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Check this page frequently for updates about the Texas
Maritime Academy Cadets as they take their 2007 Summer Cruise.
Captain Jack Smith will provide e-mail updates throughout the
journey. The most recently received reports will be in on the top.
Bear in mind that reports may not be received in chronological
order.
Click the
images below to enlarge.
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To go to a specific report click
on the underlined date.
Daily Ship's
Reports - Captain Jack Smith:
June: 28 |
30 July: 2 |
4 | 5 | 6
| 8 | 9 |
10 | 12 |
13 | 15 |
16 | 17 |
18 | 19 |
20 | 21 |
24 |
31
August: 1 | 4 |
9 | 10 |
13 | 15 |
17 | 21
Engine
Room Reports - Chief Buddy Frederickson:
July 30 |
August 4 | 9 |
10 | 13
Notes from the Superintendent - RADM Allen Worley:
July 25 | 26 |
27 | 30 |
31 August 2 |
4 | 6
Cadet
photographs |
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Posted -
August 22, 2007
Daily Ship's Report
Date:
August 21, 2007
Location: Off Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada
Today is
the last day at sea on this leg of the trip. The crossing of
the Pacific was fairly routine with the weather very good for
all but two days of the trip when the wind and seas picked up.
We had thirteen straight days of cold and overcast skies,
mixed in with some fog and light rain. Some of our
procrastinating cadets were hampered from finishing their
celestial project because of the overcast skies. Thankfully
for them the last two days have been beautiful. The skies have
cleared so that almost all of the cadets have now finished
their celestial project.
Over the
last few days, cruise has been winding down with lots of tests
and assessments for our cadets. They have done well. After
Seattle the cadets will continue their daily routine, begin
packing their belongings, cleaning their rooms and getting the
ship ready to lay up until next year.
We will
enter the Straits of Juan de Fuca about eleven tonight. We
pick up the pilot about four tomorrow morning and will dock at
the North face of Pier 46 around 8 AM. Then the vessel must
clear Immigration and Customs before anyone can be granted
liberty. Then the cadets can begin experiencing what Seattle
has to off them in the way of entertainment.
Cadet Lance
Frisbie will be in charge of tying up the bow tomorrow. He
will be assisted by Cadets Carl Byrnestad, Aarron Stockdale,
Stephen Anderson, Adam Plauche, Theron Pettigrew, Michael
Sutton and Austin Hanbury. Handling the lines to tie up the
stern will be Cadets R.J. Young, Gabe Ashworth, Collin Duke
Jeff Gowen, Steven Fitzgerald, David Guzman, and Brandon
Saenz. Standing by the anchors tomorrow as we make our transit
will be Kyle Entzel, Matt Gibson, Blaine Donner Matthew
Walker, and Joshua Schulingkamp.
A pod of
Orca whales entertained the cadets this evening by jumping out
of the water.
Captain
Jack Smith
Senior Lecturer
Marine Transportation Department
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Posted -
August 19, 2007
Daily Ship's Report
Date:
August 17, 2007
Latitude 53 - 46.7 N Course 093
Longitude 151 - 58.3 W Speed 9.7
kts
The weather gods have been
favorable to us for the first 49 days of this cruise. We have
had no wind or seas to cause anything more than a gentle roll.
Last night someone on the ship must have made the weather gods
mad because the weather has been steadily building all day.
Luckily we are heading directly into the wind and seas.
Tomorrow, it is supposed to be on our beam. The wind is 35
knots gusting to 45 knots and the seas are 20 to 30 feet and
occasionally more. This is the type of weather normally
associated with this area. The forecast is for this to
continue until the day before we arrive in Seattle. On the
ship we keep most things in order and put away, so it did not
take the day workers long to get the ship secured this
morning. Cadet Gustavo Martinez-Padilla was putting all of the
sextants in the sextant locker this afternoon. Sextants are a
precision instrument and have to be protected from potential
damage.
As many of you might imagine,
we have a lot of sick puppies aboard today. Today will be the
worst for them. Most sailors get used to weather like we are
experiencing and their bodies eventually adjust to the
continuous motion. When I passed one cadet in the passageway
today who was seasick, he told me that weather like we are
having is the reason that he is going to be a brown water
sailor.
On watch this afternoon are
Cadets Nathan Clay, Brandon Saenz, and Frank Composto. Senior
cadets in Deck Training had their practical exam this morning.
Tonight they take their written exam. In the practical exam
cadets must demonstrate their expertise in tieing knots,
splicing line, rigging a bos'n chair and reeving several
tackles.
Passing their exam this morning
were Cadets Adam Hansley, Trey Lindinger, Dane Peden, and
William Tracy. Practical exams are usually pretty dry and
boring to the cadets. Today's exam for rigging the bos'n chair
was an exception. One end of a line is tied to the bos'n chair
and the other end is run through a block attached to the
overhead. The cadet must sit in the bos'n chair and hoist
himself hand over hand up to the overhead, squeeze the lines
together with one hand to hold his position and maneuver the
line around his body with the other hand to make a knot that
will not only hold him in position and but also will slip to
lower him as he works over the side of a ship. During the exam
today there was much good natured jawing and taunting about
who was too weak to hoist themselves, who was too fat or heavy
to hoist themselves and who was to old to hoist themselves.
The last one was aimed at me so I had to show our "young"
cadets that even an old man can still hoist himself up and rig
the bos'n chair.
Captain
Jack Smith
Senior Lecturer
Marine Transportation Department
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Posted -
August 16, 2007
Daily Ship's Report
Date:
August 15, 2007
Latitude 54 -27 N
Various courses
Longitude 165 - 58 W Speed 12.0
Kts
During the noon to four watch this
afternoon we passed through Unimak Pass to enter the Pacific
Ocean again. We have been encountering a lot of ship traffic
due to the funneling effect of ships coming from the Pacific
Ocean and Bering Sea all converging on the passage through the
Aleutian Islands. It was good to see other ships and their
size. Our cadets will be manning ships twice as large as the
ships manned by their instructors just a few years ago.
There were many sightings of individual
whales today. In addition, a pod of orca whales and a pod of
humpback whales were sighted. There are also many birds flying
around including albatross, fulmers, boobies, and a tiny
seabird that resembles a seagull whose name I can't remember.
The whales are feeding and the little birds are feeding too,
so if one looks where there are large flocks of birds on the
water, the chances of seeing a whale increase.
As we maneuver through the pass through
the Aleutian Islands, the pictures painted by the combination
of the islands, clouds and fog are very beautiful also. The
best of today were two peaks framed by a fog bank on the water
and clouds on top. The peaks were partially covered by snow.
On the ship our everyday routine
continues. Cadet Kyle Entzel had a blast navigating around all
of the ships going through Unimak Pass. When asked by the
watch officer why we couldn't test the whistle at noon today,
Nikki Blankinship was excited because she knew the answer. She
had learned in Rules of the Road class the night before that
one short blast of the whistle means that the ship is altering
its course to starboard.
Due to the cold, the best job on deck
today was burning the trash. Cadets Jacob Wnuk and David
Smythe were the lucky ones to get that job. They also get to
sleep in tomorrow because the job ran past four o'clock, which
it usually does (The cadets aren't stupid). Cadet Adam Wilson
was the Cadet Bos'n for the day. He was outside the paint
locker mixing paint for the cadets all day. Deck training had
a module on emergency equipment today. The cadets practiced
shoring up the decks and bulkheads as if the ship had been
involved in a casualty. Wielding the chainsaws were Cadets
Ryan Anderson, Diulio Cortezzi, William Butler, and Brian
Phillips. A lot of 4 X 4's were cut too short the first hour
and had to be shimmed. By the end of the module the cadets
caught on how to measure the lengths and angles required to
make the shores fit tightly. Cadets Thomas Nicely, Kevin
Howell, and Shawn Ouellette finished shoring up their area
first and did the best job.
Today marks the halfway point
in our voyage across the Pacific. One week from today we will
pull into Seattle.
Captain
Jack Smith
Senior Lecturer
Marine Transportation Department
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Posted -
August 14, 2007
Daily Ship's Report
Date: August 13, 2007
From the
Engine Room
We're now passing through the
western tip of the Aleutian Islands and can't wait till we get
back. The Sinbad Games were held on August 12 with the winner
being Division 1 (Kevin Ralson, Randy Hutchinson, Daniel
Hughes, Robyn Jimenez, Richard Campise, Tanner Bond, and Caleb
Peters). Kevin Ralson was given "Most Colorful Award" for the
Beard Growing Contest for this cruise.
Division one has been
performing maintenance duties. Kevin Ralson, Randy Hutchinson,
and Tanner Bond have been finding ground faults and performing
upkeep on electrical equipment. Robyn Jimenez and the 2nd
Assistant Engineer have been fixing room steam heaters. Caleb
Peters has been working with the 1st Assistant Engineer on the
Port Main Engine Clutch.
Classes continue for Division 2
where the seniors, Bryce Carter and Stephanie Blummer, are
learning about Vibration Analysis and Confined Space Entry.
The Third Class cadets Lucas Martinez and Jarred Reaves are
learning about power generation through diesel generators.
Division 3 has been on watch
keeping up with the plant as well as acquiring sign offs
needed for license.
This includes Graham Monahan,
Grant Williams, Marc Cutaia, Chris Judice, Alan Bassett, and
Logan Sullivan.
Chief Buddy Fredrickson
Lecturer
Marine Engineering Department
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Posted -
August 13, 2007
Daily Ship's Report
Date:
August 13, 2007
Latitude
51 -17.0 N Various Courses
Longitude 171 - 45.0 E Speed 12.0 Kts
Sunday was a day of rest, sort of. The annual Sinbad games
were held which are somewhat like the Olympics on a ship with
competition amongst the Divisions in fun things that seaman
might have to do in their everyday jobs. The plumbers
Nightmare is probably the favorite of the competitions. A team
of five cadets will be tasked with repairing a mangled pipe of
undetermined length rigged with a huge variety of leaks, holes
and malfunctioning valves. The cadets are given a box of
miscellaneous parts and gaskets to attempt to seal up as many
leaks as they can in thirty seconds before the water is turned
on. Once the water is turned on the cadets have two minutes to
seal enough holes to bring the pressure up in the pipe. The
highest pressure wins. Cadets Jared Reaves and Harry
Hutchinson were on the winning team. Another favorite is the
Lifeboat Crank because the whole Section participates. The
lifeboat is lowered to the rail and each section races against
the clock to hand crank the lifeboat to its stowed position.
Cadets Angelo Raimondi, Kathryn Perry, Danny Puglis and Matt
White were on the winning team in that event. Another event
that always has a large cheering section is the Bos'n Chair
Relay. A crane is raised about 30 feet off the deck. A single
line is led through a block attached to the crane. Four cadets
race against the clock by tying a bowline knot around their
waist and pulling themselves up to the block. The event was
won by , Cadets Matt Lunch, Matt Gibson, Gabe Ashworth, Carl
Byrnestad. After the games a barbeque was held on the after
deck. By the time the food was served, it was getting quite
chilly.
We cross the International Dateline tonight. We are also
passing through the Aleutian chain of Island to enter the
Bering Sea. Since we cross the dateline, we will have two
Mondays this week. We have two Birthday Girls aboard today.
April Miller and Rachel Willoughby have August 13th birthdays.
They can celebrate their birthdays two days in a row. Will
that make them two years older this year or just one?
Captain
Jack Smith
Senior Lecturer
Marine Transportation Department
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Posted -
August 10, 2007
Daily Ship's Report
Date:
August 10, 2007
Latitude 44 -51 N Course
Longitude 153 - 59 E Speed 11.5 Kts
This
morning started out as very cold, rainy, and foggy. All of the
cadets were looking for their warm clothes this morning. Our
classroom which is in the very bottom of the ship was also
very cold and Cadets Sara Broadrick, Edward Vanderbrook,
William Perkins, and James Rockwell were happy when we left
the class room to go to the Deck Training Locker to get all of
the firefighting gear prepared for tomorrow morning. The Deck
Training Locker is next to the engine room and with twenty
five bodies working, it warmed up quickly. Tomorrow's Deck
Training class will be fighting simulated fires on the stern
of the ship. Division 3 just finished firefighting and the
bunker gear was drying after having the salt rinsed off.
Today's class gathered everything up and sorted it out so that
the gear can be issued tomorrow for class. Coats and pants had
to be sorted and hung up together by size. All of the good
helmets had to be separated from those that need fixing, and
all of the boots had to be matched up with their mate so that
we have forty pair. Thanks to Cadets Kathryn Perry, James
Barger, and Adam Wilson for getting all of the boots matched
up. Cadet Nathan Clay has huge feet and is worried if there
will be any of the large boots left when he gets his gear.
Around mid
morning we got a surprise. The weather cleared to a cool,
crisp winter day in August. Then the fun began; whales and
lots of them. Cadet Melanie Britton found me tonight to tell
me that she was so excited because she had seen two pods of
whales this afternoon. Cadet Matt Lynch spotted five whales
while on lookout duty this afternoon. One swam across the bow
right in front of the ship. Cadets Robert Adams, Timothy Dott,
Adam Davis and Christopher Calk were on deck tonight before
dinner enjoying spotting the plumes as the whales surfaced.
Some cadets reported that some Orca's were jumping out of the
water putting on a show right before dark.
The clear
skies are giving the cadets who have not finished their
celestial navigation project a chance to shoot stars and take
azimuth's tonight. Cadets Wiliam Clasen, Theron Pfeifer, Geof
Davis and Alexis Simler did well on the last Rules of the Road
Exam for Division 3. Congratulations to Cadet John Shearer who
made the only "A" on the Rules of the Road exam in the
Division.
Division 2
received accolades from the chief mate and bos'n for a job
well done during their last Daywork rotation.
Captain
Jack Smith
Senior Lecturer
Marine Transportation Department
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Posted -
August 10, 2007
Daily Ship's Report
Date: August 10, 2007
From the
Engine Room
Howdy from
the north.
As we sail
further towards Seattle, the sea temperature has dropped
significantly. From the lower 80's in Japan to upper 40's in
the Gulf of Alaska. We will be heading through the Unimack
Pass around the Aleutian Islands. As engineers, we have
enjoyed the drop in temperature as the Engine Room has dropped
from 127 to around 95.
Kevin
Ralson, Randy Hutchinson, and Tanner Bond are working with the
electrician performing preventive maintenance on electrical
deck pipes for proper sealing and motor maintenance,
consisting of megging for grounds and continuity.
Robyn
Jimenez is working with the 2nd Assistant Engineer AVO's,
which is taking care of any reported problems within hotel
services, such as leaky pipes, bad plumbing, etc.
Richard
Campise is working with logistics, cataloging the ship stores
and helping in the Student Tool Room.
Caleb
Peters is performing 1250 hour scheduled maintenance, which
consists of injector pressure, valve lashing, gear inspection,
crank case inspection, oil filter strainer cleaning, and
general leak inspection.
Division 2
is in Practical Training, learning about Lube Oil Analysis,
Vibration Analysis, and Motor Controllers. This includes Bryce
Carter and Stephanie Blummer. Jarred Reaves and Lucas Martinez
are learning about Diesel generators, fire and safety hazards.
Division 3
is on watch maintaining the plant. This includes Graham
Monahan, Grant Williams, Chris Judice, Alan Bassett, Marc
Cutaia, Logan Sullivan.
Chief Buddy Fredrickson
Lecturer
Marine Engineering Department
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Posted -
August 9, 2007
Daily Ship's Report
Date:
August 9, 2007
Latitude 42 - 07 N Course 051
Longitude 148 - 51 E Speed 14.5 Kts
Niiagata,
Japan was a different type of port for this cruise. It is a
large city without a lot of activities for young people to
participate in. On our day of arrival the Niagata Festival was
going on and our cadets were invited to attend the evening
fireworks display. Everyone who attended said the fireworks
were the most spectacular they had ever seen. It was like a
grand finale for two solid hours. The Niagata Sister City
Committee also provided food and drinks for the attendees from
our ship.
The next
day a local college provided a tour of their school with
information about the city. The hit of that visit was the
offer of escorts for the day to show our cadets around the
city and to translate for them. Our last day in Niiagata was
spent with last minute shopping for most who went ashore. We
sailed at seven in the evening so everyone had to be back to
the ship early. Normally we sail in the early morning so it
was pleasant to leave a port just as it was getting dark.
Wednesday
we sailed up the coast and went through a strait between the
islands of Honshu and Hokkaido to head into the Pacific Ocean.
The currents were very strong in the straits, pushing the ship
at the alarming rate of 21.6 knots at one point. That is a 10
knot push from the current.
Weather
permitting, Captain Leyda plans to take the shortest route to
Seattle. That is a Great Circle route that takes us into the
Bering Sea above the Aleutian Islands. We will re-enter the
Pacific Ocean through Unimax Pass by Dutch Harbor, Alaska and
then proceed to Seattle.
The
weather is already getting cold for us Texans and the
temperature will continue to drop as we head North to our
maximum latitude of 54 degrees. It has been rainy and foggy as
well. Sadly, this is the weather that we can expect for the
rest of our trip.
Captain
Jack Smith
Senior Lecturer
Marine Transportation Department
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Posted -
August 9, 2007
Daily Ship's Report
Date: August 9, 2007
From the
Engine Room
With leaving Japan, we have
concluded the tour of the foreign ports. The choice of ports
have been Subic Bay, Hong Kong, and Niigata. We thank the
people from Niigata for their hospitality in the two events
which they hosted for us, a fireworks show and a tour of the
local university.
Today we have begun our track
across the Pacific Ocean which will position us north of the
Aleutian Islands en route to Seattle.
Engineers have resumed their
duties which include new material for Practical Training where
we have studied motor controller logic circuits. On
maintenance, Stephanie Blummer has been cleaning out black
water check valves (nasty stuff), Bryce worked on reassembling
the ASW. The other division has been standing watch,
consisting of Kevin, Daniel, Hutch, and other students.
Chief Buddy Fredrickson
Lecturer
Marine Engineering Department
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Posted -
August 6, 2007
Note from the
Superintendent - Dated August 4, 2007
My
final report from the
USTS
Golden Bear.
Monday,
August 06, 2007, the USTS Golden Bear is in the East Port of
Niigata City, Japan and it is a hot sunny day on the coast
that reminds me so much of Galveston. We arrived safely and on
time yesterday to welcome banners on the pier and the US,
Texas and Japanese flags waving in the morning breeze. We had
the cheers of the Niigata Sister City Committee to welcome us.
There were official ceremonies on the pier with speeches by
the Vice Major and Chairman of the Sister City Committee and
then the formal exchange of gifts and business cards. Finally
everyone came aboard the USTS Golden Bear for a tour and
refreshments and the official visit was launched.
Captain
Leyda and the Cadet crew on the USTS Golden Bear executed
another superb approach to the pier and lines were all passed
and the ship tied up in short order.
Dr. R.
Bowen Loftin, the Vice President of CEO of Texas A&M
University at Galveston, met the ship in Niigata and received
a detailed tour and briefing on the training program being
executed on the USTS Golden Bear for the Texas Maritime
Academy Cadets.
Sunday
evening Texas and California cadets and staff were hosted by
the Sister City Committee at the Niigata Matsuri Festival
fireworks show at the cities sports coliseum. They provided
transportation, food and drinks for us and over two hours of
continuous fireworks at the stadium. Everyone enjoyed the
evening and we arrived back on the ship just before 2300 and
headed for bed after a long and exciting day.
Today
almost 90 Cadets toured the Airline and Resort University of
Niigata and enjoyed a presentation in English by the Japanese
students on the City and their School. This was followed by a
luncheon and fellowship time. The Japanese students, who were
officially on break between semesters, had all volunteered in
hopes of getting to speak and practice their English language
skills with other young Americans. Students from this
University had visited with us in Galveston and College
Station last year.
Most of our
Cadets hooked up with English speaking Japanese students and
headed out for an afternoon/evening of cultural exchange. I
came back to the ship with the few cadets that were in the
work section or watch section that had been allowed to attend
the function. I believe this was a very successful event since
we took two full buses of Cadets to the event and only a
single bus with a hand full of Cadets returned immediately to
the ship.
Our Cadets
are learning and experiencing many things that will prepare
them for the future both as mariners and as working members of
society. I have learned a great deal about the California
Maritime Academy nautical training program and hopefully will
be able to incorporate some of the lessons into the Texas
Maritime Academy at sea training program when we complete the
conversion of the Texas Clipper.
I will
depart after quarters tomorrow morning and the USTS Golden
Bear will head out on the evening ebb for her final stop in
Seattle before arriving at home in Vallejo, CA. I pray God
will Bless our Cadets and the USTS Golden Bear as they make
the trip along the great circle route just south of the
Aleutians to America's west coast and their flight home from
Oakland to Houston on August 28, 2007.
Gig'em,
Allen B. Worley
Rear Admiral, U.S. Maritime Service
Superintendent, Texas Maritime Academy
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Posted -
August 5, 2007
Daily Ship's Report
Date: August 1, 2007
Latitude 26 - 57.5 N Course
032
Longitude 124 - 03.5 E Speed 12.6 Kts
Today was another beautiful day
at sea. The wind and seas are very calm and the ship is
rolling gently in the small seas that we do have. The
temperature, while still hot to work in on deck, is beginning
to cool off some as we head north towards Japan. We are on
the East side of Taiwan headed for the West side of Japan.
The ship is getting a free ride from the strong currents that
run north through this area. At one point we were making 16.4
Knots with 70 turns of the propeller. Normally we make a
little more than 11 Knots with 70 turns. Since we are not in
any hurry, the propeller turns have been cut back to save on
fuel.
This morning
started with a visit from Japanese Coast Guard. They pulled
up near us and just wanted to practice their English. Since
today was such a nice day, the Chief Mate had the Daywork crew
doing many of the ticky jobs that have to be done frequently.
Cadets Brandi King and Kyle Ledet were busy checking
lifejackets. Cadets Brandon Hudson and Danny Puglis spent the
day drawing up a plan to fight a fire in the upper engine room
above the main engines. Cadet Adam Davis was checking the
fire stations to make sure the right equipment was in each
station. Cadets Ron Ricca, Tyler Crawford and Josh Raines
were busy greasing the many zerts on the lifeboat davits and
freeing up the rollers that would not turn. They were also
greasing the wire rope that goes on this equipment. Cadets
Adam Wilson, Melanie Britton, Sara Broadrick and James Barger
had the hottest job of the day. The were working inside of
the two enclosed lifeboats taking inventory of all the
equipment that is contained inside the boats. Later in the
day Cadet Adam Wilson joined Kenneth Wethington in giving the
bulkheads in the lower outside passageway a fresh water rinse
to prepare it for painting tomorrow. Cadets Luke Williams,
Wally Schulingkamp, and Emory Williams were busy going about
the ship looking for loose gear that need to be secured in the
event we do encounter any rough weather. Our ship is now more
secure thanks to them.
In Deck
Training today, both the seniors and sophomores were reviewing
what they had learned about the SCBA in Fire School. Going on
air today were Cadets Colby Crawford, Collin Duke, Gustavo
Martinez-Padilla, and April Miller. SCBA class is always fun
with lots of alarm bell ringing. Admiral Worley visited the
afternoon class. He even participated in the class by donning
an air mask. The sophomore cadets must complete an exercise
which simulates working in a ship filled with smoke. They put
on a mask that has been blacked out and crawl about the ship
looking for victims. Enjoying this exercise were Cadets
Robert Adams, Matthew Walker, Michael Sutton and Adam Plauche.
At the end of the day the SCBA tanks have to be refilled with
air. Assisting with running the air compressor and filling
all of the used tanks were Cadets Blaine Donner, Steven
Fitzgerald, David Guzman, and Brandon Saenz.
Tonight
Kathryn Perry and Melanie Britton were getting some extra help
on their T-Nav project from Mate J. D. Dubois. Division 2
finished the second section of Rules of the Road tonight.
Looking forward to their Rules exam tomorrow were Cadets Jacob
Harlow, Marni Wall, Kimberly Mace and Nikki Blankinship.
Captain
Jack Smith
Senior Lecturer
Marine Transportation Department
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Posted -
August 4, 2007
Daily Ship's Report
Date: August 4, 2007
Latitude 37 - 02.5 N
Course Various
Longitude 134 - 07.0 E
Speed 14.5 Kts
We should
have arrived in Niigata this morning. However we are one day
late due to slowing the vessel down to avoid Typhoon Usagi.
The path of the typhoon and our course would have intersected.
In order to keep our vessel and crew safe, the prudent thing
to avoid the typhoon was to just slow down to let the typhoon
pass in front of us. We then followed the typhoon to Japan
staying several hundred miles behind it, where the wind and
seas were minimal. We still have not experienced any heavy
weather this cruise. I always set a pencil on my desk the
first day of the trip. When the pencil rolls off the desk, it
is time to secure my cabin for heavy weather. So far the
pencil is still on my desk. We have been experiencing marginal
visibility for the last few days. Sometimes it is reduced to
as low as two miles. This morning the visibility dropped to
the point where according to International law, we are
required to start sounding our whistle every two minutes to
warn of our position. It took about 3 hours to get through the
bank of fog. Cadets Danny Puglis and Brandon Hudson got to
experience standing watch where all you see is fog. Cadet
Kenneth Wethington was steering the ship and James Barger,
Melanie Britton and Sara Broadrick were the lookouts. While we
are always vigilant when standing watch, in reduced visibility
everyone has to turn it up a notch from the lookout straining
to see or hear anything in the fog to the watch officer
observing the radars and ECDIS. The area we are transiting now
has lots of ship traffic and more importantly many small
fishing vessels to watch out for.
Niigata is
our last foreign port on this cruise. In just 24 days we will
be boarding a plane to fly back to Texas. Many cadets are
finishing up projects that were assigned in the beginning of
cruise. Cadets Diulio Cortezzi, Collin Duke, Dane Peden and
Matthew White have completed their Celestial project. Cadets
Timothy Dott, Nathan Clay, Ronald Ricca, and Jacob Harlow have
been sewing on their canvas bag. These bags will be very
sturdy and last a lifetime. The best bag I have seen was sewn
by Nikki Blankinship. Cadet Tanner Bond, an engine cadet,
asked for a piece of canvas and is sewing himself a bag to
carry his tools around in the engine room.
Flashing
light is giving some of the cadets a hard time. To learn to
receive flashing light, one must practice over and over again.
Those who are not passing the test are not practicing enough.
One of the main purposes of cruising is to put into practice
what was learned in the classroom during the previous year.
This week
in Deck Training, the class brought out blocks and lines and
revved up several tackles to observe their mechanical
advantage. The cadets calculated the force required to lift a
weight with their tackle and then proved it by placing a
fishing scale on the hauling part of the line to measure the
actual force needed to lift the weight. Before the class was
over Cadets Timothy Demelo, Kelly Kline, Alex Rogvyk, and
Jerron Brousssard were rigging two or three tackles together
to lift large weights with very little effort.
Cadet Mitch
Chisolm has decided that Watch is his favorite part of cruise.
Cadet Shawn Ouellette is sporting a new hair style. He shaved
the top of his head leaving just an inch or so above the ears
on each side. He looks like a man 30 or 40 years older than he
is. He is taking a lot of ribbing about it.
Captain
Jack Smith
Senior Lecturer
Marine Transportation Department
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Posted -
August 4, 2007
Daily Ship's Report
Date: August 4, 2007
From the
Engine Room
Seniors are in the 400
course. In the 400 course we are learning the basic systems
in the engine room and going more in depth with the
electronics and controls. In watch we are trying to transfer
from the cadet stage to the licensed engineer stage.
Throughout cruise we have certain tasks that we have to
complete such as lighting off the main engines, starting and
paralleling a generator.
The sophomores are in a 200 course, where they are learning
more about the basic systems in the engine room and how
everything works together. In watch they are learning about
rounds and responsibility of taking readings and coming to
watch on time under the direction of the first classmen.
Chief Buddy Fredrickson
Lecturer
Marine Engineering Department
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Posted -
August 4, 2007
Note from the
Superintendent - Dated August 4, 2007
Saturday, August 4, 2007, the
USTS Golden Bear is steadily moving northeast along the
western coast of Honshu Island (the main island of Japan) toward Niigata, Japan. Most of the morning we
were in a thick fog and needed to sound fog signals and keep
our bridge team vigilant for small popup contacts. The fog has
lifted now and while there is still a lot of haze we can see
for at least a few miles in every direction. Training is
continuing as we prepare for the next major phase of the
cruise experience, which is shipboard fire fighting procedure
training. Most of this "hands on" training with fully charged
fire hoses and lots of water will take place on the transit
between Niigata and Seattle and will include competitive team
exercises. The classroom work of understanding the nature of
fire and how different fire fighting agents are used for
different fires is covered before the cadets begin the
training with the hoses. Our engineers have worked on learning
about predictive/preventative maintenance using vibration
analysis techniques for rotating machinery and how
nondestructive testing techniques such as oil analysis,
thermography, x-ray and dye-penetrates can be used to
determine if a piece of gear is still able to handle the
extreme loads of continuous shipboard use. Today the Deck
cadets have focused on learning the techniques of moving heavy
loads and equipment using blocks and tackle and proper ways to
rig various handling gear to safely move and transfer items
both on the ship and from ship to shore. The cadets have also
been busy breaking out and laying down the mooring lines that
will be used in tying up the ship in Niigata and then the
Chief Mate held a safety briefing for those who will actually
handle the lines. There are hundreds of jobs that must be
accomplished daily to keep a ship of 300 people working
smoothly and everyone comfortable and well fed. Our cadets are
learning all these jobs in addition to their navigation and
engineering work so they will be ready to be part of a ship's
crew at graduation. The good news is that they are learning it
from seasoned professionals and they are also learning
teamwork and leadership as it happens.
Plans are progressing for our
visit in Niigata, Japan which includes a welcoming ceremony on the pier tomorrow morning and
then a tour of the ship by the local city officials, Dr.
Loftin from TAMUG and the members of the Niigata Sister City
Committee. Tomorrow evening many of the cadets will attend the
climaxing event of the Niigata Matsuri, which is the City's
annual festival to honor the fishermen and mariners of the
port and invoke good luck and safety on the sea. The climax is
a huge fireworks display over the Shinano-gawa (river) as the
decorated boats pass by under the fireworks. On Monday, our
second day in the port we have a cultural experience for a
group of cadets including a tour of the local university and a
luncheon. Niigata has a
population of about 520,000 and is famous for rice production,
tulips and marine transportation, fishing and industrial
production. Food and dining are supposed to be excellent in
Niigata, which is also a center for the performing arts. This
should be a fun and entertaining stop for the ship and another
excellent international cross cultural experience for our
cadets.
I will be departing the ship on
Tuesday, August 7, 2007, in order to return to Galveston for
the summer commencement and freshman Cadet orientation
program. It has been great to see the California,
Texas, Panamanian and Philippine
Cadets working together so well and so cohesively. Our Cadets
are in good hands with Capt. Smith, Capt. Lane and Chief
Fredrickson from Texas Maritime Academy here with them
and the professional crew of Capt. Paul Leyda and the
crew/staff of the USTS
Golden Bear of
California Maritime Academy.
Gig'em,
Allen B. Worley
Rear Admiral, U.S. Maritime Service
Superintendent, Texas Maritime Academy
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Posted -
August 2, 2007
Note from the
Superintendent - Dated August 2, 2007
Thursday,
August 2, 2007, the USTS Golden Bear is in the East China Sea
about 200 nautical miles southwest of Nagasaki, Japan which is
located on the southern island of Kyushu in the main island
group of Japan. Typhoon Usagi is working its way across the
north side of Kyushu (landfall at 1400 local) and is expected
to be well clear of our track moving northeast by tomorrow
morning. We are experiencing some increase rolls from the
swells and quartering seas that the storm is generating but
nothing significant and our schedule of training has been able
to continue without interruption. We are anticipating arrival
in Niigata on the morning of August 5, 2007 and departure late
at about 2000 on August 7, 2007.
Today there
were some evolutions that provided outstanding training. The
deck department conducted an enclosed space (tank/void)
training class by opening and venting the forward tank on the
centerline of the ship. This is the forward most ballast tank
of the vessel is and is rarely used (filled with ballast
water) unless there is a need to bring the bow down and raise
the stern. You would normally do this only when the rudder or
screw (propeller) of the ship needed work or repair on the
seals that support them.
The tank
runs down to the inner double bottom of the hull from the
first to the fifth decks and we opened and vented the tank
using forced air blowers until it tested gas free and with a
full oxygen level for normal air. Lights were rigged into the
tank and with continuous forced ventilation the class of
cadets entered the tank and proceeded to the bottom
accompanied by myself and Mr. Doug Webster, CMA Communications
director with his video camera. The safety requirements for
properly entering an enclosed space where covered by the
instructor, Deck Training Officer Scott Saarheim and the
structural components of the tank with ribs, stringers,
baffles, and lightening holes were pointed out. The oxygen low
level warning sensors were demonstrated as well as the
emergency communications system and egress procedures. The
lights were even momentarily shut off to let everyone see how
dark it is inside an enclosed space with no lights and then we
all turned on our flashlights so we could see the impact that
having a flashlight with you makes in your ability to get out
safely. This was an important lesson that was expertly taught.
After lunch
the engineers continued to keep things exciting by hosting a
simulated main space fuel leak and fire in the main engine
room with simulated causalities. While the primary and
secondary fire teams responded (all cadets) and successfully
extinguished this simulated fire and removed the casualties
with real shipmates being hauled out of the space on the body
board the rest of the cadets prepared the lifeboats and fast
rescue craft for launch including starting the engines and
testing all the safety equipment. The event concluded with an
abandon ship drill and successful muster of all hands at their
proper boat stations. Our own Capt. Jack Smith serves as the
main deck coordinator for hoisting out the lifeboats and
preparing for fast rescue but all the work is done by the
cadets under supervision of the senior cadets with staff
acting as safety coordinators.
In addition
to the major drills and the enclosed space training, classes
in survival craft (rafts) and marlinspike use and splicing
were also conducted. The engineers focused on ballasting
training and proper preparation and execution of a ballasting
plan including physically locating the correct valves, pump
controllers, sounding tubes and then the cadets actually
brought on and discharged ballast.
This was an
excellent day of training and the gentle roll of the ship at
3-8 degrees served to remind everyone that they were on a ship
at sea and keeping things properly tied down was truly
important. The day wrapped up with a superb dinner of hand
carved roast beef, baked potatoes, homemade bread and
chocolate cake. So it was a fine day.
Gig'em,
Allen B. Worley
Rear Admiral, U.S. Maritime Service
Superintendent, Texas Maritime Academy
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Posted -
July 31, 2007
Daily Ship's Report
Date: July 31, 2007
Latitude 22 - 15 N
Longitude 121 - 25.8 E
It has been a while since I have reported. There was no
need to duplicate reports since Admiral Worley was sending in
reports between Subic Bay and Hong Kong.
When we left Subic Bay, we retraced our inbound track up
the coast of Luzon to the Babuyan Channel and then turned
towards Hong Kong. Since we were so close to the Philippine
coast, it was a good opportunity for our cadets to practice
their terrestrial navigation. Cadets were keeping track of our
vessel's position by taking bearings of light houses and
prominent land features. The cadets then plotted the bearings
onto the chart to get the position of our vessel.
As we were crossing the South China Sea, the Chief Mate was
pumping ballast out of the ship to prepare for taking on
bunkers in Hong Kong. Cadets Kimberly Mace, Matt Lynch and
Andrew Levine spent the day sounding the various ballast
tanks. They would drop a sounding tape with a weight attached
to the end down the sounding tube to the bottom of the tank.
For small amounts of water the height of water in the tank is
read directly from the tape. For large amounts of water, the
tape is "plopped" on the top of the water and the distance to
the top of the water is read. This distance is then subtracted
from the known distance to the bottom of the tank to obtain
the height of water in the tank.
In Hong Kong there were long lines for most attractions
because there was an aircraft carrier and her escorts visiting
Hong Kong at the same time as us. But our stay in Hong Kong
was enjoyable. We did not go to a dock in Hong Kong. Instead
we shackled our anchor chain to a permanently moored buoy in
the harbor. The cadets were transported back and forth to
shore with launches, which was a new experience for most of
them. We took on fuel and some fresh fruit and vegetables.
Once ashore, the cadets enjoyed going to the top of
Victoria Peak for a fabulous view of Hong Kong and the harbor.
Other cadets went to visit some of the many Buddhist Temples.
Cadets Hollis Rodriquez, Theron Pfeifer, Stephen Anderson and
Jacob Harlow visited the tourist attraction called The Big
Buddha. It was 132 feet tall. Most confined their time
exploring Hong Kong and to shopping in Stanley Market and in
the markets on Nathan Road buying gifts and trinkets for their
family and friends back home.
We are now underway again, leaving Hong Kong behind but
taking many happy memories with us. Half of our trip has
passed. The shipboard routine of work, watch and class has
returned for the next five days as we await our next port of
call, Niiagata, Japan.
Captain
Jack Smith
Senior Lecturer
Marine Transportation Department
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Posted -
July 31, 2007
Daily Ship's Report
Date: July 30, 2007
Location: Leaving Hong Kong
From the
Engine Room
The cruise
is divided into 15 rotations, each rotation consisting of 3
days. Each division will either be on watch, maintenance, or
practical training. For example this week:
Division 1
- Kevin Ralson, Richard Campise, and Robyn Jimenez are working
with the 1st assistant engineer where they overhaul a purifier
and the oily water separator. Randy Hutchinson, Caleb Peters
and Daniel Hughes are working with the 2nd assistant engineer
fixing plumbing problems. Tanner Bond is working with Lisa
Powers with logistics.
Division 2
- Stephanie Blummer and Bryce Carter are in practical training
studying engine diagnostics, motor/pump alignment, and
hydraulic systems. Jarred Reaves and Lucas Martinez are also
in class. They are learning about refrigeration and boilers.
Division 3
- Graham Monahan is Watch Engineer, where he maintains the
plant, evaporators, and main engines. Grant Williams has
worked as MEOD where he transferred fuel and prepared the fuel
tanks for bunkering. Mark Cutaia, Alan Bassett, Chris Judice,
Logan Sullivan are oilers on watch, where they perform
machinery checks, and take readings for the official log book.
Chief Buddy
Fredrickson
Lecturer
Marine Engineering Department
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Posted -
July 31, 2007
Note from the
Superintendent - Dated July 31, 2007
The Captain and staff of the
USTS Golden Bear are closely monitoring the progress of
Typhoon Usagi in the South Western Pacific via the US Navy
Weather Office in Japan and the US Weather Service for the Far
East.
The USTS Golden Bear has slowed
her speed of advance and officially delayed her arrival in
Niigata, Japan by 24 hours to avoid potential heavy seas and
winds from Typhoon Usagi. We will continue to monitor the
storm as it moves northward toward the islands of Japan and
make additional adjustments if necessary. At this time we are
planning to arrive at the pier in Niigata about 0900 on August
5, 2007 and our departure will be later in the day (1900) on
August 7, 2007.
Based on the latest weather
forecast for Typhoon Usagi it should pass over the southern
part of Japan and will likely be downgraded to a tropical
storm after passing over land and then move northeasterly
through the Sea of Japan. The storm is expected to be well
clear of Niigata by the time of our arrival on the morning of
August 5th. We will keep you informed if additional changes
are necessary.
Gig'em,
Allen B.
Worley
Rear Admiral, U.S. Maritime Service
Superintendent, Texas Maritime Academy
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Posted -
July 30, 2007
Note from the
Superintendent - Dated July 30, 2007
The USTS
Golden Bear is underway from Hong Kong snaking her way between
the islands of the China coast back out into the South China
Sea/Taiwan straits. We will pass east of the island of Taiwan
as we head north toward our next port of call in
Niigata,
Japan.
The visit
to Hong Kong was very successful as everyone returned safely
from their excursions in the mega-city and most with plenty of
gifts for family and friends back home. The international
cultural experience of a visit to Hong Kong is invaluable in
itself but to see all the maritime related activities taking
place 24 hours a day in the most bustling sea port in the
world makes this a seaman's must. Even the experience of
riding to and from the ship in the liberty boats (water taxi)
was a teaching/learning event for many of the cadets who have
not had that many opportunities to work with small craft in a
choppy harbor filled with traffic crossing in every direction.
Many of the
cadets took the opportunity to ride the Peak Tram (world
steepest funicular railway) to the top of
Victoria
Peak
for the spectacular view and photo opportunity from that
commanding vantage point overlooking the harbor and the
surrounding islands. Others took the excursion to the Giant
Buddha Shrine on the
Kowloon (mainland) side using the ferry, bus, tram and train to
make the trip. The
Bird
Garden (Kowloon) with thousands of birds and cages on display
and for sale was a new experience as were the many shrines and
temples throughout
Hong Kong with incense burning and authentic Buddhist/Confucian monks to tell
fortunes. There are many museums and performing arts venues in
this major world center but the students tended to focus on
the shopping malls, movie theatres, markets and the modern
entertainment venues available.
The pilot
boat arrived on schedule and the deck cadets retrieved our
anchor chain and mooring line that had held us fast to the
anchor buoy in the harbor and we are underway. The deck cadets
are working to re-attach the anchor chain to the port anchor
and the training schedule has begun for another day at sea on
the USTS Golden Bear. Our fueling was successful in
Hong Kong as we topped off the fuel tanks which will provide enough fuel for the
rest of our voyage and the first cruise of the ship in 2008.
Our next
stop will be in Niigata, Japan the Sister City of Galveston,
Texas which is home of the
Texas
Maritime Academy of Texas A&M University at Galveston. We are
anticipating a good opportunity to participate in the annual
Niigata Founders Festival and a visit at the Airline,
International, and Resort College of Niigata. Students from
this school visited TAMUG in Galveston in 2006. We are also
expecting to exchange tours/visits with our Cadets and theirs
with the Training Ship KAIOMARU, a training ship from the
Japanese National Institute for Sea Training which will be in
Niigata
at the same time we are.
It is good
to report that all is going well and that we are continuously
monitoring the weather to make sure we avoid any potential
hazardous seas and winds.
Gig'em,
Allen B.
Worley
Rear Admiral, U.S. Maritime Service
Superintendent, Texas Maritime Academy
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Posted -
July 27, 2007
Note from the
Superintendent - Dated July 27, 2007
We arrived in Hong Kong this morning (7/27/07) and two of the
three divisions of cadets are on
liberty. The weather is nice but hot and the boat ride from
our mooring buoy to the landing area (Fenwick Pier) takes
about 20 minutes each way. The cadets are doing well and
learning so much. It almost makes you wish you could start all
over again but seeing them become real mariners and engineers
is such a reward that I appreciate the position that I have.
Gig'em,
Allen B.
Worley
Rear Admiral, U.S. Maritime Service
Superintendent, Texas Maritime Academy
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Posted - July
27, 2007
The CAL
Maritime staff has posted additional photos on their website,
including some featuring our cadets. Go to
2007 CAL Maritime Voyage Tracker
and click on the calendar for
individual days then select the Photo Album link on the right.
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Posted - July 26, 2007
Note from
the
Superintendent
- Dated July 26, 2007
We are
still enjoying beautiful weather and calm seas as we pass
south of Taiwan (70 miles) and continue west toward Hong Kong
("Fragrant Harbor") across the Taiwan Straits. This has been a
great training day with regular classroom, engine and deck
training during the morning and then a fire drill, fast rescue
boat launch drill and the an abandon ship drill that required
all the life boats to rigged out to the boarding rail for
simulated loading. Good response by the fire teams and the
backup teams using fully charged hoses and they where given
the opportunity to use them but luckily it was over the side
for most of the water.
As I worked
with the engineering training team this morning it was great
to see the cadets actually performing the work needed to keep
the ship operating. This morning they disassembled one of the
diesel generators engine and they were rebuilding and then
reinstalling a fuel oil pump that had developed a leak. They
also made the preparations and started the second main engine
while I was observing and placed it in service so that we were
using both engines to drive the ship. The deck cadets
completed preparations for mooring to a buoy with the anchor
chain by breaking the detachable link to disconnect the chain
from the anchor and then resetting the detachable link to the
mooring shackle. They then snaked the chain out of the chain
locker and up to the bull nose using a portable block and
tackle and the capstan winch. Tomorrow they will pass the
chain out the bull nose to the waters edge ready for
connecting to the buoy as we enter port and pick up the harbor
pilot.
So far all
is going very well and the medical team has only treated a few
colds and minor scrapes. This is a healthy group of young men
and women who have listened well to the port briefings and
avoided places that might cause problems. We are all
anticipating an enjoyable visit to Hong Kong this weekend.
Gig'em,
Allen B.
Worley
Rear Admiral, U.S. Maritime Service
Superintendent, Texas Maritime Academy
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Posted - July 26, 2007
Note from
the
Superintendent
- Dated July 25, 2007
We are two days out of Subic
Bay, cruising along the western coast of the island of Luzon
and have started now working our way west across the South
China Sea toward Hong Kong.
The weather continues to be
excellent for at sea training. We have been able to run drills
and perform actual work to prepare for the visit in Hong Kong,
where the USTS Golden Bear will moor to a buoy using one of
the anchor chains and take on over $1,000,000 worth of fuel
(bunker-NGO) from a fueling barge. These are both excellent
training opportunities for the deck and engineering cadets of
TMA/CMA. In order to use the anchor chain to attach to the
mooring buoy it must be separated from the anchor. This means
the anchor which weighs about 12,000 pounds must be tied off
at the detachable link with very heavy steel cable before the
link can be broken and the chain pulled out of the chain
locker and across the deck to the bullnose (bow opening).
Normally the heavy anchor pulls the chain out as the anchor is
dropped but without the anchor attached the chain must be
pulled out of the locker with a winch on the bow. This is a
great lesson for the cadets in practical seamanship.
The engineers have been making
water at maximum capacity to fill our tanks before arrival in
Hong Kong and allow everyone to wash their clothes. Laundry machines are secured
in port to conserve water since you cannot make water inside
the harbor and the crew consumes about 8,000 gallons per day
when in port.
The engineers are also
preparing to take on fuel which requires deballasting at sea
before entering port to make room for the fuel in the tanks.
Sea water must be taken aboard as the tanks are emptied of
fuel to maintain the draft and stability of the ship, so
before you can take on fuel the seawater must be pumped out
and this cannot be done inside the harbor.
We have been able to do lots of
lifeboat training and practice flashing light/Morse code, knot
tieing and sewing with awl and hand palm to repair the many
canvas covers used to protect equipment exposed to the weather
on deck. Because this is one of the busiest water routes in
the world it has provided excellent training opportunities for
the bridge teams as they are constantly being required to
maneuver the ship to avoid fishing vessels and other large
ships during their watch.
For those that may wonder about
the food on the USTS Golden Bear, I can report that it is
excellent. The ship's Chief Steward, Mark Cosca runs a good
mess and the cooks and baker are keeping everyone well fed
with plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables available at every
meal. Because everyone is working hard everyday, they do
appreciate good food and our cadets are all eating well.
Everyone is excited about the tour and shopping opportunities
of Hong Kong. We will be employing a large harbor shuttle (water taxi) from our
position at anchor in
Hong Kong Harbor to get back and forth from Fenwich Pier. The
cadets all seem to be bonding together and working as a team.
We will arrive in Hong Kong on Friday morning about 0930 and should be ready for liberty call
around noon.
Gig'em,
Allen B.
Worley
Rear Admiral, U.S. Maritime Service
Superintendent, Texas Maritime Academy
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Posted - July 25, 2007
Daily
Ship’s Report
Date: July 24, 2007
Latitude 14 - 46.7 N
Longitude 119 - 58.6 E
Speed 11.4 Kts
We are
underway again for the short hop over to Hong Kong. Everyone had a nice time in Subic Bay. Cadets Rachel
Willoughby and Kim Mace went wreck diving, cadets Kyle Ledet,
Sara Broadrick, Josh Raines and Brandon Hudson found a go cart
track and had a lot of fun racing the go carts. Cadets Danny
Puglis, Matt Chisolm, David Smythe, Brandi King, and Doug
Kelly found a zip line and enjoyed a big thrill zipping down
the mountain. Cadets Shawn Ouellette and Eddie Thomas went on
a safari. They had their picture taken holding a tiger. Cadets
Ron Ricca, Eddie Vanderbrook, Jacob Wnuk, Tom Parks, and Wally
Schulingkamp went on a different safari where the tigers were
being fed from the Jeepney which they were riding in.
Jeepney's are used for taxis in the Philippines and | |
