MERCHANT MARINE TRAINING AND EDUCATION TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 1955 SPECIAL MARITIME TRAINING SUBCOMMITTEE The meeting was called at 10:30 a. m., at the Marine Maritime Academy, Senator Frederick G. Payne, presiding. Present also Donald D. Webster, counsel; and A. J. Bourbon, professional staff member. The CHAIRMAN. If there is no objection, we will be in order. This hearing is being held in connection with Senate Resolution 35, which was introduced in the Senate and passed in the Senate, and is the basis for the hearing. At this point the resolution will be incorporated and made a part of the record. (The resolution is as follows:) [S. Res. 35, 84th Cong., 1st sess.] RESOLUTION Resolved, That the Senate Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, or any duly authorized subcommittee thereof, is authorized and directed in accordance with section 134 of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 and ursuant to its jurisdictions specified by rule XXV of the Standing Rules of he Senate to make a full and complete study and investigation of merchantmarine training and education in the United States, including the status, cost, and training at the United States Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, New York, and at the State-operated merchant-marine accademies, the training f merchant seamen, and the future personnel needs of the merchant marine s it relates to the national defense. SEC. 2. The committee shall report its findings, together with such recomendations as it may deem advisable, to the Senate not later than January 1, 1956. SEC. 3. For the purposes of this resolution, the committee or any duly authored subcommittee thereof, is authorized to sit and act at such places and times uring the sessions, recesses, and adjourned periods of the Eighty-fourth Conress, to require by subpena or otherwise the attendance of such witnesses and e production of such books, papers, and documents, to administer such oaths, o take such testimony, to procure such printing and binding, and to make such penditures as it deems advisable. SEC. 4. For the purposes of this resolution, the committee, or any duly authored subcommittee thereof, is authorized to employ upon a temporary basis such perts, consultants, and other employees as it deems necessary in the performce of its duties, and is authorized, with the consent of the head of the partment or agency concerned, to utilize the reimbursable services, informaon, facilities, and personnel of any of the departments or agencies of the overnment of the United States. SEC. 5. The expenses of the committee under this resolution, which shall not ceed $30,000, shall be paid through January 31, 1956, from the contingent fund the Senate upon vouchers approved by the chairman of the committee. The CHAIRMAN. Ladies and gentlemen, first of all I want to thank u very much indeed for being here with us and for the courtesies that have been extended-particularly to Admiral Warlick and mem bers of the staff, for the very splendid return that was given to the questionnaire that was submitted to the Academy. This questionnaire dealt with certain matters we thought would be important in building up a constructive record relative to the work of the State maritime academies as well as Kings Point, and in support of what we hope may be a very constructive approach to this whole situation. The work that has been done in connection with the questions posed is very outstanding and, without any objection, we will also place this material in the record so that it may be incorporated at this point. (The document referred to above is as follows:) MAINE MARITIME ACADEMY REPLIES TO STATE SCHOOL QUESTIONNAIRE, SEPTEMBER 23, 1955 1. Please give a brief history of the academy. Be sure to discuss its contribution to national defense (World War II and Korea). The Maine Maritime Academy was incorporated by an act of the Maine Legislature in 1941, but the academy's history does not actually start at this time. Maine has been one of the prime sources of merchant marine officer personnel since early Colonial days, and the Maine academy was started to meet the requirements of the changing times. It is a continuation of the long maritime history of this area. The proof that Maine is an ideal spot for a maritime academy is that, with a population of less than 1 million people, Maine within 2 years had a school larger than any of the other State maritime academies, and still is larger than California or Massachusetts, which have populations eight times as great. The Maine Maritime Academy, located in historic and picturesque Castine, Maine, is the youngest of four State operated maritime academies. The academy now occupies the buildings of the former Eastern State Normal School. It was orginally called the Maine Nautical Training School. It has graduated 984 young men in 13 graduating classes since 1943, when the first class graduated. An effective placement bureau has aided the graduates in obtaining positions in the maritime industry, and at shore plants throughout the country During World War II, and during the Korean crisis, many academy graduates were cited for meritorious service both in the Navy and merchant marise Several graduates are in command of Navy and merchant ships. Many others have served and are now serving as engineers in Navy and merchant ships. Three hundred and eighty-four men graduated from the Maine Maritime Academy as wartime graduates, all of whom took an active part in World War II. A large proportion of Maine Maritime Academy graduates are now on active duty in the Navy. During the height of the Korean campaign over 100 academy graduates were in the war area aboard merchant and Navy ships. Many of the older graduates were called into service for the emergency. All graduates whe hold a commission in the Navy are subject to call at any time. In 1946 the academy returned to the original 3-year course, with the addition of many new academic subjects that entitled the midshipmen to receive the bachelor of marine science degree now awarded to all men completing the 3-year course. The class of 1949, comprising 47 men, was the first class to receive the degree. Since 1949 the academy has graduated 420 men, over 80 percent of whom are now on active duty in the Navy or are sailing as licensed officers on merchant ships. During the past years facilities have expanded from the original 3 bulld ings to include a machine shop, steam and engineering laboratory, nauticalscience building, and an athletic field. The academy maintains and operates two training ships at its waterfront wharf. The principal ship is the 8,000 € 413-foot State of Maine, probably the best maritime training ship in existene 2. Describe in detail how students are selected, giving particular attention to evaluation of high-school records, personal interviews, aptitude tests, etc. Applicants must be graduates of accredited secondary high schools on the date of admission. A State equivalency certificate will be accepted in lieu of a birdschool diploma providing the required subjects for admission have been taken The required subjects for admission are 21⁄2 years of mathematics that meet college-entrance requirements for a B. S. degree, at least 3 years of English, and adequate training in science including at least 1 year of either physics or chemistry. In some cases scholastic waivers for certain required subjects will be granted to ex-servicemen. This has proven to be beneficial to these people and the academy, for many of our ex-service personnel become outstanding midshipmen. Physical examinations and personal interviews are given by medical officers of either the Navy or the Public Health Service. Personal interviews with the administrative staff are encouraged, although they are not mandatory. Many applicants are recommended by present and former students. During the school year the registrar visits high schools throughout the State to talk with principals, guidance directors, speak to interested school and club groups, and interview prospective candidates. A written examination in three parts is given: (1) American Council on Education psychological examination for college freshmen; (2) cooperative general achievement test to determine general proficiency in the field of natural sciences, form Z; and (3) an essay, Why I Wish To Attend the Maine Maritime Academy. The president of the board of trustees comments: "Many of our students come from 2- and 3-teacher high schools on our coast, and it is necessary for us to make allowances for the fact. Some graduating from these schools could not possibly pass regent examinations, and we do not want the Government to set up any regulations which would deprive them of the opportunity to go to our school. Some of the other schools are trying to unify the system of accepting students on such a high level that perhaps we would have difficulty in getting the type of boy we want." 3. Please attach to your answers copies of the various forms and certificates which students are required to execute when applying for admission and enrolling. If these documents require any explanation as to their purpose or use, please explain. See exhibits I to VII, inclusive. 4. Are your students required to sign a non-Communist or loyalty oath? If not, would you recommend such a requirement? Yes. The essential elements of such an oath are contained in exhibit VI. 5. Is the academy fully accredited? If not, why; and what are the pros and cons of this status of your school? This academy is listed in the Education Directory of Higher Education issued by the United States Department of Education and Welfare (Office of Education). This listing constitutes accreditation. Graduates are qualified to receive commissions in the Regular United States Navy on the basis of this accreditation. Our degree has been granted since 1949 when the 32-month course was insticuted. It is a specialized degree: Bachelor of marine science. It is accepted by the maritime industry, for which these men are being trained. It is also accepted at colleges and universities to establish credits in varying amounts lepending upon the postgraduate field of study. Graduates have been accepted n schools throughout the country including Amherst, Boston College, Boston University, Colgate, Dartmouth, Harvard, M. I. T., Stanford, Washington, and -thers. We agree with Dr. Payson Smith, former commissioner of education in both Maine and Massachusetts, who said that this academy has all the accreditation t needs for the work it is designed to do. No further accreditation is being ought. . What is the length of the course? Is this longer or shorter than the courses given by the three other State academies and Kings Point? Please discuss the pros and cons of the length of your course. The course as it now stands is of suitable length to train a good ship's officer nd build a foundation for advancement in the shipping world. A longer period f training tends to turn a young man toward other lines of work rather than eagoing, which is his reason for attending the academy. Mr. Ralph A. Leavitt, president of the board of trustees, amplifies this as llows: "We have a course of 3 full years. Total months under supervised education, 2, is as long as the conventional 4-year course given by other Maine colleges which have the long summer vacations. Our course is the same length as that given at Massachusetts and California. It is 1 year shorter than that given at the New York State Maritime College. It is about the same length as that given at Kings Point. (We do not consider that the year spent on a merchant ship can be considered as a college year at Kings Point, whereas it is not under supervision.) "In Maine we consider that the 3 years (around the calendar) used to educate a merchant-marine officer is adequate. We believe that our graduates make superior officers and that they have as broad an outlook on life upon graduation as do the students coming from any other school, not giving graduate work. We believe that the main aim of a maritime academy is to produce third mates and third engineers who will go to sea on our merchant ships effectively and at a reasonable cost. We believe that the Maine Maritime Academy records will show a larger percentage of our students do what they are educated to do than do the graduates of any other school in the country. If the records do show this we believe that one must come to the inescapable conclusion that we have a superior school both from the point of achieving our objective and achieving it at a low cost per officer." 7. Describe the academy's engineering laboratory and shop facilities; its facilities for electronic navigator training (radar, loran, radio direction finder, radio auto alarm); its facilities for training in the use of gyrocompasses, automatic pilots, and course recorders; its facilities for training in practical seamanship. In addition to describing the facilities, please describe and discuss the extent to which they are being used and any contemplated changes, additions, or improvements. "We have a thoroughly adequate plant at the Maine Maritime Academy which was built primarily by the officers and students themselves. We have not called on the State or the Federal Government for large appropriations to build these buildings, but they are adequate for the size of the school we have, and we do not believe that we should take a back seat regarding any of our buildings or equipment. We undoubtedly will continue to expand as the need warrants."— Ralph A. Leavitt. (a) Dock facilities.-For radar training the training ship has a new modern raytheon radar with a 16-inch scope, which the deck cadets are taught to operate. A smaller raytheon Pathfinder Junior radar set which has just been obtained is to be installed in the classroom for radar instruction. An operating radio direction finder is aboard the training ship and the students are instructed in its operation during the cruises. This is a modern RCA model set with a gyrorepeater unit included. The school has 2 Loran receivers, 1 of which is aboard the training ship and the other set up and operative in the classroom for instruction. These are wartime sets made by RCA, model DBS. At the present time a requisition is pending for a newer model receiver, Sperry mark 2 Mod 2, which will be installed on the training ship prior to the next cruise. This set will also be available to the cadets for practice operation. As part of the present curriculum the deck cadets are given training in gyrocompasses which training is accepted by the Sperry Gyro School at New York as half credit toward a gyro certificate. The training ship is equipped with a Sperry mark 14 gyrocompass along with course recorder and repeater compasses. No automatic pilot is included with this installation. Also, in a classroom there is another gyrocompass of the same model, in operating condition equipped with a course recorder unit and a steering repeater compass. The auxiliary training ship, Sewell B. Smith, Jr., has a gyrocompass unit. Use of facilities for instruction.-In practical seamanship, a marlinsbike seamanship room aboard the training ship is equipped with a canvas sewing machine, wire splicing vises, and all necessary gear for teaching this phase of seamanship. For practical seamanship in small-boat instruction, there are s wooden monomoy-type boats for pulling or sailing and 2 power craft. 1 is a 40-foot launch with diesel power, the other a 30-foot launch with a gasoline engine. Instruction is given in all three phases of small boating, oars, sail, and power. The training ship is used as a floating laboratory throughout the year. Deck students are regularly assigned to deck seamanship projects aboard the training vessel. Under the guidance of the first lieutenant they engage in an active maintenance program and accomplish all of the upkeep of the vessel. The program is designed to give them experience in all of the phases of ship maintenance for which they will be responsible when they become officers aboard merchant or naval vessels. Upperclassmen are assigned as supervisors of the work done by underclassmen and thus gain practical experience in laying out and directing the maintenance work. The work includes the preparation and painting of all surfaces, rigging, and handling of all booms and boat davits, cleaning of all interior and topside areas, care of all running and standing rigging and mooring lines, the annual overhaul and equipping of lifeboats, maintenance of all fire and emergency equipment, participation in the annual United States Coast Guard inspection, and fulfillment of all requirements of the Coast Guard and the American Bureau of Shipping. All senior students go to drydock with the vessel as its operating crew and observe all work accomplished in the drydock and the repair yard. Senior cadets are assigned the tasks of preparing all watch bills, fire and emergency bills, duty lists, liberty lists, and berthing assignments. Senior cadets are assigned, on a rotating basis, as cadet first lieutenant, emergency boat coxswain, cadet officer of the watch, boatswain's mate of the watch, etc. Port watches are stood by senior cadets throughout the year and they are assigned the responsibility of the security of the vessel, supervision of the fire watch, checking of mooring lines; and security of all floating craft. Through their assignments to maintenance and supervisory details all cadets are adequately prepared for their coming responsibilities as ship's officers where there is no substitute for experience. Auxiliary floating equipment.-All cadets become adept at handling lifeboats through long hours of practice in the academy's boats. They all become expert at the oars and become competent coxswains through lengthy practice in launching boats, each man taking his turn in charge of the operation. The 110-foot subchaser is used to give all senior cadets experience in conning the vessel and assuming charge of all operations, setting the course, directing the helmsman, and improving navigational techniques. (b) Engineering facilities are extensive consisting of 1. 4,000-horsepower steam-propulsion plant and auxiliaries of a modern geared turbine 8,000-ton steamship. This ship is used as a floating laboratory and maintained year around. A winter cruise of about 8,000 miles is made each year. On this cruise the midshipmen of the three classes act respectively as the engineering watch officers, petty officers, and enginemenfiremen. 2. An engineering laboratory on shore for instruction (see picture in academy catalog, exhibit VIII). This laboratory was modeled on a plant which Westinghouse built for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The plant has been built by the midshipmen, under the guidance of their officers, largely from surplus and gift materials. One side of the building is occupied by the steam laboratory, and the other by a 400-horsepower diesel engine, also installed by the midshipmen. The list of equipment is shown on list A following. 3. A diesel plant of two 500-horsepower engines of the 110-foot subchaser which is operated during the summer. 4. A machine shop and tool room on shore for classroom instruction is used to full capacity four afternoons a week. See picture in academy catalog, exhibit VIII. The equipment in this shop used for training consists of items on list B following. Plans to enlarge the space in this shop have ben made and will be undertaken as time and funds permit. 5. A machine shop and tool room on board the training ship for instruction on cruise. 6. Machine shop for ship repair in engineroom of the training ship. Engineering list A—Laboratory 1 400-horsepower 4-cycle diesel engine with pyrometers, indicators, strain gages, seat grinders, and other testing gear 1 250-horsepower triple-expansion steam engine with indicators, planimeters, and other testing gear 1 overhead crane with chain fall 1 35-horsepower simple steam engine with prony brake 2 direct current generators 1 wet resistor 1 switchboard complete 1 throttling calorimeter |