Honest Question

KPEngineer said:
I was under the impression that it is not an option due to the differences in Academic schedules. The then quarter, now trimester system when combined with sea year does not align well with the other SAs academics.

Kings Point ... the easiest Academy to get into, the hardest to stay at.
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That is correct. KP's schedule and sea year make this not possible. Too bad it's a great program, at the other SAs juniors participate in the program. My 4th class year at USAFA I had a West Point element leader, with something to prove to USAFA, I didn't like it then but in retrospect, it was a learning experience.
 
Got a call from my son. He is on an MSC ship, he's in port at Crete right now. So he and his fellow cadets went to the commissary and purchased all of the American-style bacon because there is a bar/restaurant in town where the owner is from NY and he can't get bacon. So if you bring bacon you eat and drink for free... so the story goes. The chief electrician on the ship has a tradition of giving all of the engineering cadets $100, he gave my son $100 today when they docked (there are two others with my son, so $300 out of pocket, pretty nice, I'd like to meet him and buy him a drink some day). The captain booked the cadets a trip tomorrow to take a 5-hour hike to Samaria Gorge, I googled it and am a bit jealous. I would say he's doing more in 1 weekend than a lot of college kids do in an entire summer. Oh with all of that all he wanted to talk about was they let him out of the engine room to play with the deckies and he was cruising around on a forklift on the deck because it was broken and he had to repair it. What's my point, in life you take the good with the bad. I think many of the old-timers here would agree. Enjoy the journey
 
Pmaclax said:
Got a call from my son. He is on an MSC ship, he's in port at Crete right now. So he and his fellow cadets went to the commissary and purchased all of the American-style bacon because there is a bar/restaurant in town where the owner is from NY and he can't get bacon. So if you bring bacon you eat and drink for free... so the story goes. The chief electrician on the ship has a tradition of giving all of the engineering cadets $100, he gave my son $100 today when they docked (there are two others with my son, so $300 out of pocket, pretty nice, I'd like to meet him and buy him a drink some day). The captain booked the cadets a trip tomorrow to take a 5-hour hike to Samaria Gorge, I googled it and am a bit jealous. I would say he's doing more in 1 weekend than a lot of college kids do in an entire summer. Oh with all of that all he wanted to talk about was they let him out of the engine room to play with the deckies and he was cruising around on a forklift on the deck because it was broken and he had to repair it. What's my point, in life you take the good with the bad. I think many of the old-timers here would agree. Enjoy the journey
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Souda Bay?
Ah…back in the last century, I was the Tanker Ops desk officer at the MSC staff in Naples. I used to schedule all the fleet logistics USNS ship portcalls around the Med, set up their port calls and coordinate with port agents. Often traveled to meet them and would ride to next port. Hung out with the KP and Maritime Academy junior officers. Spent time with the embarked Navy Comm det. Went all over the Med. Learned a lot from seasoned Masters and Chief Engineers.
 
Capt MJ said:
Souda Bay?
Ah…back in the last century, I was the Tanker Ops desk officer at the MSC staff in Naples. I used to schedule all the fleet logistics USNS ship portcalls around the Med, set up their port calls and coordinate with port agents. Often traveled to meet them and would ride to next port. Hung out with the KP and Maritime Academy junior officers. Spent time with the embarked Navy Comm det. Went all over the Med. Learned a lot from seasoned Masters and Chief Engineers.
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Side note. While in the Mid Store in Annapolis a couple years ago...I struck up a conversation with two British Navy Officers who were on assignment at USNA. Turns out the British Navy uses STCW (merchant marine navigation watch standing standards) to qualify Naval officers in basic navigation, collision avoidance, etc. Im familiar with these standards...I wonder if US Navy has benchmarked its SWO training/quals to this for the applicable aspects...it's a world wide standard. https://www.dco.uscg.mil/nmc/stcw/
 
Capt MJ said:
Souda Bay?
Ah…back in the last century, I was the Tanker Ops desk officer at the MSC staff in Naples. I used to schedule all the fleet logistics USNS ship portcalls around the Med, set up their port calls and coordinate with port agents. Often traveled to meet them and would ride to next port. Hung out with the KP and Maritime Academy junior officers. Spent time with the embarked Navy Comm det. Went all over the Med. Learned a lot from seasoned Masters and Chief Engineers.
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That's exactly where he is.
 
Pmaclax said:
Got a call from my son. He is on an MSC ship, he's in port at Crete right now. So he and his fellow cadets went to the commissary and purchased all of the American-style bacon because there is a bar/restaurant in town where the owner is from NY and he can't get bacon. So if you bring bacon you eat and drink for free... so the story goes. The chief electrician on the ship has a tradition of giving all of the engineering cadets $100, he gave my son $100 today when they docked (there are two others with my son, so $300 out of pocket, pretty nice, I'd like to meet him and buy him a drink some day). The captain booked the cadets a trip tomorrow to take a 5-hour hike to Samaria Gorge, I googled it and am a bit jealous. I would say he's doing more in 1 weekend than a lot of college kids do in an entire summer. Oh with all of that all he wanted to talk about was they let him out of the engine room to play with the deckies and he was cruising around on a forklift on the deck because it was broken and he had to repair it. What's my point, in life you take the good with the bad. I think many of the old-timers here would agree. Enjoy the journey
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My son did part of his second sea year onboard a Prepo ship in the 'Latin Lake'.. He got to spend some time in a lot of really great ports, like Caglairi, Sardinia, Gaeta, Italy, Palma, Spain [in the Balearic Islands] Heraklion, Crete and Split, Croatia. He joined that ship in Santa Cruz de Tenerife in the Canaries. They were there for about 12 days before departing for Rota Spain and then through the Straits of Gibraltar into the Med. He told me that Split was his all time favorite port of call during sea year followed closely by Palma and Tenerife. Enjoy the journey for sure.. :)
 
deepdraft1 said:
My son did part of his second sea year onboard a Prepo ship in the 'Latin Lake'.. He got to spend some time in a lot of really great ports, like Caglairi, Sardinia, Gaeta, Italy, Palma, Spain [in the Balearic Islands] Heraklion, Crete and Split, Croatia. He joined that ship in Santa Cruz de Tenerife in the Canaries. They were there for about 12 days before departing for Rota Spain and then through the Straits of Gibraltar into the Med. He told me that Split was his all time favorite port of call during sea year followed closely by Palma and Tenerife. Enjoy the journey for sure.. :)
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In my time at sea, both as a Cadet and after, I never made it to the Med. I have been to a couple of places in the job I have now. All of my cadet time was spent in the Far East (not a bad part of the world to see in the 70s). Post Academy, it was coastwise USA, Northern Europe, the Caribbean and Latin America.
 
Sailed Merchant ships U.S. coastwise (East & West coasts), Mexico, Panama, various Middle East ports (Egypt, Saudi, Emirates, Yemen) to Europe (Italy, France, UK), Aruba, St. Croix. Seas: Atlantic, N & South Pacific, Med, Red, Suez Canal (8 trips), Panama Canal (40 trips). Best port: Trieste Italy - food is outstanding in Northern Italy. Roughest WX was in North Gulf of Alaska (estimated 100+ ft seas-in blizzard conditions=fun). Most professional mariners under estimate the seas, this ship was 240K DWT, 987' LOA, 180 Ft beam, summer load line = 64' 6 and 31/12", SHP ~12,000, Wheel = ~32' in diameter, emergency crash stop distance =2 miles. With squat, nav. draft could be 75' depending on speed, depth and other factors. Fun times.
 
Don't Give Up the Ship said:
Side note. While in the Mid Store in Annapolis a couple years ago...I struck up a conversation with two British Navy Officers who were on assignment at USNA. Turns out the British Navy uses STCW (merchant marine navigation watch standing standards) to qualify Naval officers in basic navigation, collision avoidance, etc. Im familiar with these standards...I wonder if US Navy has benchmarked its SWO training/quals to this for the applicable aspects...it's a world wide standard. https://www.dco.uscg.mil/nmc/stcw/
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Don't Give Up the Ship,
In 2005 when I separated from active duty Navy, there was no STCW program for the SWO officers. I obtained a deck license on my own(i.e. hawspiper) in order to sail civilian mariner after I left the Navy. It took a lot of courses and leave to obtain that Third Mates license.
 
ChesBaynavy said:
Don't Give Up the Ship,
In 2005 when I separated from active duty Navy, there was no STCW program for the SWO officers. I obtained a deck license on my own(i.e. hawspiper) in order to sail civilian mariner after I left the Navy. It took a lot of courses and leave to obtain that Third Mates license.
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Wow, I never knew that. Nice!
 
ChesBaynavy said:
Don't Give Up the Ship,
In 2005 when I separated from active duty Navy, there was no STCW program for the SWO officers. I obtained a deck license on my own(i.e. hawspiper) in order to sail civilian mariner after I left the Navy. It took a lot of courses and leave to obtain that Third Mates license.
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SWO quals still do not include STCW.
 
OldRetSWO said:
SWO quals still do not include STCW.
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Yes sir. Im suggesting they should be consider. Im sure the SWO duties etc are very different, but perhaps USN should benchmark to STCW to ensure those basic watch standing skills are in the USN program. That may have been done. Just a thought.
 
Don't Give Up the Ship said:
Yes sir. Im suggesting they should be consider. Im sure the SWO duties etc are very different, but perhaps USN should benchmark to STCW to ensure those basic watch standing skills are in the USN program. That may have been done. Just a thought.
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This gets quite a lot of informal discussion in SWO circles. The folks who manage the specific
qualifications and schools would be the ones to convince.
Feel free to suggest it but know that it is not a "fresh" idea.
 
ripstick said:
As a current midshipman I find myself saying "I hate this [expletive] place" every. single. day.

Our infrastructure is without a doubt the worst of the five, and also the worst I've witnessed of any federal installation in the United States. I have lost countless friends to the attrition and dated, grueling academics as well as the academic pace. I have sacrificed countless summer vacations/time off that other academies get simply because I could not take a pause from the place. Kings Point is my life, my job, and my hobby. Kings Point has the absolute minimum in terms of recognition in the real world (anything not maritime related.) I have been confused for an Annapolis student more times than I can remember and when I state that I am from Kings Point and not Annapolis I am usually told "Don't tell people that." The superficial things are also below average with no signs of improving. Hell they gave the campus security guards a new guard shack before giving their own students hot water, mold-free rooms, and edible dining hall food.

I have been treated like garbage on both the ships I have been on as a result of being from Kings Point, this place is not as revered at sea as many on these forums would have you believe.

BUT...

To answer the question above "Why don't you leave?"

This place is miserable and equivalent to a dungeon of pain and despair. I have more bad days than good days at this point, but the success I am going to feel in a year and a half walking through the gate for the last time with a job I EARNED with my own hard work will be delectable and exquisite. Finishing this hell and leaving it behind will be a feeling that I do not have the words to describe anymore. Dealing with the lack of positive identity this school has like USNA/USMA/USCGA/USAFA has made me a more mentally proud person as I don't give a **** who recognizes my school and it's accomplishments.

If I had the chance to come here again, I absolutely would. I'm suffering and I'm putting out as a result. I have become a much more capable, resilient, resourceful, and badass person than I ever would have if I had pursued the other academies or my other state school offers. The suffering builds character, and I really like the character I am shaping in to due to the disrepair of the institution.

Finis Coronat Opus
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This reminds me of this quote:

"Once the storm is over you won't remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won't even be sure, in fact, whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm you won't be the same person who walked in." Haruki Murakami
 
foamspoon said:
I have researched all the academies for the past two years pretty extensively. I have visited all the academies several times (excluding USAFA). My daughter is currently a plebe at USNA. I have a question about USMMA. We live on Long Island so I am pretty familiar with Kings Point. I love the campus, but it is obvious that it could use some TLC. The common thing I hear about USMMA is it is a tough place to be but a great place to be from. (You hear that about all the academies). Without going into details my daughter was told by a Midshipman at USMMA "Don't come here" during an overnight by someone that was passing by. I asked my daughter if they were joking or being sarcastic and she said no. I also watched the 2022 Valedictorian Speech. To be honest the speech gave me pause. Having said that there are many more people that had great things to say about USMMA but did say it was not easy and did come with its own unique set of challenges.

Here is my question. Is USMMA more of an overall challenge when compared to the other academies when considering the overall quality of life by the midshipman? Are the challenges of academy life more challenging at USMMA? My other daughter in high school who wants to play lacrosse is applying to USMMA, Coast Guard, and USNA. We both love the post-grad opportunities of USMMA whether it is private or choosing the military path. I think USMMA would be a great fit for her career goals, athletically, plus it is close to home. I know USMMA has the sea year and think my daughter would enjoy that part of USMMA.
I am interested in hearing anyone's thoughts.
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I think people value different things of academies , and like colleges or jobs no one place is perfect for everyone. Our daughter was very set on majoring in Naval Architecture so she considered USNA, USMMA, USCGA, Maine Maritime, Mass Maritime, Stephens, VA Tech and Webb. We visited all of the campuses. We visited Webb and USMMA either the same day or back to back and I remember making the upmost effort to be super neutral but I did not want her at either place 😂 USMMA s campus was so run down, so depressing (maybe it was the time of year we visited or maybe I was just exhausted from such a long trip but that was my feelings) After our trip was over and she sat down and did all her research her favorites were very clear and there was a lot of solid rationale for how they all fell. At that point she decided on plan A B and C.

So all that to say I think your daughter has to feel all of those things out and decide where she thinks she wants to be. I think having the buy in for mission of the service matters hugely in cadet mental health… when there is a goal w a passion endurance is easier!

Ultimately our DD plan A came through and she is thriving as a 3C at USCGA! Best of luck to yours
 
hopefulmominla said:
I think people value different things of academies , and like colleges or jobs no one place is perfect for everyone. Our daughter was very set on majoring in Naval Architecture so she considered USNA, USMMA, USCGA, Maine Maritime, Mass Maritime, Stephens, VA Tech and Webb. We visited all of the campuses. We visited Webb and USMMA either the same day or back to back and I remember making the upmost effort to be super neutral but I did not want her at either place 😂 USMMA s campus was so run down, so depressing (maybe it was the time of year we visited or maybe I was just exhausted from such a long trip but that was my feelings) After our trip was over and she sat down and did all her research her favorites were very clear and there was a lot of solid rationale for how they all fell. At that point she decided on plan A B and C.

So all that to say I think your daughter has to feel all of those things out and decide where she thinks she wants to be. I think having the buy in for mission of the service matters hugely in cadet mental health… when there is a goal w a passion endurance is easier!

Ultimately our DD plan A came through and she is thriving as a 3C at USCGA! Best of luck to yours
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Just curious - why didn’t you want her at Webb?
 
hopefulmominla said:
I think people value different things of academies , and like colleges or jobs no one place is perfect for everyone. Our daughter was very set on majoring in Naval Architecture so she considered USNA, USMMA, USCGA, Maine Maritime, Mass Maritime, Stephens, VA Tech and Webb. We visited all of the campuses. We visited Webb and USMMA either the same day or back to back and I remember making the upmost effort to be super neutral but I did not want her at either place 😂 USMMA s campus was so run down, so depressing (maybe it was the time of year we visited or maybe I was just exhausted from such a long trip but that was my feelings) After our trip was over and she sat down and did all her research her favorites were very clear and there was a lot of solid rationale for how they all fell. At that point she decided on plan A B and C.

So all that to say I think your daughter has to feel all of those things out and decide where she thinks she wants to be. I think having the buy in for mission of the service matters hugely in cadet mental health… when there is a goal w a passion endurance is easier!

Ultimately our DD plan A came through and she is thriving as a 3C at USCGA! Best of luck to yours
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From people I’ve met at our local SNAME meetings, and specifically for Naval Architecture, the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor is one of the best in the country. It offers Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering degree programs including a Doctorate (see UM Doctorate). It's a very large, public, four-year university in a midsize city.
 
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