Show A M ancic re LAL I 1 4 ail J aa 0 Y V K lb si 4 va Y A training ship empire state J A Y 0 7 eithne inspection U jk j V A ci i 4 il 41 T af X abe ca U the colosseum i rome A by ELMO SCOTT WATSON UNIE was when the merchant mn ma rine was one of americas proudest boasts those were the days when the famous yankee clipper ships were carrying our flag the stars and stripes into virtually ev empry rv port of the world and when america rather than great britain was the mistress of the seas pt least so far as merchant shipping was concerned but when steamships replaced sailing vessels the united states began to lose her place in tb tha sun isun in this regard and the civil war saw the end of our dominance of the seas with merchant men in ID the years that followed various efforts were made to regain the place we had lost to other nations but these efforts were not highly successful at the opening of the world war we had only 17 ships carrying the american flag and american trade to foreign i ports and amerlean american seamanship as a consequence had bad almost become a forgotten tradition but recent years have seen a change being w wrought and today under more recent stimulating governmental policies supporting our peacetime navy the merchant marine we have climbed up to second place in world tonnage and now it a total of GOO ships plow their way through the seven seas to more than ports in foreign lands to provide for the increased complement of trained desk off officers leers and engineers to man our constantly increasing peacetime navy uncle sam has four nautical training schools mostly aboard real ships where boys can study graduate and stand a good chance of becoming third officers or assistant engineers in the merchant fleet at a rate of pay ranging from a month tor for third mates upwards to for skippers and engineers and with cruises to interesting foreign ports sprinkled in while they are getting their education these nautical schools are the new york state merchant marine academy now based at the brooklyn navy yard aboard the U S S empire state and the annex the pennsylvania nautical school based at philadelphia aboard the U S S annapolis the massachusetts nautical school based at boston aboard the U S S nantucket and on the pacific coast the california INI nautical attIcal school based at california city on san francisco bay aboard the U S S california calif f state every year the young men between the ages of seventeen and twenty one years undergo training in these four schools for a birds eye view of life at the academy lets visit the U S S empire state As one drives into the brooklyn navy yard a khaki garbed united states marine corporal steps up to the visiting automobile asks the callers business and sends for a bluejacket who conducts one past battleship gray painted destroyers st cruisers and otner other n navy avy vessels docked in the yard A couple of tr turns ans along railroad tracked streets lead to the gangplank of the S S empire state A rine rifle belted seaman clicks his heels salutes and leads on to the skippers quarters forward below the bridge the skipper Is capt L B green second assistant superintendent of the academy commanding the training ship ile he Is a graduate of the united states naval academy at annapolis A sharp wind slices across the navy yard but captain green marches down a gangway connecting the training 1 ship with its auxiliary vessel lying alongside the annex the latter la Is a converted sailing ship her once towering foremast and mainmast are stubbed she carries no rigging but has a brond broad deck for boat and other drills below decks she is laid out for school rooms dormitories electrical and mechanical ch cli anical work shops cadets cabets in the annex are nominal newcomers here they are taught mathematics navigation hygiene rope and wire cable use and splicing signalling sign alling fire prevent prevention lov launching and handling bandling of boats and a hundred other maritime duties zere here too they have their first taste of discipline aboard ship the cadets cabets are hard at work in one room equipped with regu regulation lation school desks they are deep in trigonometry below in t the he hold of the annex they are working in the machine shop othe others are bending and weaving heavy wire cable ends around an oval eye still another group has taken a heavy water pump apart and to la busily at work putting it together gether fo again captain green proceeds through the passages Z Nho otin the sun with sextants Sex tants i K q furline the sa bails ils past blue uniformed lads each group snaps to attention and holds it until the senior officer says carry on Top topside sidell are several groups engaged in boat drills launching handling long sweeping oars in heavy life boats coxswains cox swains standing up astern in each boat giving orders its a cold and windy day but the boys bend to with a will and send their boats cleaving the navy yard waters below Is the real feel of the ship not a quick rush to the side to unburden an upset stomach but the atmosphere of being at sea it Is quiet but exciting the only thing lacking Is the throb of turning engines the gentle lift of long ground swells captain green goes forward to inspect paint lockers chers lo shower baths and living quarters where the boys sleep in beds romantic days of the hammock have vanished the skipper admits that sleeping when tucked in cocoon comfort ones hammock Is a blissful state but there Is wore more luxury in cadet accommodations today lockers are provided tor for per perso nJ effects and uniforms more cadet study space Is discovered with long polished white wooden tables that swing up to the ceiling and out of the way when not in use the canteen for candy tobacco and other luxuries strikes a responsive note mess hall serving tables cafeteria style where hungry young men can be served in eight minutes food Is sent down from the galley located on a higher deck by dumbwaiter dumb waiter the whole place shines with cleanliness next came a visit to the sickbay sick bay or ships hospital one youngster had a touch of sore throat but was recovering quickly A regular doctor Is assigned to the ship anyone on the binnacle list Is promptly attended and officers of 04 the training vessel said there were few patients captain green and tits his staff have their own mess a room done in dark wood with light green trimming here the deck and engineer staff units dine at separate tables because there always has been a bit of pleasant rivalry between the two groups although boys join the academy for training to fit them for captaincy or they have their own choice of the branch pre preferred ferrid once they have completed the school course and have graduated there Is little time lost in getting them assigned to active duty aboard one of uncle sams merchant ships the boy who wants to go to sea as a professional fess ional mariner Is trained at one ot of the four acad academies emles to become an officer or engineer and enjoy life on the rolling deep and he be has the additional dit ional opportunity for service in steamship offices aasbo asbo IF I 1 this gives him an excellent incentive to grow in the maritime world and to point for an executive position in steamship circles this is not a pipe dream it Is the design and reason for the existence ot of these four nautical training schools uncle sam has to battle tor for his pence peace time and war rights ships must carry commerce passengers een gers malls to every country commanders and chief eng engineers incero ol of these ships must be level headed and well trained for this reason it was wa pointed out unusual care Is exercised in selecting merchant marine academy candidates boys must be united states citizens have high school education or its equivalent be physically mentally morally sound as a new dollar and must have edve the qualities that make for leadership courtesy promptness in obeying commands and correct seamanlike habits the wheel and chart house come next for ini in spec tion in the afternoon sun the compass steering apparatus engine room telegraph and other bright work gleamed and glinted from el bow greased high polish it was exactly like any other american merchant mans bridge except that there were two large long tables extends extending n 9 the width of the enclosed space upon which ca bets studying navigation while on summer cruise work out the ships course A huge flag locker was located nearby bulging with neatly rolled multicolored multi colored bunting atop the bridge waa the diamond shaped radio direction finder loop open air binnacle and steering wheel nine times out of ten the H U S S empire state Is steered from the enclosed bridge or the flying bridge by a helmsman generally a quartermaster but captain green went below and pointed out the line of steering apparatus to a room far astern in the ship where the rudder tiller Is swung by automatic devices and where cadets cabets are instructed at times in blind steering A bridge lookout may bo be the eyes ot of the ship on such occasions but cadets cabets are taught to navigate safely by using inside compass and wheel the engine room deep in the bowels of the vessel was fragrant with hot oils vere here a maze of shining iron ladders wind up around and about the powerful driving equipment of the training ship all I 1 was spotless and the ship could cast off on short notice for steam Is kept up tip in the boilers most of the time intricacies trica cies of this department prohibit elaborate description it Is a world of machinery in itself the pride of engineers who undergo exhaustive instruction and training arhip and ashore and who are charged with the mechanical welfare of their vessel it Is interesting to note that in most cases the captain and chief engineer of a ship hold nearly equal rank both wear four gold stripes they are associates in command although in the last analysis the captains word Is supreme the cadets cabets have an abundance of recreation many are amateur musicians have their instruments aboard and make use of the ships piano and when some one tears off a large amount of in the evening by the moonlight a flood of barber shop harmony generally haunts the ship captain green pointed out a number of ca bets engaged in infantry drill on the concrete locks docks below this gives them a taste of military activity such military schooling will automatically mati cally entitle cadets cabets to become members of the naval reserve cadet instructors are capable efficient and painstaking in their work for them special training Is required the skipper said that several had taken not one but numerous instruction courses A number of them are graduates of the new york merchant marine academy i preferring teaching to life aboard ship where thley they start in as third class officers over sandwiches cakes and orange pekoe in the capt captains quarters plans for summer were explained we will have our regular training cruise said eald the skipper a twinkle of anticipation in his his eyes adding that we expect to shove oft off some time in june take in a bit of the atlantic for cruising purposes and touch at several european ports 11 these cruises are duck soup for cadets cabets the boys get their fingers angers into navigation and engineering gi gl and la in addition see the world first hand band stops include many continental and mediterranean ports one leaves the ta U S S empire state with the impression of having baying seen a number of eplen asplen did titan cut ambitious young fellows eagerly carving out their maritime careers on a smart merchant training ship under the watchful kind ly supervision of a four striper who knows his stuff similar activities are pursued at the other three nautical schools 0 by eastom union |