Sea Term 2009: Captain's Blog

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February 2009 S M T W Th F S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 Jan 2009

Sunday 08 February

1100 ET/1600 GMT Position
Latitude 18-12.0 N Longitude 067-06.0 W
USTS Kennedy's updated track: Sailwx Track

Air Temperature 33.6 C
Sea Temperature 24.1 C
Sea State 1
Barometric Pressure 1019.2 mb and steady
Wind SSW @ 4 kts
Visibility 15 miles.

Division I
Division II Watch
Division III
Division IV Maintenance

Eternal Father: The Navy Hymn
Eternal Father, Strong to save,
Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,
Who bid'st the mighty Ocean deep
Its own appointed limits keep;
O hear us when we cry to Thee,
for those in peril on the sea.
-Rev. William Whiting

Captain's Log 8 February 2009
by Captain Tom Bushy

We anchored for the night off Mayaguez late yesterday afternoon.It is a little windy, but we've plenty of anchor chain. We keep the cadets in at sea watch stations, which keeps them more busy than if we were in an in-port stance. The engine room is pretty much the same, only the steaming rate is much lower and, on the bridge, there is still the maintenance of position (anchor bearings) and collision avoidance.

At 2000 last night we did an unusual thing - well actually, not that unusual, only it is rare, and we would rather it stay that way. We did a Memorial Mass for one of our own that died suddenly just before the sea term. In the past eleven years, I can only think of two others - one for Bob Strautman, a Marine Transportation professor that died while we were in port, and one for Travis Fuller, our young grad that was killed in Iraq. So, last night, we memorialized Christopher Erikson, Class of 2007.

Chris died in an accident aboard a merchant ship, a tanker to be specific, right after the New Year. He was special to us for many reasons. He was the Cadet Chief Engineer for the 2007 Sea Term - the top spot for an engineering cadet, and he was an Engineering Watch Officer in 2008. At a really young age, he had already come back to school to assist in the education and training of our cadets. He was a super young man - special in many ways beyond the simple facets of his life at MMA.

Chris was the captain of the Buccaneer football team his senior year. He had run for student trustee, but lost the election. Thankfully for us, he then aspired to be the Cadet Chief. We have learned that he "set the bar at a new height" when he was the captain of his high school football team. We have heard from other cadets that knew him and watched him earn his Eagle in Boy Scouts.

The service was arranged by our ship's Chaplin, Father Jim Houston from St. Rose of Lima Parish in Northboro, who is with us this leg. He worked hard to bring together all denominations and faiths. About 300 ship's crew and cadets were there, and we listened to cadets that knew Chris relate stories of his presence in their lives. The Chief Engineer spoke eloquently about Chris professionally. We heard prayers in Spanish, Polish and Eastern Indian - Jewish prayers and Hindu revelations on death. It was so moving. I am so sad to have had to go, but so happy to have known Chris. May he rest in peace.

NOW HEAR THIS
by Cadet 1/C Peter Beuth

"NOW HEAR THIS, IN APPROXIMATELY FIVE MINUTES WE WILL BE REVERSING COURSE, PREPARE FOR HEAVY ROLLS." Mother nature can be quite moody at times and we sure found that out today. We all awoke in the middle of the night last night to frequent heavy rolls as a result of a large northwest ground swell and heavy wind swell as a result of a strong 30+ knot northeast wind. Our anchoring drills were cancelled for the morning as a result of the heavy weather, but by afternoon the winds had died down a bit and the swell direction had shifted more northerly, allowing us to complete our anticipated anchoring drills off of Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, by late afternoon. Earlier in the morning, however, we made several course changes which were preceded by warnings on the PA system to prepare for heavy rolls. As we made our course changes you could hear objects being tossed about. The dishes in the scullery hit the decks with a clatter, about twenty cadets in the messdeck lost their drinks, and I saw one cadet loose his footing. A little while later, Cadet 1/C Eddie Wiseley hooked up a couple of fish yet again on his handlines. This time we boated both fish, two wahoo weighing about 11 and 14 pounds apiece were the prized catch. I took them into the galley where I filleted them both. However, during the time I was in there working on filleting them up we made yet another course change, and getting the fillet job done was an adventure. Pots and pans went clattering about, two pots of soup spilled inside the oven, creating a hot mess that dripped out onto the deck, and several other tubs of various food ingredients made their way onto the decks in a not so neat manner. Not only was it rough today, but mother nature couldn't make up her mind about the weather itself. It went from sunny, to rainy, back to sunny so many times today that I probably couldn't count it. There were at least six or seven partial or full rainbows spotted today as well. (Is that some kind of record?) Unfortunately, due to the unforeseen circumstances surrounding the weather and the inability to anchor earlier in the day, the lifeboat launching exercises have been postponed indefinitely. There has been some rumor about doing the exercises on Monday morning, we'll see what happens.

Tonight at 2000 on the helo deck there is going to be a special memorial service for the late Chris Erickson, an MMA graduate of the class of 2007 who passed away due to a work related accident in early January. Full coverage of the service will be forthcoming.

Even more from our International Maritime Business students...
Maersk and SVM
by Cadet 2/C Alexander Merz

During the past few weeks I have learned a lot about the shipping industry while interning at Maersk Line, Limited in Norfolk, VA. Going into this experience I was intimidated and worried that I would not know enough about the shipping industry to perform the tasks that would be placed on me. I quickly realized that the International Maritime Business program prepared me well for this internship. They are particularly impressed with the level of aptitude I have for the Microsoft Excel program and that can be directly attributed with the courses I have taken with Dr. Dasgupta.

I am interning with the Specialized Vessel Management (SVM) business unit within the Maersk Line, Limited company, a sub-company of A.P. Moller-Maersk Group. The SVM unit is directly responsible for the only bulk and tanker ships in the Maersk Line, Limited fleet. Their jobs entail budgeting, crewing, load plans, vessel requisitions, and document management. They give me tasks that are challenging but still able to complete.

The first few weeks I was here, I was working alongside 2/C Brian Arbeiter to get the M/V Maersk Michigan's documents up to par. The assignment that I am currently working on is maintaining all the vessel certificates and documents for the M/V Maersk Rhode Island by myself. Vessel documents are very important to keeping a vessel underway and keeps me very busy sending e-mails to issuing authorities all over the world. 2/C Arbeiter and I are also writing an article for the Maritime Executive Magazine, creating a new position on board a vessel for shore side management track individuals.

Interning at Maersk Line, Limited, has given me a priceless experience that will immensely help me post-graduation. Captain Neil Daboul and the other members of the SVM group are very helpful with sharing their experiences and knowledge. They have exposed me to the amount of effort and work it takes to keep a vessel operationally sound and producing revenue for the company.

And again...
Computer Sciences Corporation, Washington, D.C
by Cadet 2/C Nicholas Steward

Since the beginning of January, I have had the pleasure of interning in the Special Purpose Ships (SPS) division of Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC). CSC specializes in providing innovative technology-based services and business solutions, primarily to the United States Department of Defense. Through my duration at CSC, I have been rapidly expanding my knowledge and comprehension of business practices, primarily in the evolution of constructing contracts and subcontracts to prescribe work for the development of new projects and modifications to existing projects. Both topics require grasping many challenging and complex concepts that I find be very interesting. This is a new area of experience for me and an area I would love to pursue upon graduation. Incorporating negotiation tactics with contractual and business developmental ideas would be an ideal scope of work to seek after my education at Massachusetts Maritime Academy.

Being in the content position I'm in right now would not have been possible without the experience of my freshman Sea Term. Immediately upon taking the International Maritime Business introductory courses (part of Sea Term I), I was sold. Fascinated by the computer applications used and logical concepts for problem solving, I knew this was the path I wanted to follow and have not regretted doing so. It is evident that areas covered in the short introductory course can be related to concepts I currently use to this day in classes and during my internship.

Looking at my current internship, it is clear to see that what I have learned at the Academy has successfully transferred into the workplace. From thorough dissection of balance sheets in Prof. Wisharts' Accounting classes to using various functions in Dr. Dasguptas' Finance class, it is clear to see that everything learned thus far at the Academy has been vital to my performance in and out of the classroom. The same can be said for the learning of basic and advanced business terminology in Prof. Flanagans' Transportation Operations Management class or a Micro/Macro Economics course taught by Dr. Ghosh. I know that there is much more to be learned in the last year and a half of attendance at the Academy until graduation. I am eager for these future learning opportunities.

LINKS:
Official MMA Photography

Christiaan Conover Blog Page
Buzzards Bay Weather
MMA Parents Association

Departure Photos
Cape Cod Times Online Departure Photos
217 Photos of TS Kennedy's Arrival in Tampa

Should you have an emergency and need to contact someone at MMA regarding your cadet or a crew member, please contact Commander Stephen Kelleher:
Commander Stephen Kelleher
508-830-6485 (daytime)
508-364-6217 (Evenings/Weekends)
seaterm@maritime.edu

If Commander Kelleher is not available, you may contact me at any time:
Captain Allen Hansen
508-269-0925
ahansen@maritime.edu

Parting Shots...