Why A USMMA and Why A Regiment of Midshipman
Well it is indeed interesting that from these posts some of Kings Point's biggest fans really don't know what, when, why and how a United States Merchant Marine Academy came into being and then under Public Law was made permanent. I believe a brief review might be useful in answering some of the questions and responding to some of the points being made here.
Between 1874 and 1936, diverse Federal legislation supported maritime training through school ships, internships at sea and other methods. A disastrous fire in 1934 aboard the passenger ship SS Morro Castle, in which 134 lives were lost, convinced the U.S. Congress that direct Federal involvement in efficient and standardized training was needed. In response, Congress passed the Merchant Marine Act in 1936, and two years later, the U.S. Merchant Marine Cadet Corps was established.
The first training was given at temporary facilities in several locations to the "Classes of 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942 and 1943" until the Academy's permanent site in Kings Point, New York was acquired in early 1942. Construction of the Academy began immediately, and 15 months later the task was virtually completed. The Academy was dedicated on September 30, 1943, by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who noted that "the Academy serves the Merchant Marine as West Point serves the Army and Annapolis the Navy."
World War II required the Academy to forego its normal operation and to devote all of its resources toward meeting the emergency need for Merchant Marine officers. Its enrollment rose to 2,700 men, and the planned course of instruction was reduced in length from four years to 18 months. In spite of the war, shipboard training continued to be an integral part of the Academy curriculum, and midshipmen served at sea in combat zones the world over. One hundred and forty-two midshipmen gave their lives in service to their country, and many others survived torpedo and aerial attacks - they did this as Cadets on Merchant ships, not as active duty military. From 1942-1945, the Academy graduated 6,895 officers. As the war drew to a close, plans were made to convert the Academy's wartime curriculum to a four-year, college-level program to meet the peacetime requirements of the merchant marine. In 1948, such a course was instituted.
Authorization for awarding the degree of bachelor of science to graduates was granted by Congress in 1949. The Academy became a fully-accredited as a degree-granting institution in the same year. Subsequently, the United States Merchant Marine Academy was made a permanent institution by an Act of Congress in 1956. Over the years in response to the nation's needs for increased numbers of USCG Li scened Merchant Mariners, the Academy accelerated graduating classes during the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Today Kings Point remains one of if not the primary source of USCG Licensed Deck and Engine Merchant Mariners.
As far as the nation's need for a viable, well led and ably staffed transportation industry, particularly the maritime sector - the need for and general economic benefits of such a thing is while generally quietly acknowledged is also generally well acknowledged as well. Anecdotally, every so often there is something that either disrupts the flow of goods and commodities being transported by ships and other marine conveyances or significantly impacts the routing of it in a way where the need is well illustrated. A recent example would be the "shutting down" of the Port of Long Beach - the nation's largest port on the Pacific by labor actions. It took less than 3 weeks for the effects to be visible everywhere around the nation from grocery store shelves to auto factories. Other recent examples were Operation Desert Shield and Storm as well as Iraqi Freedom where numerous Merchant Marine Reservist (USNR with specialized designators vice "Unrestricted Line Officers") were called to man cargo ships activated from our Nation's "Ready Reserve Fleet or staff billets like providing harbor pilots for the Ports in Kuwait and liberated Iraq. The list goes on and there is no doubt some military aspects (predominately USNR) to them but there are also many, many unique commercial based aspects for which only Kings Point responds fully do exist.
Now onto why a Regiment of Midshipmen, while the Merchant Marine is most definitely not a military organization, the traditions of a seagoing merchant Marine exist within the confines of a relatively strict hierarchal structure that a Regimental Training program is clearly well suited as a training tool. However, it's important to not there are marked differences between Military Chains of Command and those in either "Merchant Navies" and more directly applicable, US Merchant Ships. For example on US Merchant Ship's today while technically the Chief Engineer works for the Ship's Master as a ship can only have one Captain, the management and operation of the Engine Department is generally conducted without any direct involvement of the Captain in the decision process. The Ship's Master is as much or more the Chief Engineer's day to day customer as he is the Chief's "Boss." Also with regard to a ship's unlicensed personnel, especially on union ships, the tasks a Captain or any other Licensed Officer can and does assign an member of a vessel's unlicensed compliment are far more constrained than would ever be imagined, let alone tolerated, by a Military Officer managing his or her enlisted personnel. Further, even when the the tasks are clearly in the responsibilities of an unlicensed person, when dealing with union members with seniority, the interactions between Licensed and Unlicensed personnel on their watches or under their management are far, far different than Officer - Enlisted interactions. As such while in residence at the Academy, a Regimental construct and training is useful. However, of even more benefit to most Kings Pointers is the Sea Year experience, which, in most cases is something uniquely "Kings Point" as many State Maritime Graduates do not set for onto an actual working merchant ship until getting their first job after graduation, and many State Maritime students "opt out" of the licensed options altogether.
So I know there's lots of debate and we Kings Pointers and KP advocates need to be active and vigilant in our support and defense of the ongoing need, utility and value to the taxpayer of the USMMA but I believe even without any undue emphasis on it as a source of highly qualified military, particularly Maritime Services (USN, USCG, and NOAA) officers at very competitive (to the other Academies) "prices," Kings Point is a very justifiable federal expenditure.
