The need of well-trained officers for the American Merchant Marine has long been axiomatic to most men engaged in the operation and construction of our merchant ships. Foreign nations discovered many years ago that a successful merchant fleet depended as much on the type of personnel which manned its ships as on the superiority and seaworthiness of the vessels themselves. In fact, for a long period of time foreign maritime powers placed greater emphasis and importance on the training of the men to whom their merchant vessels were entrusted than did our own United States. However, America, too, has recognized the importance of training maritime personnel, hut various programs designed to execute such training have waxed and waned. For example, Lindsay, a historian of the British Merchant Marine, wrote less than a century ago,
During the first half of this century the masters of American vessels were, as a rule, greatly superior to those who held similar positions in English ships, arising in some measure from the limited education of the latter which was not sufficient to qualify them for the higher grades of the merchant service. American shipowners required of their masters not merely a knowledge of navigation and seamanship, but of commercial pursuits, the nature of exchange, the art of correspondence, and a sufficient knowledge of business to qualify them to represent the interests of their employers to advantage with merchants abroad.
In distinction to this condition which existed in the first half of the nineteenth century, the training of merchant officers during the last decade of the nineteenth century and the first few decades of the twentieth century was limited to the efforts of a few state maritime academies.
The United States Navy has long recognized the importance of the establishment of a distinctive class of personnel to whom the duties of commissioned officers could be entrusted. It was further realized that if such a class of men were to succeed, the most thorough training and education were necessary. As a result of these observations, the United States Naval Academy was established. In distinction to the Navy, however, the Merchant Marine of this country was not a well-knit or centrally controlled organization capable of acting with sufficient unity for the establishment of a national academy for the training of merchant officers. Therefore, the establishment of such an academy, while dreamed of by many men, became an elusive goal difficult of achievement. For many years the only result that could be obtained was the establishment by five seaboard states of their own nautical training schools. Pioneered by Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, New York, California, and finally Maine established such state training institutions for young men desiring a career at sea.
Regardless of the difficulties, however, many men still insisted that the real need of the Merchant Marine was a national academy similar to Annapolis. This point of view was held not only by those connected with merchant ships, but by naval officers as well. In 1934 Rear Admiral Yates Stirling, Jr., U. S. Navy, then Commandant of the Brooklyn Navy Yard, was outspoken in his belief that a national academy for the training of merchant officers was indispensable to a successful American Merchant Marine and, in addition, was of the greatest importance from the standpoint of national security. At that time Admiral Stirling stated, “The Navy and Merchant Marine are complementary—each as an independent unit of the sea power of the nation.” And again Admiral Stirling stated, “The thorough education and training of Merchant Marine personnel is of equal importance to the construction of ships. Everyone would benefit— the shipping companies, the government, and the business people of the country.”
The Merchant Marine Act of 1936 ended one of the darkest periods in the history of the American Merchant Marine, and at the same time established the basis upon which a national Merchant Marine Academy could finally be established. In 1938 the Merchant Marine Act was amended, establishing the U. S. Merchant Marine Cadet Corps which was charged with the responsibility of training young Americans for the seafaring profession. Based on a study of all types of training programs for merchant officers, domestic and foreign, historical and contemporary, the plan of the U. S. Merchant Marine Cadet Corps constituted a carefully correlated combination of shoreside and shipboard training, with strict supervision by the administrators of the training program over the trainee regardless of whether the trainee was at sea or ashore. The young men to be selected for this program ranged from seventeen years and six months to twenty- three years of age, with or without seagoing experience, whose training would concentrate on either deck or engine studies and who, upon graduation, would receive their federal licenses as either Third Mates or Third Assistant Engineers. In January, 1942, the Cadet Corps procured the site of the present national academy at Kings Point. Construction was immediately commenced, and on September 30, 1943, the U. S. Merchant Marine Academy was dedicated to become a reality for the many men who had devoted so much time and effort to its creation.
At the time of dedication President Roosevelt stated:
Dedication of the United States Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point is a momentous forward stride in the nation’s planned program of maritime progress. Not since enactment by the Congress of the Merchant Marine Act of 1936 has there been an event of greater import to America’s world commerce—either in maintenance of our wartime lifelines or our future peacetime economy. . . . War has proved to the American people that a strong Merchant Marine, manned by courageous, capable, well-trained officers and crews, is as necessary to the nation as a powerful Army and Navy.
The Academy at Kings Point was designed with two viewpoints uppermost in mind. First, and most important, was that this Academy must result in a compact, useful, and efficient educational institution for the training of Merchant Marine officers. Secondly, this Academy must possess the dignity and beauty so necessary to the creation of loyalty, school spirit, and a scholarly atmosphere.
The original designs of the Academy were formulated by the officers and administrators of the Cadet Corps itself. These ideas and specifications were communicated to the architect, and on this basis final plans were drawn. In this way the type of institution that experienced merchant officers felt would serve its purpose to the fullest extent was created. It is felt that the efficiency and accuracy of the plans are demonstrated by the fact that the Academy, while designed for a complement of 1,200 Cadet-Midshipmen, now accommodates during the war 2,670 men, more than double the normal complement.
The beauty and dignity of the buildings and grounds are apparent, to some extent, in the illustrations that appear on these pages. Kings Point rises majestically on an elevation overlooking Long Island Sound, where these waters join the East River. Directly across is historic Fort Schuyler which, when viewed from the Point, melts into the spires of the Whitestone Bridge and the skyline of New York City. The grounds themselves consist of a total of approximately 50 acres, on which stand the buildings which have been merged into the beautiful old trees which have stood for so many years at Kings Point. The design of the Academy was formulated with an eye to the preservation of these sentinels along the shore.
In view of the special conditions which were taken into consideration when the Academy at Kings Point was designed, certain features of construction have been emphasized which deal directly with the type of training necessary to a merchant officer. These special features are not necessarily unique, but they are the result of certain fundamental principles of training which had been taken into account in the Cadet Corps program. The engineering building, which has been named Fulton Hall in honor of the famous American inventor, has in addition to the usual classroom facilities, carefully designed laboratories. An engineering officer of the Merchant Marine is essentially an operating engineer who is also charged with the responsibility of maintaining his ship, and for this reason the laboratories in Fulton Hall have been designed to give the Cadet- Midshipmen a maximum of engine operating and maintenance experience. The steam laboratory is in itself a complete marine power plant. Two Liberty ship boilers supply steam for the experimental equipment, as well as heating steam for the Academy itself. All necessary auxiliaries for these boilers are provided and set up to conform as nearly as possible to the arrangement found for such auxiliaries aboard ship. Steam engines provide instruction in actual engine handling and engine repair. A full array of pumps, generators, and evaporators for experimental and instructional purposes is also included in the steam laboratory. The Diesel engine laboratory in Fulton Hall stresses the principles of operation and maintenance of the internal-combustion engine. Here Cadet-Midshipmen observe marine Diesel engines in actual operation, study their construction, and gain experience in maneuvering the engines as well. The machine shop teaches the importance of maintenance work aboard ship which is so much a part of the daily duties of the marine engineer. Lathes, drill presses, grinders, shapers, milling machines, etc., all constitute a part of the equipment of this shop. Fulton Hall also contains an electrical laboratory, equipped to teach Cadet-Midshipmen the care and operation of the electrical equipment found aboard ship, which usually comes under the jurisdiction of the Engineering Department.
While Fulton Hall serves as a training center for engineering Cadet-Midshipmen, Bowditch Hall, named for the famous navigator, and Samuels Hall, the seamanship building, serve as headquarters for the Department of Seamanship and Navigation. These two buildings provide both classroom and laboratory facilities for those Cadet- Midshipmen seeking positions in the Deck Department. To provide the necessary nautical atmosphere, as well as to indoctrinate the Cadet-Midshipmen thoroughly in the practices they will find aboard ship, heavy emphasis is placed on practical training which simulates conditions aboard ship. A complete operating bridge has been provided which includes all the equipment found on a bridge aboard ship, and arranged in a manner which will meet the approval of the seagoing eye. Facilities are also provided for the other types of maintenance work aboard ship with special emphasis on signaling, the study of rope, cargo handling, cargo gear, and canvas work. As an outgrowth of the present war, a “lookout trainer” has been installed to assist the Cadet-Midshipmen in their study of the recognition of all types of air and water craft, and to teach them to use their eyes to the fullest advantage when serving as lookout or standing watch at night.
All Cadet-Midshipmen of the U. S. Merchant Marine Cadet Corps are, during their course of training, Midshipmen in the Merchant Marine Reserve of the U. S. Naval Reserve. All graduates of the Academy receive commissions as Ensign in this branch of the Reserve. Due to these requirements, the study of Naval Science plays no small part in the curriculum of the Academy. During the war the Naval Science course emphasizes studies of the ordnance equipment found aboard merchant vessels. A ramp has been constructed alongside O’Hara Hall, the armory, on which various types of loading machines have been placed. These load- mg machines are used for drill purposes in order that each Cadet-Midshipman may be thoroughly familiar with the operation of every type of gun with which he may come in contact aboard ship. In O’Hara Hall itself, various guns of smaller calibers have been set up for the purpose of stripping, loading, and the study of constructional details. In addition to these facilities, a firing range and a polaroid trainer have been installed. This type of training has proved extremely valuable to Cadet-Midshipmen and the graduates of the Academy. An outstanding example is afforded by the courageous actions of Cadet-Midshipman Edwin O’Hara, from whom the armory takes its name. This Cadet-Midshipman was killed at sea as he, singlehanded, served and fired the after gun of the Liberty ship after the regular gun crew had been killed. In this action, O’Hara was credited with direct hits on one of two surface raiders which attacked his ship, and for this deed was awarded posthumously the U. S. Merchant Marine Distinguished Service Medal. In addition to training in ordnance, Cadet-Midshipmen study the Navy system of communications, Naval Regulations, Naval Courts and Boards, and military leadership.
The Cadet-Midshipmen at the Merchant Marine Academy have been organized into a regiment in order that they may learn discipline, responsibility, and leadership so necessary in the training of an officer. The regiment of Midshipmen at the U. S. Naval Academy has served as the model upon which the regiment at Kings Point has been based. This regiment has been given many powers of self-government and self-discipline. Cadet-Midshipmen officers are selected on the basis of scholarship, leadership, bearing, loyalty, judgment, and over-all officer qualifications. Though relatively new in comparison with its predecessor at Annapolis, this regiment of Cadet-Midshipmen is rapidly establishing the customs and traditions which will serve as a stable background for the future growth and development of the Academy at Kings Point.
The over-all training plan of the U. S. Merchant Marine' Cadet Corps during the abbreviated eighteen-month course is apportioned as to time in the following manner:
Preliminary Training—3 months
Sea Training —6 months (aboard ship)
Advanced Training —9 months
Two basic schools located at San Mateo, California, and Pass Christian, Mississippi, handle the largest portion of Cadet-Midshipmen in preliminary training, although a number of Cadet-Midshipmen pursuing this phase of their training are located at the Academy at Kings Point. However, most of the Cadet-Midshipmen in attendance at Kings Point are in the nine-month advanced training period which follows the six-month training period at sea aboard regular merchant vessels in actual operation on trade routes of the world. This means that most Cadet-Midshipmen in attendance at the Academy have had actual sea experience. Many of these young men have survived torpedoings and other types of enemy action. Some have been cited for heroism and courage over and above the call of duty. In order, however, that these young men will not forget that they are engaged in training for a life at sea, four training vessels have been attached to the Academy for the purpose of providing short practice cruises for all Cadet-Midshipmen. On such cruises, the principles of ship handling and operation, as well as gunnery practice, are emphasized. Supplementing the cruising vessels is a fleet of small boats in which Cadet-Midshipmen throughout their courses of training engage in rowing and sailing practice. These small boats are also used to teach the Cadet-Midshipmen the principles of survival in a lifeboat under emergency conditions which arise so often at sea during the war. The handling of these small boats under extremely adverse conditions and constant practice in boat drills and abandon-ship procedures constitute an important part of the training program.
Physical training plays an important role in the life of a Cadet-Midshipman. Although the war has prevented intercollegiate activities, heavy emphasis is placed on the physical conditioning of each individual student. The conventional intramural activities have been supplemented by obstacle course training, mass calisthenics, and toughening exercises of a type developed to a great extent by the armed forces during the present war. In addition, each Cadet-Midshipman must learn to swim, and an extensive water safety program has been inaugurated.
There are many other salient points of interest at the Academy for which space does not permit discussion. However, in addition to the previously mentioned training facilities, the Academy hospital, the mess hall, barracks, and the administration building, together with all other parts of the Academy, are welded together to make one complete and efficient training unit.
The Merchant Marine of this country has in the past experienced periods of depression and periods of expansion. However, to those who think of the Merchant Marine as being more than just an industry or a livelihood, the future has always held out hope and promise for greater things to come. To such men this Academy is truly a symbol of the new era, on the threshold of which our Merchant Marine now stands. In the years which will follow the present war, this Academy may well serve as a rallying point for the forces which support the idea of the importance and necessity of a strong, well- equipped, and above all, well-manned Merchant Marine. The Academy looks forward, after the war, to the resumption of the four- year training program. Looking even further, this fourth service school will some day emerge on the horizon as a competitor to Annapolis and West Point in the realm of sports. It is the sincere wish that a spirit of friendly rivalry will spring up in keeping with the best traditions of American sportsmanship.
The Academy at Kings Point has been well planned. It is now engaged in an intensive program for perfection in its organization and operational procedures. The Naval Academy at Annapolis most generously assisted in the laying of the ground work for the present organization of the Academy at Kings Point. Many officers were sent to Annapolis, and with the assistance of the naval officers stationed there observed many of the intricate details of operation which experience had taught the Navy to be the best. These visits resulted in timesaving improvements as the new Academy at Kings Point was launched. It is new, but it is growing and constantly searching for new ideas and new methods of training which will serve to improve the caliber of its product. Many Cadet-Midshipmen now in attendance, as well as those who have graduated, have already set an enviable record of achievement, courage, and devotion to duty. They have set down traditions of conduct and integrity which will serve as an inspiration for the young men who are following in their footsteps. These Cadet-Midshipmen will become the personnel of the American Merchant Marine in future years. Many of them will become leaders in shipping and allied industries.
These young men constitute the real Merchant Marine Academy. On their shoulders, and not upon buildings of stone and brick, rests the future of the Merchant Marine. They represent a new type of Merchant Marine officer. Gone is the day of the bucko mate. In his place must appear the quiet, conservative business man to whom the sea is a profession as well as a love. This is the man who will creditably represent our nation in the far corners of the world. This is the graduate of Kings Point.