United States Merchant Marine Academy

The United States Merchant Marine Academy is one of the five United States service academies. It is charged with training officers for the United States Merchant Marine, branches of the military, or the transportation industry.

Graduates of the USMMA are qualified to be officers of large commercial ships. They are trained in navigation, ship's administration, maritime rules, personnel management, international law, Customs, electrical and mechanical systems, and many other subjects important to the task of running a large ship.

Contents

1 History 2 Admissions 3 Curriculum 4 Life After Graduation 5 Notable Graduates 6 External link

History

Between 1874 and 1936, diverse Federal legislation supported maritime training through schoolships, internships at sea and other methods. A disastrous fire in 1934 aboard the passenger ship NS Morro Castle, in which 134 lives were lost, convinced the U.S. Congress that direct Federal involvement in efficient and standardized training was needed.

Congress passed the landmark Merchant Marine Act in 1936, and two years later, the U.S. Merchant Marine Cadet Corps was established. The first training was given at temporary facilities until the Academy's permanent site in Kings Point, New York was acquired in early 1942. Construction of the Academy began immediately, and 15 months later the task was virtually completed. The Academy was dedicated on September 30, 1943, by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who noted that "the Academy serves the Merchant Marine as West Point serves the Army and Annapolis the Navy."

World War II required the Academy to forego normal operation and devote all of its resources toward meeting the emergency need for merchant marine officers. Enrollment rose to 2,700, and the planned course of instruction was reduced in length form four years to 24 months. Not-withstanding the war, shipboard training continued to be an integral part of the Academy curriculum, and midshipmen served at sea in combat zones the world over. One hundred and forty-two midshipmen gave their lives in service to their country, and many others survived torpedo and aerial attacks. By war's end, the Academy had graduated 6,634 officers.

World War II proved that the Academy could successfully meet the needs of a nation in conflict. As the war drew to a close, plans were made to convert the Academy's wartime curriculum to a four-year, college level program to meet the peacetime requirements of the merchant marine. In August 1945, such a course was instituted.

The Academy has since grown in stature and has become one of the world's foremost institutions in the field of maritime education. Authorization for awarding the degree of bachelor of science to graduates was granted by Congress in 1949; the Academy was fully accredited as a degree-granting institution that same year; it was made a permanent institution by an Act of Congress in 1956.

The Academy's national value was again recognized as it accelerated graduating classes during the Korean War and Vietnam conflicts, and for its involvement in such programs as training officers of the first U.S. nuclear powered merchant ship, the NS Savannah.

Admission requirements were amended in 1974 and the Academy became the first federal service academy to enroll women students, two years ahead of Army, Navy, Air Force or Coast Guard.

During the Persian Gulf conflict in early 1991, and for many months prior to the war, both Academy graduates and midshipmen played key roles in the massive sealift of military supplies to the Middle East. Midshipmen training at sea also participated in the humanitarian sealift to Somalia in Operation Restore Hope.

Most recently, Academy midshipmen and graduates have been involved in many facets of the War in Iraq. Many graduates were involved in the transportation of supplies during the buildup to the war in 2003. Many graduates in the Naval Reserve have been called to serve supporting Naval roles in ports in Iraq and Kuwait. Graduates who have entered other branches of the service have had more direct roles in Iraq. Aaron Seesan, a 2003 graduate and Army Lieutenant, was the first graduate to give his life for his country during the War since 9/11.

While the Academy's curriculum has changed dramatically since 1943 to reflect the technological advances of America's merchant marine, the institution has maintained its unswerving commitment to quality education and excellence among its midshipmen.

The American Merchant Marine Museum is located at the campus in Kings Point, New York.

Admissions

Admission to the Academy is a rather rigorous process. In addition to requiring high GPA and high SAT/ACT scores, the Academy, along with 3 of the 4 other academys (United States Coast Guard Academy withstanding), requires that the candidate be nominated by a Representative or Senator.

Curriculum

Freshman, known as plebes, start in early July where they begin a two week indoctrination period, also known as "indoc." Indoc is functionally run by upperclassmen but is overseen by officers and sargeant form the US Marine Corps. This high stress period involves physical training, marching, and an intesive introduction to life at the academy.

Academy students, known as midshipmen, focus on one of two different areas of education: transportation or engineering. Transportation students learn about navigation of a ship, cargo handling, and martime rules. Engineering students learn about the function of the ship's engines and its supporting systems.

For part of sophmore and junior year, known at the Academy as third class and second class year, students work as cadets on regular American merchant ship. Midshipmen are typically paired two to a ship, one engineering cadet and one deck cadet. Midshipmen work and function as part of the crew and gain an opportunity for generous amounts of hands-on experience as well as the opportunity to travel abroad to many different foriegn ports. The average midshipmen travels to 18 countries during this period, which totals a mininum of 300 days.

At the end of 1st class (senior) year, midshipmen prepare for exams to be licensed as either 3rd assistant engineers or 3rd mates. All American merchant officers must licensed by the US Coast Guard.

Life After Graduation

Midshipmen are required to maintain their Coast Guard license for 6 years. They are also required to remain in the reserves for 8 years. Merchant Marine Academy Midshipmen have the unique opportunity to join any branch of the service upon graduation, though most remain in the US Navy.

Notable Graduates

• Robert Kiyosaki, Author of the Rich Dad, Poor Dad Books
• Lane Kirkland, Former head of AFL-CIO

External link

• USMMA Official Website (http://www.usmma.edu/)