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

Page 9 text:

The Coming of Steam It was indeed ironic that an American should build the first steamboat and that an American steamship, the SAVANNAH, should be the first to cross the Atlantic. Without the steel or the skills necessary to build steam- ships, the number of United States bottoms in international trade rapidly declined in the face of British competition. Battling an overheated bearing on an early steam vessel. The steam vessel introduced a new figure in seafaring —the marine engineer. He had to be a jack-of-all-trades and master of all as well. He was often called upon to act as engineer, boilerman, blacksmith, and shipwright. Advancement and training were obtained by sailing as wiper, fireman, and watertender until enough experience was gained to permit sitting for a license. However, as steam vessels got bigger and faster, their enginerooms grew more complicated, and it became evident that some type of formal training would be needed to insure the safe and efficient operation of steam vessels. Expansion in the interior took capital and young men away from shipping. High profits could be made in indus- try, railroads, and the land boom. The only bright spot in the American maritime picture was the coastwise and inter- coastal trade which found employment for some 700 vessels, many of which, however, were antiquidated sailing vessels. This sailing poster depicts the woeful state of our Mer- chant Marine in the 1890’s. | .getweBr MELPHIA., SUbtl •Salima ! QutiHsroWN.

Page 8 text:

To Sea Young Man Here a master and mate show the young man a navigation problem. The colonists who settled along the New England seacoast found the land too stony and too hilly for cultivation, but virgin forests and numerous harbors gave impetus to ship- building and commerce. By 1770, Yankee merchant ships had captured a great deal of the trade in the then known world. Young men seeking adventure and fortune found seafaring the quickest way to fulfill these desires. After sailing for several years as a seaman, the lad could then find himself a berth as a mate by putting his savings into part ownership of a vessel, probably a small coasting schooner. In those days, because there was no such thing as a license to attest to his competancy, a mate’s reputation meant everything. With a good record of safe voyages as master of a small coaster, he might hope to attract the attention of a shipowner and find himself a berth on a deep water vessel. Thus it was that young men having the ambition and ability worked their way to the command of ships before they were old enough to vote. A virtuous triple check. Taking the noon position on an old coaster.

Page 10 text:

The Schoolships and the First Cadet Systems The Company Cadets When steamship subsidies were first offered in the guise of mail contracts, the Federal Government stipulated that a Cadet was to be trained on every vessel carrying such mails. Steamship operators were to select and train these Cadets under their own programs. Here a Grace Lines Cadet practices steering on board the old SANTA ROSA. In 1874, Congress granted certain ports naval vessels for the purpose of establishing “a school or branch of a school for the instruction of youths in navigation, sea- manship, and marine enginery.” These vessels were old sloops of war, staffed by Naval and Merchant Marine officers. The system of training was closely patterned after that used in British training vessels. The Massachusetts Schoolship NANTUCKET This famous vessel began her career as a schoolship in 1891. During World War II, she was transferred to the United States Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point and renamed the EMERY RICE. The ST. MARY'S This vessel was operated by the city of New York as a training vessel from 1874 to 1913. She was the predecessor of what is now the New York State Maritime Academy at Fort Schuyler.