Cadet Blog: 4/C Pricilla Murray (MENG - North Andover, MA) 1-12-23

Today, was an exciting day! It was the first day of training. First, we class I had was a safety tour of the ship. It was interesting to see all of safety equipment that was on board. The next class I had was crane signals. That was cool to learn how to use crane signals for future jobs.

crane hand signal chart — This chart includes the hands signals that Pricilla learned during her class. This poster is displayed outside on the deck in the area where cadets and crew members would be working with the crane. It is important to have a silent way to communicate that everyone understands. If you have a parent or grandparent that works with cranes on land, they use the same hand signals.

Teachers, watch for a fun learning activity suggestion that will be posted on Monday. Your students may enjoy getting active and learning some crane hand signals.

crane at sunset — Even a crane can look beautiful a spectacular sunset in the background.

My last class was firefighting. This class I thought was the most important class. We learned all about the fire plans and safety features that the ship offers. To end the class, we went on a fire scavenger hunt. That was electric.

scavenger hunt slip — Cadets worked in teams of two or three. Each team received a slip like the one above. Take a few minutes to read over the slip to see what the cadets were asked to do.

Each team headed in a different direction.

fire plan chart — This fire plan is displayed just off the Quarterdeck (lobby) on the Main Deck. You have probably seen photos of the fire plan posted on the Bridge. The teams consulted this fire plan to figure out where their assigned fire alarm had sounded.

The fire plan is a map of the ship with every smoke detector, heat detector, and pull box marked. Once the cadets knew where their assigned fire alarm was located on the ship, they raced there to take a selfie. This is a fun way to get 4/C cadets to focus on a serious topic.

To end the day, I went out to the bow at night with my best junior friend, 3/C Cece Del Rosso to look at the stars. Cece is a Marine Science, Safety, & Environmental Protection major from Hingham, Massachusetts.

Overall, I would say it was a fantastic day.

See you later, my fellow seamen! Catch you later!

Thanks for this great blog, Pricilla! We all enjoy your enthusiasm.

You are on your way to pursuing a degree in a field that you will love.