester in the fall and a lot of these freshman, these newer cadetses haven't, you know, stepped foot on a ship and seeing what it's like to work and, you know, to see them being so eager to learn and to be engaged and want to get to work and want to learn and want their seniors to, you know, guide them and encourage them to, you know, do more. Uh, it's really been a great thing to see. The value of CERM, I see learning and engagement in everything that you do. Um, we're here to train to be future officers for the Merchant Marine and you have to be able to take that and run with it. Um, you want to be engaged as much as possible and get your hands on anything that you can. Um, and I think that just starts by asking questions to the mates, to your teachers, um, to people that have that real world knowledge and putting it into practice here on the training ship is just the biggest thing that I think you can take away. And, um, just learning as much as you can. That's what we're here to do. That's why we're getting this degree. I mean, I think the biggest thing was being on this new ship. I mean, these things are state-of-the-art and they're fun to work on. They're fun to navigate. Um, and then also working with another maritime academy. You know, we're we're combining two separate worlds, Texas and Maine together just like they did last year. And being able to get to share my stories and hear other stories from the other cadets here from Maine. Um, the hospitality has been great. um that Northern Hospitality has been treating us southerners well and uh we look forward to spending the the next 65 days with them.

[01:06:43]>> Donovan White, I'm from Virginia Beach, Virginia, currently a freshman here. So, at first I was just browsing around through the internet. You know, I started off as a HVAC technician. I wanted something more for myself. So, I was just browsing through the internet of what jobs I could possibly have, you know, to still work with my hands and still contribute to society. So I was looking through different maritimemies and I finally landed on Maine Maritime.

[01:07:04]So me and my mom, you know, I told her about it. She was like, "Oh, you want to be a Marine?" I was like, "No, mom. I don't want to be a Marine." So um after that, we went to an open house at Maine Maritime Academy and she loved it and I loved it and so I ended up here. I feel great about my decision. Real great. You know, the uh outcome getting from this school, you know, the hands-on learning and all the uh all the staff have been really nice to me. They've been really knowledgeable. It's like a open encyclopedia of nothing but knowledge.

[01:07:33]So, they've been pointing me in nothing but the right direction. So, I have no regret whatsoever from going from a comfy HVAC job to, you know, going out and trying to be a merchant marine.

[01:07:44]My dream job, you know, definitely uh I want long hitches. I want like something like 60 days on and, you know, 30 days off. You know, I really enjoy the water so far. You know, it's my first time ever on a vessel this big. I never been on a vessel at all actually. So, it's just like and I'm just loving it. I'm enjoying every single aspect of it. You know, the scullery I've been doing just a whole new world, a whole new language that I'm learning. Man, they put me on the helm. I know they were talking to me about it all during pre-crews like you're going all the freshman, they're going to get on the helm. I got on the helm basically steering the ship and it was just like I'm really doing this. And it was just like it blew my mind that I was prepared for it. You know, my seniors got me prepared. My bigs were there also kind of assisting me throughout the way and just I got up there and I felt comfortable and I was just able to steer the ship a little bit. That was really nice. Really proud of myself for that one. Right now I'm on the deck for the first half. You know, I'm marine engineering operations. I did Hback before this. I'm really engineered mindset. So I'm really excited to get down the engine room and just get dirty.

[01:08:50]That's the main thing I want to do is just get dirty. port I'm most looking forward to would have to be Charleston, South Carolina. All my family's from there, you know, I get to see my nephews, you know, hey Jordan, hey James, and I get to see my mom, my grandma, you know, I'm excited to see them. And also my cousins. Yeah, I'm really excited for them to, you know, for them to see me come in on the vessel. So, I think they'll be pretty excited about that. I think they are all going to be at the port. Yes. knowing them, they're probably going to have like big old signs trying to embarrass me, you know, like welcome welcome back Donovan or something like that. So then they're going to be really excited to see me. I'm really going to be excited to see them. Also, I'm Isaac Thompson and I'm from South Bristol, Maine. When I came to school, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do, but at Main Maritime, I knew that whatever I did, I would get an outcome that I would want and would be desirable. And uh luckily, I found it in engineering.

[01:09:47]I'm looking forward to the uh the time off um like freedom that you get and kind of like choosing when you want to work and having the ability that in your home you can really do whatever you want in your time off and really be present and I can explore I can travel. It's pretty incredible opportunity and being at sea is also incredible. I'm looking forward to the opportunity of like working like half the year at sea and half of the year at home. And uh so I'd be off half of the year. And uh in that time off, I feel like it's a really unique opportunity to travel, to explore, and just to be present in whatever you're doing. And uh not a lot of careers are like that. It's a unique opportunity, and I'm excited for it. This first leg was pretty cool. I mean, a lot was happening at once. We were learning a lot and um it was just cool to be underway, cool to drive the boat, cool to like stand all the different watches and uh just cool to be at sea looking out and seeing nothing on the horizon except for water and like other ships occasionally. But really, really cool first experience at sea. This new ship is incredibly incredibly cool. It's It feels like a Star Wars ship with the automatic doors sliding and the two bridges and the two engines and it's super super big and definitely people are getting like lost at first. There's a lot happening at once, but the learning curve is like the amount you're learning every day on this ship is way more than you could ever learn in a classroom. I think uh being the first uh this being the first cruise is like a really special and like incredible or just great experience for all of us.

[01:11:40]It's been like even the the juniors, the freshman, and the staff, everyone's learning the ship simultaneously.

[01:11:47]There's been a lot of um familiarization that's happened on that first leg, especially to Galveastston.

[01:11:53]Um, but we're learning fast and it's pretty cool to be able to pass down that knowledge to future classes. I honestly didn't expect that I would be driving like right out of the gate, you know? It was pretty cool to be like put on the helm like your first like leg you're driving the boat. It's pretty uh pretty cool experience and like it's feeling how sensitive the the boat is and to rolling if you use too much rudder. It's kind of crazy cuz you know everyone can either be happy with your driving or pretty upset with your driving if the ship starts to roll. So that was a pretty cool experience and uh I think everyone has agreed it's pretty special feeling. The port that I'm looking forward the most to is Charleston. I think uh I don't know there's a pretty cool sailing town sailing uh area. So, always wanted to go to Charleston, explore the museums there, and uh I think it's a nice uh spot where it's like in between the hot and the cold. I checked out the Strand in Galveastston.

[01:12:56]Uh went along walked along the beach.

[01:12:59]It's really It's really humid here.

[01:13:02]Super super different than Maine. It's unique unique for me to be in this climate. I've never been this far south.

[01:13:08]So, it's been it's been very cool. and to see all the the work like the working port and seeing all the stuff happening.

[01:13:14]It's pretty cool.

[01:13:15]>> Mata, I'm a marine engineering technologies major uh from Salt Lake City, Utah. Oh, I I had a blast. You know, this is first time out to see on a like brand new ship. I was so much new stuff, so much to learn, and I just had fun every day. like we were doing doing lifeboat drills. We were um I was doing like fire and security watches and I just really got to explore and had a fun time. Uh I loved like relaxing on the fantel with everybody. It was just such a fun time. So I started out as deck first half even though I'm engineer and I got to drive the ship uh which was really crazy. Um, I did take us off course by like 20 degrees. Um, and there was a little panic on the bridge. Um, but that was, you know, my first time ever like driving a ship and I learned I pretty terrible at it. But that was a neat experience that never got to do.

[01:14:17]And like I was just excited that it happened. It was really cool going through the Gulf. Uh, cuz there was like oil rigs to like our left and right. We were we're just going through. So many oil rigs like every time you just look out of the distance saw an oil rig and then look to your right oh there's another oil rig and just and then closer and closer we got to Galveastston you saw so many new ships and we're in like a dense like traffic area. It was just cool to see all the different varieties that was around here. You definitely are on a different schedule. Uh since we didn't have the ship back at school like this is our first time ever standing watch. Um, but you you've got a 4-hour shift and with eight hours in between that shift.

[01:17:28]I thought it was going to go Howdy. My name is Melantha Ustri. This will be my third seat term with Texas&M Maritime Academy and I'll be serving as the lead engine cadet. I'm super excited to see the journey that we're going to go on, not only as Texas&M Maritime Academy, but also Maine Maritime Academy and I can't wait to see the leaders that we build for the future.

[01:18:02]>> My name is Case Wildman. I'm from Hampton, Maine. It was actually a late decision for me, but I just want the I just like the work. I'm I'm more hands-on and I saw that this school really focused on that and I'm that's why I really chose here. What I thought about hands-on is obviously the ship.

[01:18:22]That's obviously we didn't have it this year, but next year it will be great. Um just stuff like that, being able to get on the ship, all the labs that we have, it's it'll be great these next couple years coming. definitely getting my hands on some real tools, real work stuff. My first impression is it's huge.

[01:18:41]It's very confusing. Uh definitely got lost the first couple days, but right now I'm feeling pretty good about it and it's been a pretty good time. They have us doing everything. Just getting a well-rounded all together. Right now I'm in a engine watch. So I've been down in the engine room um just working tracing systems, fixing stuff that needs to be fixed. It's definitely a lot different than having your own room, but a lot of us are close, so it's it's pretty good.

[01:19:11]Definitely get closer to some of the people that you may have not roommed with during the year. It's been awesome so far. I have never been on a ship like this before. Uh I mean, other than cruise ships, but that's totally different. That's vacation. This is this is definitely not vacation. This is work. You work hard. You get some relaxed time, but you're you're focused.

[01:19:31]You're focused on school and working on.

[01:19:33]>> My name is Parker Brown. I'm an MAT major from Hampton, Maine. I ended up here because my dad came here about 40 years ago. And then my cousin's here right now. He's a junior and my dad's brother also came here. I chose M because it gives you a lot of options shore side and at sea. So, I'd like to ship out for at least a couple years, pay off my student loans, make some money, and then eventually come shore side and be home a lot more. Uh, working at a power plant or I plan to do the nuclear minor, so working at a nuclear power plant or doing something with that would be a good good idea. It's a lot of work, a lot of stairs, but it's good to finally learn the ship and then when you're told to go somewhere, be able to go there or show someone where to go.

[01:20:18]I'm on deck half right now. So, the training we're we're doing is we're rotating through watch and then we'll take turns steering the ship. And it's pretty similar to doing it at school in the simulator, but it's obviously a lot more real and it's taken a lot more seriously. I find it pretty interesting.

[01:21:10]That works for me.

[01:21:16]Yep.

[01:21:20]>> Okay.

[01:24:23]Stop it.

[01:25:03]Good Come on, Chief.

[01:26:06]I'm going to send you down just a sec.

[01:26:42]Yes.

[01:26:47]To the I'm just going to pull toward the sky.

[01:27:00]Here we go.

[01:30:37]Yeah.

[01:31:43]Yeah.

[01:32:23]Get off me.

[01:34:51]Heat.

[01:35:48]terrorist.

[01:35:52]He Oh, that's awesome.

[01:41:19]I'm going to I'm there. I'm there.