Type | Public |
---|---|
Established | 1969 |
Parent institution | Northwestern Michigan College |
Location | , Michigan , United States |
Website | https://www.nmc.edu/maritime/ |
The Great Lakes Maritime Academy at Northwestern Michigan College is located on West Grand Traverse Bay in Traverse City, Michigan. The academy was established in 1969 as a Maritime college to train men and women to be licensed mariners on ships of unlimited tonnage or horsepower; including research vessels, cruise ships, freighters, tankers and more. One of six state-operated maritime academies in the United States, the Great Lakes Maritime Academy is the only maritime academy that offers graduates the opportunity to earn First Class Great Lakes Pilotage, and the only maritime academy located on fresh water. Students, called cadets, earn a Bachelor of Science degree and their Federal license to sail as an officer on both the Great Lakes and the oceans. [1]
The academy is located in Traverse City, Michigan, on Grand Traverse Bay in Lake Michigan.
The Great Lakes Maritime Academy was established in 1969 to provide education and training to those wanting a career in the merchant marine. The academy trains mates (pilots), and maritime engineers. The summer of 2002 brought the arrival of the 224-foot (68 m) training ship, a former Navy vessel, now named the T/S State of Michigan. The academy moved into the new facility late fall of 2003.
Originally dedicated on October 23, 1972, the academy harbor was next on the list for improvements and reconstruction began in 2004. The harbor was completely rebuilt and expanded to better accommodate the T/S State of Michigan and the academy’s three smaller vessels. [2] Appropriately named the “Alumni Light”, the Great Lakes Maritime Academy Alumni Association provided funding to place a large green harbor light atop the 40-foot-tall (12 m) former aftermast of the T/S State of Michigan at the northwest corner of the academy’s harbor. The harbor was completed in 2005, and concluded the construction of the modern campus now home to the Great Lakes Maritime Academy where the T/S State of Michigan is moored only 150 feet (46 m) from the buildings rear.
The Great Lakes Maritime Academy cadets earn their required maritime credentials, "write" for their United States Coast Guard license and earn a bachelor's degree in Maritime Technology. This program prepares graduates for management level positions aboard the largest ships of any type on the Great Lakes and oceans.
Individuals who are admitted to the academy follow a four-year curriculum with a condensed curriculum offered to those who have already earned a Bachelor's (or higher) degree. The maritime curriculum includes classroom instruction, labs, simulation and three semesters at sea.
Upon completion of course work and sea projects, deck cadets write the U.S. Coast Guard examinations for licensing as a Third Mate Great Lakes and Oceans Unlimited Tonnage and First Class Great Lakes Pilot. Engineering cadets write the U.S. Coast Guard examination for licensing as a Third Assistant Engineer, Steam and Motor Vessels of any Horsepower. Graduates are fully compliant with STCW '95 (Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping).
In 2013, Northwestern Michigan College won approval to offer a bachelor of science in maritime technology through the academy. [3] The college awarded its first bachelor's degrees to two academy students in January 2014. [4] The Detroit News covered the story, and the broader story of Michigan community colleges offering four-year degrees, in an April 16, 2014, article. [5]
The college is approved by the U.S. Maritime Administration, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the Michigan Department of Education. A new class begins each year in mid-August (fall semester).
Maritime cadets participate in commercial sea projects [6] (semesters at sea) while in attendance at the Great Lakes Maritime Academy. These sea projects are arranged by the academy with shipping companies on either the Great Lakes or oceans. During sea projects, assignments are regularly completed and sent back to academy instructors by cadets.
The T/S State of Michigan is used for the first sea project to educate cadets of the responsibilities of officers and crew, shipboard etiquette and the lifestyle aboard ship. Time spent aboard the T/S State of Michigan does count towards the necessary sea time required for each program. Two additional sea projects are spent aboard commercial ships to best prepare cadets for the real life occupation of a merchant mariner. Cadets must also complete in-port sea days with the T/S State of Michigan. Tasks for in-port sea days include necessary vessel inspection to ensure continued STCW ’95 compliance.
Originally launched in 1985 as the USNS Persistent (T-AGOS-6); the T/S State of Michigan was commissioned as a Stalwart-class Tactical Auxiliary General Ocean Surveillance Ship (TAGOS). [7] She was built as an ocean submarine surveillance vessel to tow highly sensitive sonar arrays to track Soviet submarines during the Cold War. In the 1990s, when the Soviet threat was no longer a concern, the Navy opted to decommission the T-AGOS fleet. In 1998, the USNS Persistent and her sister ship, the USNS Vindicator (T-AGOS-3) were transferred to the United States Coast Guard to be used in drug regulation. Even after overhauls to the USNS Persistent, she was determined to be too slow to keep up with the drug policing and became available to other government agencies.
The Great Lakes Maritime Academy worked with the U.S. Maritime Administration to negotiate a transfer of the vessel to the academy harbor. In the summer of 2002, the USNS Persistent underwent maintenance and additional overhaul to prepare her for her new freshwater home. In August 2002, the vessel, whose name was changed to the T/S State of Michigan by the Great Lakes Maritime Academy, departed for the Great Lakes by way of the St. Lawrence Seaway. The training ship is now used as a daily laboratory environment and is also used underway allowing cadets to put into practice the theory and skills they have learned prior to their commercial sea projects. [8]
Ship specifications [9]
The college also organizes professional education and training for officers, including courses such as: [10]
Traverse City is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Grand Traverse County, although it partly extends into Leelanau County. The population was 15,678 at the 2020 census, with 153,448 residents in the four-county Traverse City metropolitan area. Traverse City is the most populous city in the Northern Michigan region.
The United States Merchant Marine is an organization composed of United States civilian mariners and U.S. civilian and federally owned merchant vessels. Both the civilian mariners and the merchant vessels are managed by a combination of the government and private sectors, and engage in commerce or transportation of goods and services in and out of the navigable waters of the United States. The Merchant Marine primarily transports domestic and international cargo and passengers during peacetime, and operate and maintain deep-sea merchant ships, tugboats, towboats, ferries, dredges, excursion vessels, charter boats and other waterborne craft on the oceans, the Great Lakes, rivers, canals, harbors, and other waterways. In times of war, the Merchant Marine can be an auxiliary to the United States Navy, and can be called upon to deliver military personnel and materiel for the military.
The United States Merchant Marine Academy is a United States service academy in Kings Point, New York. It trains its midshipmen to serve as officers in the United States Merchant Marine, branches of the United States Armed Forces, and the transportation industry. Midshipmen are trained in marine engineering, navigation, ship's administration, maritime law, personnel management, international law, customs, and other subjects important to the task of running a large ship.
State University of New York Maritime College is a public maritime college in the Bronx, New York City. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system. Founded in 1874, the SUNY Maritime College was the first college of its kind to be founded in the United States and is one of only seven degree-granting maritime academies in the United States.
The California State University Maritime Academy is a public university in Vallejo, California. It is part of the California State University system and the only maritime academy on the contiguous West Coast. The university offers six bachelor's degree programs and one master's degree program.
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A training ship is a ship used to train students as sailors. The term is mostly used to describe ships employed by navies to train future officers. Essentially there are two types: those used for training at sea and old hulks used to house classrooms. As with receiving ships or accommodation ships, which were often hulked warships in the 19th Century, when used to bear on their books the shore personnel of a naval station, that were generally replaced by shore facilities commissioned as stone frigates, most "Training Ships" of the British Sea Cadet Corps, by example, are shore facilities.
Northwestern Michigan College (NMC) is a public community college in Traverse City, Michigan. Established in 1951, the college enrolls more than 3,000 students. The college offers associate degrees and professional certificates, bachelor's degrees through the Great Lakes Maritime Academy and Great Lakes Water Studies Institute, and bachelor's and master's degrees granted by partner universities through NMC's University Center.
Texas A&M University at Galveston (TAMUG) is an ocean-oriented branch campus of Texas A&M University offering both undergraduate and graduate degrees. Students enrolled at Texas A&M University at Galveston, known affectionately as 'Sea Aggies', share the benefits of students attending Texas A&M University (TAMU) campus in College Station. TAMUG is located on Pelican Island, offering benefits for its maritime focused majors.
Lake freighters, or lakers, are bulk carriers operating on the Great Lakes of North America. These vessels are traditionally called boats, although classified as ships. Freighters typically have a long, narrow hull, a raised pilothouse, and the engine located at the rear of the ship.
Massachusetts Maritime Academy is a public university in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts, focused on maritime-related fields. It was established in 1891 and is the second oldest state maritime academy in the United States. Originally established to graduate deck and engineering officers for the U.S. Merchant Marine, the academy has since expanded its curriculum. Though not required, some graduates go on to serve in active and reserve components of the U.S. Armed Forces. The academy operates a training ship, USTS Kennedy.
Maine Maritime Academy is a public college focused on maritime training and located in Castine, Maine. The academy was established by the 90th Maine Legislature on March 21, 1941. Unlike federal service academies, a congressional recommendation is not required to attend this state school. Students are not obligated to go to sea or into the military after graduation, and a large portion of the graduating class chooses shore-side employment, often in maritime-related fields or the power generation industry.
The Indian Maritime University - Kolkata Campus (formerly known as the Marine Engineering and Research Institute (MERI) and the Directorate of Marine Engineering Training (DMET)) is a post-secondary institution in India specialising in marine engineering.
USNS Persistent (T-AGOS-6) was a Stalwart-class Modified Tactical Auxiliary General Ocean Surveillance Ship of the United States Navy.
The TS Golden Bear is the training ship of the California State University Maritime Academy (CSUMA), a campus of the California State University. The first training ship of the then–California Nautical School was known as the Training Ship California State, then as the T.S. Golden State. Since then, there have been three ships to bear the name T.S. Golden Bear.
The Merchant Marine Medal for Outstanding Achievement is a decoration of the United States Merchant Marine awarded by the United States Maritime Administration. It was established in 2002 and is awarded to members of the maritime industry who have made extraordinarily valuable contributions to the merchant marine.
[A]warded to recognize merchant mariners who have participated in an act or operation of humanitarian nature directly to an individual or groups of individuals. This medal may be awarded to those leaders in the maritime industry who have dedicated years of service or achievement and/or given an extraordinary valuable contribution or work to the maritime industry. This medal requires the Maritime Administrator’s approval for award.
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