Asking the experts

deepdraft1 said:
@CkzErz if your son likes to read, books with a maritime theme might make a nice high school graduation gift..

Here are few I would recommend..
  1. Looking for a Ship [about life shipping 'off the board' out of a hiring hall as a deck officer in the US Merchant Marine] by John McPhee
  2. It Didn't Happen on My Watch [sea stories written by a former US Lines Chief Engineer from the engine room floor plate perspective] by George E. Murphy.
  3. Nothing Can Go Wrong [about the last voyage of the Pacific Far East Lines passenger ship SS MARIPOSA] by John D. MacDonald and Captain John D. Kilpack
  4. A Man and His Ship [about Naval Architect William Francis Gibbs and his quest to build the liner SS UNITED STATES] by Steven Ujifusa
  5. Until the Sea Shall Free Them [about the loss of the MARINE ELECTRIC] by Robert Frump
  6. Into the Raging Sea [about the loss of the EL FARO] by Rachel Slade
  7. Longitude [about the quest for a solution to solving the 'longitude problem' at sea.] by Dava Sobel
  8. America Spreads Her Sails - U.S. Seapower in the 19th Century by the U.S. Naval Institute Press [series of short stories compiled and edited by Clayton R. Barrow]
  9. The Abraham Lincoln of The Sea [biography of Andrew Furuseth, renowned sailor and maritime labor leader] by Arnold Berwick
Also any of the classics by Joseph Conrad.. [Typhoon, Youth, Lord Jim, The Mirror of the Sea, etc.] or Herman Melville, Richard Henry Dana or Guy Gilpatric [the Glencannon series books]..
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Yeah, the Glencannon books/stories are great. I also can recommend "Grey Seas Under" by Farley Mowat; a gripping story of a Canadian salvage tug. Many graduates end up in the ocean tugboat industry as I did. I first read this book while towing a barge to San Juan in less than perfect weather, and it was very fitting.
 
Has anyone received the invoice to pay the midshipman fee? Will the invoice be sent electronically or like a FedEx Mail?
 
On the logging in booklet, it only says we need to bring 14 round neck white shirts, does it have to be completely white without any logo, or can it be like a Nike shirt with a small logo on it? Also, the booklet doesn't mention shorts, so do we need to bring any shorts or we will be wearing the PT shorts provided for us by the academy?
 
mattl09 said:
On the logging in booklet, it only says we need to bring 14 round neck white shirts, does it have to be completely white without any logo, or can it be like a Nike shirt with a small logo on it? Also, the booklet doesn't mention shorts, so do we need to bring any shorts or we will be wearing the PT shorts provided for us by the academy?
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Not sure about the shirts but we are going to buy our son all white, standard Hanes or Fruit of the Loom probably. These are just meant to be undershirts, not casual wear. The only shorts you need to bring are the ones you wear in, unless of course you choose to wear pants in. My son is going to wear khaki shorts rather than pants.

Keep it simple for yourself. 14 white underwear, 14 white socks, 14 white undershirts. That’s it for clothing.
 
CkzErz said:
Not sure about the shirts but we are going to buy our son all white, standard Hanes or Fruit of the Loom probably. These are just meant to be undershirts, not casual wear. The only shorts you need to bring are the ones you wear in, unless of course you choose to wear pants in. My son is going to wear khaki shorts rather than pants.

Keep it simple for yourself. 14 white underwear, 14 white socks, 14 white undershirts. That’s it for clothing.
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I'd bring extra compression shorts, or whatever you usually wear under gym shorts. 95% of indoc is spent in PT shorts... so plan accordingly.
 
CkzErz said:
Thank you!! I’d heard somewhere that the issued boots weren’t good but it might have been on a thread for another academy. The g-shock watch has been mentioned a few times so I think we’ll go with that, thanks. No one wants to give him cash but I’m sure he wouldn’t mind receiving it! I can at least give four ideas now: sneakers, extra pair of sneakers, watch, extra pair of glasses. And I guess eyeglass strap and white towel too, although we’ve been told after indoc on the towel. Thanks again.
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Yes, the issued boots are not very good, but plebes aren't allowed to purchase their own boots until they're recognized, so I'd hold off. However, once we were recognized, I purchased CATs. Some like Wolverine. Others like Redwing (expensive though).
 
You won't spend that much time in boots at KP until sea year. That is when it is really important to buy good boots for both safety and comfort for long days of hard and sometimes hazardous work.
 
Most of the gear you need will be issued. Sea Year, you will need special boots because many of the shipping lines require them - skid/electric resistant with a steel toe -- Red Wing Boots is usually the one to consider.
 
For indoctrination, should I bring a carry on luggage with the 14 shirts, socks, etc to the academy? I have seen YouTube videos where plebes only carry a backpack with them on the first day?
 
You should be able to fit everything you need for INDOC into a backpack assuming you wear your tennis shoes. You should practice rolling your T-shirts to save space. It is a technique that will come in handy for sea year. Also, make sure to bag your toiletries in a zip lock bag.
 
kpmom2013 said:
You should be able to fit everything you need for INDOC into a backpack assuming you wear your tennis shoes. You should practice rolling your T-shirts to save space. It is a technique that will come in handy for sea year. Also, make sure to bag your toiletries in a zip lock bag.
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Glad to hear you say that. A lot of people have said a backpack AND a rolling suitcase or rolling duffel and I was struggling to imagine why. Figured we’d lay it all out soon and see if two bags were really needed.
 
CkzErz said:
Glad to hear you say that. A lot of people have said a backpack AND a rolling suitcase or rolling duffel and I was struggling to imagine why. Figured we’d lay it all out soon and see if two bags were really needed.
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You will need a backpack and a another bag, either a rolling carry-on or duffle bag. You will not fit everything into one backpack. You should keep all your important documents in your backback in an accordion style file case for easier access when reporting to indoc. Bags are collected in O'Hara Hall and searched. They are returned later.
 
My Mid took a duffle and no backpack. A backpack is part of the plebe kit we purchased. So he didn't want an extra one. He had his docs in an accordion folder that was packed on top of his stuff in the duffle.
 
mattl09 said:
Has anyone received instructions to pay the midshipmen fees?
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We just got an invoice in the mail this year for my son's 3/c year, but I also heard that an email was supposed to have been sent out. It says that fees are due on or before 6/25. My recollection is that he got an email about a month or so before Indoc last year with the link to pay the fees. I don't know if they have sent that out yet, but you might check your spam or junk folder. ;)
 
mattl09 said:
Has anyone received instructions to pay the midshipmen fees?
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My Mid received the invoice on 6/5 when he was a PC. It came from a usmma.edu email address.

He got an invoice email with a link to the invoice this year in his academy email and we got a hard copy here at home.
 
My son (Incoming 2025) received his invoice via email yesterday. It came with a link and detailed instructions on how to pay.
 
deepdraft1 said:
@CkzErz if your son likes to read, books with a maritime theme might make a nice high school graduation gift..

Here are few I would recommend..
  1. Looking for a Ship [about life shipping 'off the board' out of a hiring hall as a deck officer in the US Merchant Marine] by John McPhee
  2. It Didn't Happen on My Watch [sea stories written by a former US Lines Chief Engineer from the engine room floor plate perspective] by George E. Murphy.
  3. Nothing Can Go Wrong [about the last voyage of the Pacific Far East Lines passenger ship SS MARIPOSA] by John D. MacDonald and Captain John D. Kilpack
  4. A Man and His Ship [about Naval Architect William Francis Gibbs and his quest to build the liner SS UNITED STATES] by Steven Ujifusa
  5. Until the Sea Shall Free Them [about the loss of the MARINE ELECTRIC] by Robert Frump
  6. Into the Raging Sea [about the loss of the EL FARO] by Rachel Slade
  7. Longitude [about the quest for a solution to solving the 'longitude problem' at sea.] by Dava Sobel
  8. America Spreads Her Sails - U.S. Seapower in the 19th Century by the U.S. Naval Institute Press [series of short stories compiled and edited by Clayton R. Barrow]
  9. The Abraham Lincoln of The Sea [biography of Andrew Furuseth, renowned sailor and maritime labor leader] by Arnold Berwick
Also any of the classics by Joseph Conrad.. [Typhoon, Youth, Lord Jim, The Mirror of the Sea, etc.] or Herman Melville, Richard Henry Dana or Guy Gilpatric [the Glencannon series books]..
Click to expand...
I can vouch for most you have listed. But would I be totally out of line in also suggesting the complete Aubrey/Maturin works of Patrick O'Brian (think: "Master and Commander")? There are about 20 volumes, almost all centered on sailing in the war-torn world of the late 1700's. I admit, there's no engine perspective, only sail, but riveting stories, battles, Navy culture, and characters. And superb writing style. Surely these should now be included in any list of maritime classics. (And they also come in incomparable books on tape narrated by Patrick Tull!)
 
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