Articles
The far-flung ‘maritime mafia’ knows its own
The merchant marine is a relatively obscure industry. At Maine Maritime Academy, we talk to people about what we do, and the sea stories are all so exotic and unique to many folks. The only time people notice us in public is when we wear our uniforms. Films like “Captain Phillips” show the merchant marine
The mariner’s ‘bar exam’ precedes work at sea
There are two ways to become an officer in the merchant marine: he first is to “hawsepipe,” or work your way from the bottom as an ordinary seaman all the way up through the sailor ranks and, after accumulating a lot of sea time, sit for a deck officer’s license exam; the second is to
February dreams of summer shipping
Readers may remember that this column/blog began during summer cruise of 2013 from Maine Maritime Academy. It’s only February, but we are already preparing for the summer semester at sea. Why do we do these summer cruises and internships with cargo ships and tugboats and tankers? Why is so much of our school year devoted
Hitting our stride as course work narrows
“They say that here at MMA the chicken’s mighty fine; well, mine jumped off the table and began to march in time.” I’ve said before that food is the first most important morale factor on a ship. Our food service department here at Maine Maritime Academy is a very hard working group. Before Christmas vacation
The holiday spirit lands at MMA
The winter season hits Castine with typical Maine ferocity: sleeting rain, blowing snow and everything in between. It leaves Old Man Winter asking, “What?” At Maine Maritime Academy, academics remain our focus, as usual, but several things come up that bring the holiday spirit into everyone’s door. With the first snow falling today, Monday, Dec.
What to do when there’s nothing to do
“In Castine this week, a great deal of nothing happened.” So said Midshipman James Levine. Many who come to Maine Maritime Academy from big cities learn quickly that life in rural Maine is not all about going to the mall and the movies on weekends, nor is it a place filled with attractions like museums
Simulating the at-sea experience
Students at Maine Maritime Academy get an average of 210 days at sea between their freshman and senior years. One hundred twenty of those days are aboard the training ship State of Maine—just that one ship. The training cruise and cadet shipping experiences lend a vast amount of knowledge and hands-on learning for students, but
Election Day at MMA… who will take charge?
Editor’s note: Benjamin Stevens of Islesford is a sophomore at Maine Maritime Academy and has been writing about his experiences for The Working Waterfront. Student leadership runs the entire regiment of midshipmen. Every year we change the command from the current group of seniors, known as the “wedge,” to the junior class that have
A day to remember
Does anyone remember what happened on Nov. 11, 1918? Will it be spoken of in your school? Is it a dinner table conversation? Will your boss call everyone out for a moment of silence at the 11th hour? On Nov. 11, 1919, President Woodrow Wilson decreed that all Americans should take a moment of silence
Sometimes, a whisper is more powerful than a scream
Benjamin Stevens of Islesford is a sophomore at Maine Maritime Academy in Castine and has been writing about his experiences for The Working Waterfront as part of the Island Institute’s student journalism program. CASTINE — Gunnery Sergeant George Oshana sat with us once and talked about the difference between the recruits and the drill instructors at