Maine Maritime Academy Cruise 2013

Location: N 48 52.3  W 063 27.2  Course: 166  Speed 13.7 kt

Weather: Cloudy, Wind ENE 10 kt.   Seas: Small Sea Swell.

We passed through the Cabot Straight and are in the more sheltered waters off the Gapse Peninsula where we were greeted by a reduced wind and sea swell but also a reduction in visibility.  Fog has come and gone all day so that the slight increase in temperature has been offset by a constant dampness on deck.  In the evening we anchored about 12 miles off of Miscue Island after an eventful approach through a Canadian fishing fleet.

Our engineers have been actively managing our fresh water production since the normal reverse osmosis system is operating at half capacity.  This exercise requires them to plan for fresh water production using our more traditional evaporator system while balancing the need for steam to heat the heavy fuel oil prior to its use in the main engine.

If you have been paying attention, you will notice that we have combined two previous TSSOM interesting facts into one more complex issue for the students to manage.

DISCLAIMER:  Due to the Training Ship’s limited connectivity to the internet, blog postings are delayed and are not intended for real-time communication. To communicate with your student, please send messages to his or her issued e-mail address.

Another section of the deck is almost complete.

Mr. Moody gives instructions to the maintenance team.

Location: N 46 13.9 W 058 18.9 Course: 312 Speed 13.4 kt

Weather: Clear and Cool, Wind SW 22 kt. Seas: Moderate Easterly Swell.

Happy Father’s Day to all our Fathers back home!

As we set about conducting the ship’s business today, we want to let you know we are thinking about you.

Today’s TSSOM interesting fact is provided by 2/C Maintenance Officer Philep Levesque who seems to really enjoy the fuel systems onboard: As mentioned in one of my previous facts, the TS State of Maine carries onboard two types of fuels, heavy fuel oil and diesel fuel. If all of the fuel oil and lubricating oil tanks onboard were 100 percent full, the vessel could hold 580,000 gallons of heavy fuel, 380,000 gallons of diesel, and 32,000 gallons of lube oil. This would be enough for roughly 150 days of continuous operation, almost three cruises back-to-back.

DISCLAIMER:  Due to the Training Ship’s limited connectivity to the internet, blog postings are delayed and are not intended for real-time communication. Students and crew members will be unable to see any posted comments and will not be able to respond. To communicate with your student, please send messages to his or her issued e-mail address.

Location: N 45 .17.7 W 060 38.0 Course: 004 Speed 7.3 kt

Weather: Partly Cloudy with Fog, Wind SW 15 kt. Seas: Moderate Swell.

We spent the day in and out of fog but temperatures were reasonable. Charlie Company is now the first company to complete the 2/C Engine flashlight exam. Those engineers are taking that experience and passing it on to their 4/C in preparation for the 4/C flashlight exams after Quebec. Charlie Company 2/C Deck are busy with the port arrival planning, gathering all the information they can find about the 12 hour transit we will have up the Flueve Saint-Laurent.

Despite the fog earlier in the day, it was a clear sunset with a pretty good horizon for celestial navigation. Several 2/C were able to add another page to their navigation notebooks and are hoping for a few more good twilight periods.

Today’s TSSOM interesting fact is presented by 2/C Maintenance Officer Matthew Plocinski: The engine starting air receivers are pressurized to 400 PSI and each have an internal volume of 92 ½ cubic feet, for a combined capacity of 370 cubic feet. We only need one receiver at a time to start the main engine.

DISCLAIMER:  Due to the Training Ship’s limited connectivity to the internet, blog postings are delayed and are not intended for real-time communication. Students and crew members will be unable to see any posted comments and will not be able to respond. To communicate with your student, please send messages to his or her issued e-mail address.

Still working on the deck but it is getting close to being done!

On-the-job training.

Looks like 4/C Weymouth got a whiff of the garbage he was handling.

Location: N 42 55.2 W 063 38.1 Course: 050 Speed 13.9 kt

Weather: Overcast with Rain, Wind E 22 kt. Seas: Moderate Easterly Swell.

Today we had our second of the two “Holidays” scheduled for the Summer Sea Term. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate for the cookout, but Professor Markley still managed to get some skeet shooting done between the rain showers.

Students were given an extra 30 minutes to sleep in in the morning and after the initial trash collection and basic cleaning, all those not on watch were free to catch up on reading, movies or participate in a few extra activities. 4/C Matthew Kamm won the skeet-shooting contest and later we had a bench-press competition followed by a pull-up competition. 2/C Adam Weymouth won the bench press and 2/C Joshua Harjula managed to squeak out a win on the pull-up bar.

The day was capped with a feast provided by Sodexo: BBQ ribs, hamburgers and hot dogs. For dessert, we had delicious strawberry shortcake with whipped cream.

The TSSOM interesting fact of the day comes from Cadet Third Assistant Engineer Kaleb Moore: The fuel injection pumps for the main engine and diesel generators are called port helix pumps. Port helix pumps work by varying the effective stroke that the pump performs by rotating the pump and thus the machined helix. When the pump is rotated so a larger part of the helix is covering the spill port, more fuel will pump. These pumps are machined to very small tolerances and pump a small amount of fuel with each stroke at 280 Bar, or about 4,100 PSI, to the fuel injector in the cylinder head. These pumps are controlled by a common fuel rack, which is adjusted by the governor.

DISCLAIMER:  Due to the Training Ship’s limited connectivity to the internet, blog postings are delayed and are not intended for real-time communication. Students and crew members will be unable to see any posted comments and will not be able to respond. To communicate with your student, please send messages to his or her issued e-mail address.

The beef of the bench press.

Never give up!

Only those who dare will ever find true greatness…

Location: N 40 22.6  W 068 18.4  Course: 087  Speed 13.8 kt

Weather: Cloudy, Wind W 10 kt.   Seas: Moderate Easterly Swell.

So, how much does a Kindle e-reader cost?  On the TSSOM we just sold one for $39,000.00.  Yes, you read that correctly.  Casino night was tonight with a few costumes and some fun casino games using play money.  Ironically, casino night fell on the 13th but that didn’t stop students from making some pretty big bets and getting some very big pay-offs.  Each student was given $2,500 in funny money and had the option of playing Blackjack, Craps, Roulette or Poker to see if they could make enough to buy prizes at the auction that was held at the end of the evening.  Staff and Faculty filled the rolls of dealers and pit bosses while the students bet like, well like they were playing with fake money. By the end of the evening there were several high rollers but once the bidding started on the prizes, alliances were quickly formed and money pooled.  This drove the prices on the prizes to stratospheric heights as several bidders tried their best to impersonate David Hester from Storage Wars.

The daily TSSOM curious fact comes from Cadet Third Assistant Engineer Douglas Blasius:  Each anchor chain consists of 302 links, weighing a total of 9,664 pounds, and has a breaking strength of 432,000 pounds.  The combined weight of an anchor and its chain is 57,060 pounds.

DISCLAIMER:  Due to the Training Ship’s limited connectivity to the internet, blog postings are delayed and are not intended for real-time communication. Students and crew members will be unable to see any posted comments and will not be able to respond. To communicate with your student, please send messages to his or her issued e-mail address.

$50,000 in prizes right there…

Prof. Libby mans the Blackjack table.

Some folks got dressed up for the evening.

Students betting the field and making money.

Location: N 39 05.3  W 073 31.8  Course: 351  Speed 13.5 kt

Weather: Partly Cloudy, Wind West 10 kt.   Seas: Moderate Swell.

Bravo Company took over the watch at midnight and Charlie Company is in its final training module.  With three weeks of Summer Sea Term to go, students are being encouraged to keep their focus and finish as strong as they started.  Delta has begun a two day push to complete several painting projects in preparation for the big reception in Quebec.

The main deck is looking very good and the aft house is in the final stretch of priming and painting.  Several projects in the engine room are being finished up as well.  Students fashioned a removable section of safety/hand rail that will make access to the bilges much easier and safer.

Despite all the work being completed, the students do have a fair amount of down time.  They use some of that time for studying but even-so, there are plenty of hours to be filled.  Movies and books are available and many students spend time socializing on the weather decks (a welcome change from the world of constant text messages).  However, there is one small area of the ship that has been getting used a lot by students in their free time.  I am talking about the ship’s gym.  Many times, a ship will put to sea and a group with good intentions (think New Year’s Resolution) will begin working out.  After about 10 days only a handful remain.  That has not been the case this year.  Nearly any hour of the day you will find 2 or 3 students utilizing the gym and often times the number is closer to 20. The usage has been so high that our utility company has been constantly cleaning and restocking the gym.  This is a good thing and I hope that the trend continues as we enter the final legs of this voyage.  I expect that some of you may be surprised by the changes in your student when we get home.

Today’s TSSOM interesting fact is provided by Cadet Second Assistant Engineer Brad Roy: Our fuel oil transfer pumps have a flow rate of 73 Gallons Per Minute (GPM) on the slow-speed setting and 148 GPM on the fast-speed setting.  The motor spins at 570 and 1165 RPM and develops 5.4 and 12 horsepower for slow and fast settings, respectively.  This transfer pump takes suction from one of the three storage tanks and transfers it to the fuel oil setting tank.  The purifier takes suction from the settling tank, where the fuel is purified and sent to the day tank.  The fuel in the day tank is sent to the main engine to be consumed.

DISCLAIMER:  Due to the Training Ship’s limited connectivity to the internet, blog postings are delayed and are not intended for real-time communication. To communicate with your student, please send messages to his or her issued e-mail address.

Rolling out the top coat of deck paint.

Preparing for the daily transfer of fuel into
the settling tank.

Well, at least one of them is preparing the aft
house for painting but they all have their PPE.

Location: N 37 36.6  W 076 07.4  Course: 153  Speed 12.3 kt

Weather: Partly Cloudy, Wind E 10 kt.   Seas: Calm.

Departing Baltimore, we were greeted by a sunny morning after torrential rains caused flooding last night.  45 students went to the Baltimore Orioles game and saw LT Stewart get Josh Hamilton’s home run ball before the rain delay.

On Sunday we had a sunny and hot trip to DC as well as a rugby match with North Bay Rugby Club.  As a social match, players were mixed up and two fairly evenly matched teams were assigned.  Our MMA players represented well with 4/C Eamon Grinnell and 4/C Ben Richards being selected as Men of the Match.

Tuesday has been a long transit out of the Chesapeake Bay with everyone getting back into the swing of things.  The 2/C Deck students are getting a lot of time on the helm since we have a pilot on board for the whole transit and the Engineers got to do a little repair work this morning when a petcock gave out during the initial start-up of the main engine.  Training opportunities abound on the TSSOM!

TSSOM fact of the day, brought to you by Cadet First Assistant Engineer Brendan Scully:  The ship has the capacity to hold almost 1.9 million gallons of ballast water, for a total weight of just over 7100 tons.  However, we do not normally keep all of our ballast tanks full.

DISCLAIMER:  Due to the Training Ship’s limited connectivity to the internet, blog postings are delayed and are not intended for real-time communication. To communicate with your student, please send messages to his or her issued e-mail address.

Mariner Rugby!

2/C Tom Marcisso breaks loose.

Location: Canton Baltimore, Pier 13

Weather: Sunny. Seas: Calm.

Our first full day in Baltimore and the weather has turned clear but hot. Ship’s work was wrapped up by 1100 and nearly 100 students took advantage of the buses going to DC for the day. They were dropped off at the DC Mall and spent the day touring the city before heading back at 2030.

At 1830 President Brennan hosted a reception onboard that was attended by a large alumni contingent as well as representatives from MARAD. RADM Shannon, Class of 1982, was in attendance and gave a very motivational speech to the Midshipmen present.

Sunday we’ll have another bus trip to DC as well as MMA Rugby playing a match against a local club in Aberdeen. On Monday, a large group will be attending the Baltimore Orioles game at Camden Yard. If you watch the game, you might see them sitting in center field.

As with other ports, we will be pausing the blogs. The next blog will post for June 11.

DISCLAIMER:  Due to the Training Ship’s limited connectivity to the internet, blog postings are delayed and are not intended for real-time communication. To communicate with your student, please send messages to his or her issued e-mail address.

Location: Canton Baltimore, Pier 13

Weather:  Fog and rain.  Seas: Calm.

The day started with the students discovering that they had cell phone reception while we transited through the Delaware Bay.  We picked up pilot Carl Joseph (Class of ’91) at 0800 and by noon we were making the turn into the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal.

Low visibility due to fog and rain have hampered activities above deck but work crews have kept busy with cleaning and putting up the foul-weather curtains on the reception deck in preparation for the Alumni Reception tomorrow night.

We made it into the Chesapeake Bay at 1500 and were pier side a little after 1900.

The evening was spent deep cleaning spaces that have been in nearly continuous use since the start of the Summer Sea Term.  Everyone who wasn’t on watch or handling lines got assigned a particular area spent about 2 hours cleaning.  Sodexo followed this up with tacos for a “Fourth Meal,” also known as an evening snack.

Today’s TSSOM fact comes from Cadet Assistant  Chief Engineer Mitchell Cobb: The main engine is classified as a trunk-type engine, and has many similarities to automotive diesel engines.  One of the biggest differences (besides the size) is that the crankshaft and its bearings are set into the bed plate (the base of the engine), rather than suspended from the underside of the block.  This orientation can handle much higher power output from the cylinders above, thus increasing the overall horsepower rating of the engine.

DISCLAIMER:  Due to the Training Ship’s limited connectivity to the internet, blog postings are delayed and are not intended for real-time communication. To communicate with your student, please send messages to his or her issued e-mail address.

A student is posted at the anchor while
navigating restricted waters in case of emergency.

Approaching the first bridge in the C&D Canal.

Cell Tower!! So Mom & Dad, did
you hear from them?

Meanwhile, back on the bridge the watch
continues to track our progress…

Location: N 40 00.4  W 073 14.7  Course: 202  Speed 13.3 kt

Weather: Partly Cloudy, Wind E 11 kt.   Seas: Moderate Easterly Swell.

Cooler weather has greeted our return North and everyone is feeling the relief except 2/C Owen Mims and 2/C Spencer Lawn who both seem to prefer the heat of their home states.  Our Engine students got to do a bit of trouble-shooting last night when the main engine began slowing down to compensate for high operating temperatures.  Students helped 1st Engineer Dave Howard trace out the cooling jacket supply lines and verified valve positions before discovering that the “control air” valve that regulates the flow of cooling water had been bumped closed.

Meanwhile, our Deck students have had the opportunity to navigate in more congested waters, dodging two US aircraft carriers and numerous cargo ships off the coast of Virginia.  The clearing weather has made for some good evening stars and the sextants have been lining the bridge rails at sunrise & sunset.

Today’s TSSOM interesting fact comes from Cadet Maintenance Officer Philep Levesque: The propeller shaft is 20 inches in diameter, 125 feet 8-5/8 inches long from the reduction gear to the propeller hub, and weighs 164,721 pounds, or just a bit over 82 tons.

DISCLAIMER:  Due to the Training Ship’s limited connectivity to the internet, blog postings are delayed and are not intended for real-time communication. To communicate with your student, please send messages to his or her issued e-mail address.

Final safety checks are performed before
the high work begins.

Tony & Miranda have found the right part
on engine maintenance.