United States Merchant Marine Academy - Midships Yearbook (Kings Point, NY)

Page 14 text:

The Cadet Corps of the youngest Federal Academy did not have to wait long to see action. On November 8, 1941, two Cadets on board the CITY OF RAYVILLE were rescued after their ves- sel was sunk by a floating mine. Merchant vessels ven- tured out on the seas un- armed, singly and in convoy, and maintained the lifeline to the Allies. The sea lanes to Britain and Murmansk are littered with those ships which lost in the war against the U-boats. Two-hundred and eleven Cadets and graduates, on ships such as these, lost their lives during the war. WAR Industry, government, and the will of the American people combined to launch thousands of bigger, better, and faster ships; ships to carry the tools of war from the “Arsenal of Democracy” to the hands of the fight- ing man, ships to carry food and clothing to the Allies, ships to keep the hope of victory alive. New construction methods mass-produced ships faster than the U-boats could sink them. Shipbuliding time was cut from three months to a few weeks. One vessel, the Liberty Ship ROBERT E. PEARY, was launched only 4 days, 15 hours, and 30 minutes after her keel was laid. 10

Page 13 text:

 ✓ Here is one of Kings Point’s first titles and one of the Cadet Corps first uniforms. An instructor and class in the living room of the Chrysler Mansion. bet Engineering class in session outside the Chrysler greenhouse which served as the first engineering building. A Home at Last. . . Kings Point Established-1942 With the entry of the United States into World War II, the Maritime Commission accelerated its shipbuilding program by launching 500 ships in 1942 alone. The new ships created a need for thousands of officers and provided berths for a thousand Cadets. The already crowded Cadet Schools could not be ex- panded, so the Maritime Commission purchased the Walter P. Chrysler Estate at Kings Point with the intention of creating an Academy which could train 850 men a year in wartime and 300 men a year in peacetime. Cadet Basic Schools were also started in Pass Christian, Louisiana, and San Mateo, California. 9

Page 15 text:

Kings Point Builds Too Fulton Hall under construction. CCC shacks in background housed Cadets while permanent buildings were being erected. Partly completed Academy seen from the air in February of 1943. Buildings between Barney Square and the Oval served as barracks. In order to meet wartime needs, the course of study was reduced to 18 months. From January of 1942 to January of 1943 the Cadet Corps grew from 411 to 4638 men. Coaling the old EMERY RICE. This gallant vessel served both as a training vessel and as a barracks for 100 Cadets. She made weekly cruises up and down Long Island Sound on which many a Cadet got his first taste of seafaring. 11