TS State of Maine
The USNS Tanner, TAGS-40, was built for the Navy as a fast Oceanographic Research Vessel by Bethlehem Steel Corporation at its Sparrows Point Yard in Maryland in 1990. The vessel was the second oceanographic research ship to bear the name of Zero Luther “Tanner” a noted Oceanographer and inventor of a patented sounding machine. The vessel experienced an engine casualty in 1993 and was laid up by the Navy and ownership transferred to the Maritime Administration.
She lay idle in the James River Reserve Fleet until 1996 when she began a conversion process, which removed her underwater sonar domes and equipment. The (2) two original engines were removed and a new “one of a kind” power plant was installed, making her into a sophisticated high tech teaching platform for her mission of training men and women for careers as licensed officers in the Merchant Marine. The vessel was renamed the Training Ship State of Maine, and was modified to increase the accommodations from 108 to 302 persons. New lifesaving equipment and upgrades to existing equipment were accomplished as well as enhancements to the habitability requirements of the vessel. She was delivered to Maine Maritime Academy on 6 June 1997 and sailed her maiden training cruise the following week. The State of Maine is currently the flagship of the Maine Maritime Academy fleet, and provides an outstanding opportunity for midshipmen to get hands on experience afloat.
Close to 300 students, faculty and staff take an annual voyage on the vessel, leaving from the academy’s Castine campus and visiting several overseas ports. A tradition since the academy was created in 1941, the cruise allows cadets to learn the rigors of their profession in something like real-life conditions.
Summer Training Cruises are required for students enrolled in majors that have an Unlimited USCG License associated: Marine Engineering Operations, Marine Engineering Technology, Marine Systems Engineering (5-year), and Marine Transportation Operations. These Training Cruises provide the opportunity for the student to experience shipboard life, and to focus on hands-on training. Training cruises are designed as 4-credit courses with corresponding academic projects, called sea-projects, and successful completion of all three are required for graduation.
First year students (4/C Midshipmen) complete a Summer Training Cruise on the training ship. This experience teaches them the basics of life at sea, introductory seamanship, operation of ship’s machinery, and shipboard safety regulations & procedures. This training cruise is designed to give the students basic experience in both deck and engineering areas. Second year students (3/C Midshipmen) complete Cadet Shipping. This is similar to a co-op or internship at other colleges.
Third year students (2/C Midshipmen) complete a second training cruise on the training ship, taking an active role in the daily operation of the training ship and supervising 4/C Midshipmen. Candidates for the USCG 3rd Assistant Engineer Unlimited Horsepower license or the USCG 3rd Mate Unlimited Tonnage license are required to complete one year’s worth of sea-time. Sea-time requirements are met through the Training Cruises, Cadet Shipping, Regimental Requirements, and special labs.
The aging training vessel State of Maine, was launched in 1990 and is due to be replaced by a new vessel in eight to 10 years to give Maine Maritime students a more modern platform from which to learn about seafaring.
Federal lawmakers have approved spending $600 million to replace vessels at the State University of New York Maritime College and Massachusetts Maritime Academy. The Maritime Administration, which oversees the schools, reviewed proposals for a Vessel Construction Manager to be in charge of the final design, selection of a shipyard, construction and delivery of the ships to the academies.
Based on need and age of the vessel, Maine Maritime was next in line, followed by Texas A&M and California Maritime Academy. The average age of school training ships is 37 years, and Marad says the ships are nearing the end of their service lives. Once completed, SUNY’s new vessel will be the first new-build training ship in nearly 150 years of merchant marine officer training, as the academy ships are traditionally repurposed from vessels retired from the military. The idea is to build identical National Security Multi-Mission Vessel (NSMMV) training vessels for each school as a way to achieve cost savings, standardization of training and assure that vessels called up during national emergencies can provide a range of important services.
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), who chairs the Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee, announced in November 2019 that the Senate, by a vote of 84-9, advanced a funding bill that includes $300 million for the acquisition of a new training vessel for MMA. “This ship is a critical training asset for Maine Maritime Academy, which is why I fought to include this funding throughout the appropriations process,” Collins said in announcing the proposed funding. “This new ship will be capable of meeting the demands of the rigorous instruction students receive.”
“This appropriation demonstrates that Congress believes in the value of our state maritime academies and our role in support of economic and national security,” Maine Maritime Academy President William J. Brennan said in a statement. “Funding for this ship, the third in the National Security Multi-mission Vessel (NSMV) program, replaces the aging fleet of training ships with purpose-built modern vessels, greatly enhancing our maritime training and education program. Our current ship is almost 30 years old and the oldest ship in the fleet is more than 55 years old.”
