Press Releases

1-5-2026

MEDIA ADVISORY/INVITATION

CONTACT: Elizabeth B. Simmons, L.P.D., CAPT Massachusetts Maritime Academy, 508-830-6683, esimmons@maritime.edu
Nicole Joy Hales, PRfirst, 617-947-7983, nhales@prfirst.com

Alongside Week Now Taking Place in Preparation for Upcoming Sea Term for Massachusetts Maritime Academy’s Training Ship Patriot State, Departing January 10 at Approximately 3 p.m.

Destinations throughout the term include a transit through the Panama Canal

BUZZARDS BAY, MA, ISSUED JANUARY 5, 2026. ..Media representatives are invited to join the Massachusetts Maritime Academy community as it prepares for the upcoming Sea Term departure of the TS Patriot State from the Academy’s campus. Alongside Week occurs from Monday, January 5, through Friday, January 9. The ship’s departure is scheduled for Saturday, January 10, at approximately 3 p.m. Massachusetts Maritime Academy is located at 101 Academy Drive, Buzzards Bay.  

Cadets, crew, faculty, and staff prepare for the trip during Alongside Week, a traditional time spent loading the vessel with all the food, supplies, and training equipment needed for the voyage. Sea Term will be led by Captain Michael J. Campbell, Master, T.S. Patriot State, and an MMA graduate from the class of 1987.

This will be the first National Security Multi-Mission Vessel (NSMV) to transit through the Panama Canal.  

This is the second Sea Term for the TS Patriot State, and follows on the heels of the recent recognition the Academy received for highest post-secondary salaries of graduates from all public state institutions. For more than 130 years, Massachusetts Maritime Academy has offered cadets the opportunity to participate in Sea Term, the epitome of hands-on learning and an environment where cadets put into practice the skills they have learned in the classroom.

Media representatives are invited to campus to report on Alongside Week and/or the TS Patriot State’s departure. For more information or to coordinate a visit, please contact either Elizabeth Simmons at esimmons@maritime.edu or 617-852-4029 or Nicole Hales at 617-947-7983 or nhales@prfirst.com.

Location: Massachusetts Maritime Academy
101 Academy Drive
Parade Field/Pier
Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts

Alongside Week:
Monday, January 5-Friday, January 9, 2026                                     7:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

TS Patriot State Departure:
Saturday, January 10, 2026                                                                         approximately 3 p.m.

ABOUT MASSACHUSETTS MARITIME ACADEMY (MMA): 
MMA is a fully accredited, four-year, co-educational state university offering Bachelor and Master of Science degrees that are highly regarded in the worldwide maritime industry and beyond. For more than 100 years, MMA has prepared women and men for exciting and rewarding careers on land and sea. As the nation's finest co-ed maritime college, MMA challenges students to succeed by balancing a unique regimented lifestyle with a typical four-year college environment. Located on Cape Cod, at the mouth of the scenic Cape Cod Canal, Massachusetts Maritime Academy is the ideal college to pursue the love for the ocean, concern for the environment, interest in math and science, and a thirst for adventure. Follow MMA on FB: @massmaritime, @MassMaritime.Advancement; IG: @massmaritime, @mmacademyalumni; Twitter: @MMAadmissions, @MMAcademyAlumni; YouTube: Massachusetts Maritime Academy.