Show merchant marine marin academy develops fighting officers officer s combat training Is part of extensive cadet requirement HE nations newest service T THE academy sends its undergraduates to sea as part of their normal course of training duri during ng war they go to sea just the same consequently participants in sea warfare withstood torpedoes bombings strafing coast artillery and fire from enemy raiders performed heroic acts under fire which would do credit to battle experienced veterans cadet midshipmen in the united states m merchant t marine cadet corps have participated in every landing and invasion operation of the war and have reflected creditably upon the cadet corps while serving aboard merchant vessels seven have won distinguished service medals more than have been forced to abandon ship as a result of enemy action more than have been killed in action many have been credited with saving lives of shipmates and others have spent as many as 40 days in lifeboats the united states merchant ma marine cadet corps includes the U S merchant marine academy kings point L I 1 a basic school at san mateo calif one at pass christian miss and a revolving group of 2600 to cadet midshipmen serving at sea at all times upon admission to the cadet corps a cadet midshipman is assigned to one of the basic schools for training of about four months after which he goes to sea for a minimum of six months this sometimes last as long as 12 months because the cadet mans ship may be in the indian ocean when his six months is completed and he of course must serve until his ship returns to the united states has sea training first after sea duty a cadet man is assigned to kings point for advanced training during which he assimilates knowledge acquired in classrooms and laboratories with that which results from sea training to qualify himself to become a deck or engine officer in americas ever expanding merchant fleet upon graduation a cadet mid shipman is licensed incensed as third mate or third assistant engineer and is is appointed an ensign in the U S tim e service and in the U S naval reserve many of the graduates to date have gone into active duty with the navy the U S merchant marine cadet corps authorized by the merchant marine act of 1936 is to be a permanent institution servi serving ng the nation just as do west point annapolis and the coast guard academy the academy at kings point is situated on long island sound two miles from great neck on what was previously the site of several swanky estates there are 30 odd new and modem buildings on the 65 acre campus which also includes parade grounds an athletic field and an obstacle course which is quite tough at the acad private dock there are half a dozen vessels t al daz 4 upper graduating regimental commander willard B kitchen and other cadet officers salute as taps is blown in honor of former cadet midshipmen lost or missing in action left training vessel emery rice under full foil sail right cadet midshipmen taking observations for longitude during training cruise from easy in order to live up to the creed got to make sure that no boys ghost will ever say if your training program had only done its job because of the sea duty requirements every cadet midshipman at kings point actually is a veteran of sea warfare and many wear warzone war zone ribbons indicating service around the world among several cadet midshipmen who participated in the invasion of france were louie B wood jr of atlanta ga and john F steedley jr of tallahassee fla who witnessed all the fire and action of american warships and planes and t mt k W cadet midshipman laying aloft the main mast german E boats and coast artillery during the first three or four days of the historic landings our ships moved into the english channel on D day ca carrying crying trucks jeeps small arms and about soldiers and we of course were exposed to the german bombers E boats and coast artillery we worry about the nazis too much though when we looked up and saw our own fliers in action and watched american and british za IF W man blan overboard rescue practice at pass christian gilliss which aff afford ord the best po possible s sible means warships taking care of of the coast learning that multitude of subjects placements emplacements em wood relates term and details embraced in m the A day or so after the initial seamanship laboratories landings we were ordered to anchor are equipped with actual liberty a quarter mile off ship normandy engines and boilers diesels and radio and other signal discharge our cargo into refrigeration equipment this job took about 12 hours he units and machinery said 1 and the and ship pulled awa and equipment of 0 all away y types encountered anchored to await formation of aboard a ship administrative convoy to return to england officers of the cadet corps on D day plus four ME make the training thorough and far were dropping pound bombs in our vicinity one had our number on it and struck the ship squarely in no five hold killing seven soldiers of the stevedore crew and a merchant seaman steedley was busy helping to man an antiaircraft gun on the bridge and wood was assisting to I 1 extinguish a fire on deck when the fire was out wood went below to help remove the dead men from the hold the concussion had ripped large holes in both sides and the bottom of the ship and she settled fast the stern resting on the bottom in seven fathoms of water he recounts the order to abandon ship was given after as much gear as possible had been removed to nearby vessels next day it was thought that there might be a chance to save the ship and an emergency volunteer crew was sought to go aboard both wood and steedley volunteered but after a few hours all hope of saving the vessel was abandoned the two cadet midshipmen were returned to england and were back in new york on july 7 one month after participating in the greatest invasion in history their ship had been lost but the precious cargo of soldiers jeeps and guns had been put ashore in france at kings point now dudley example of sea heroes almost two years earlier on the other side of the world another cadet midshipman had played a dramatic part in a landing operation he is robert H dudley of yonkers N Y who was assigned to a transport in the task force which took the 19 first contingent of U S marines to guadalcanal Guadal canal dudley was placed in charge of landing boats boat s from his vessel and the dis embarking was proceeding successfully when 23 japanese torpedo planes attacked the ships antiaircraft gunners on merchant vessels and warships alike went into action immediately and skippers of the various vessels ordered maneuvers to dodge the torpedoes from the enemy planes the accuracy of the fire from american guns excelled that of the jap aviators however and every one of the 23 planes was shot down one ship in the landing force was lost when a flaming jap plane S struck truc k on its deck and set it af afire ire this was dudleys dudlets Dud leys vessel from which all marines and cargo had been embarked disembarked dis dudley was assigned to another ship loaded with provisions bound for taulagi and a few days after the guadalcanal Guadal canal episode dudley again heard the order abandon ship as this vessel was torpedoed and sunk on august 21 dudley and 12 members of the crew spent the ensuing 14 days in a lifeboat with the most meager supplies of food and water on the day we sighted land and naturally exerted every ounce of our fast waning energy to pull ashore dudley reported we landed on a coral reef and every man fell face forward exhausted the sharp edges of the coral inflicted severe cuts about the body of every one of us but we just seem to have the strength to move again so we lay there on the reefs almost unconscious for several hours the natives found us a and nd brought us water dudley the next two months in in arn army ay and navy hospital before returning to kings point where he graduated on february 3 1943 received his I 1 license as third mate and went back to sea as an officer helping deliver the goods saved shipmates lite life an am example of valor and disregard of his own safety was shown by cadet midshipman william M thomas jr of alameda calif who was awarded the distinguished service medal by president roosevelt for his heroism in dramatically saving the life of a shipmate |