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

Page 8 text:

Top Left: Bowditch Hall, named after Nathaniel Bowditch, currently houses the Maritime Law and Economics and Humanities departments. Top Middle: Wiley Hall, formerly known as McKay Hall, houses the Acade- my Administrative personnel. Bottom Far Left: Since 1943, Reid Pier has undergone quite a dramatic facelift. Top Right: The United States Mer- chant Marine Memorial Chapel is dedi- cated to the thousands of merchant sea- men who have lost their lives in World Wars I and II. Bottom Middle: Samuels Hall, named after Samuel Samuels, currently houses the Computer Aided Operational Re- search Facility (CAORF) and the Nauti- cal Science department. Bottom Right: Bland Library, located between Fulton and Bowditch Halls, was named after Schuyler Otis Bland, the “Father” of the Merchant Marine Act of 1936. ' t 4 Opening ;

Page 7 text:

PRECEEDING PAGE: The Regimental Battle Standard is car- ried by the Color Guard. It honors the 142 undergraduates who lost their lives during World War II. The eight ribbons attached to the top of the Standard represent the service ribbon bars earned by members of the Regiment during World War II, Korean War,and the Vietnam War. The United States Merchant Marine Academy is the only Federal Academy privileged to carry a Regimental Battle Stan- dard. Opening 3

Page 9 text:

But deep inside, despite our frequent disclaimers to the contrary, glad we were doing it? The United States Merchant Marine Academy is the youngest of the nations five federal academies. The practice of maritime commerce, however, certainly out-dates maritime warfare. Indeed, in the late eighteenth century it was our powerful Merchant Marine which ne- cessitated the establishment of a navy. Much of America’s early prosperity was built by Yankee trader captains, and ever since, our economy has de- pended on the carriage of goods by sea. As the nation grew, we become more, not less, dependent on waterborne trade. When we went to war, the heav- ily armed Navy ships helped us project our power, but it was essentially de- fenseless merchant ships which allowed the Navy to maintain this projection. And although these workhorse vessels played every bit as heroic a role as their naval counterparts, they some how nev- er managed to achieve the same glam- our in the public eye. As our nation became increasingly wealthy, it became increasingly more difficult to build and operate ships which could afford to pay wages at ac- ceptable American levels. Continued on page 6 Opening 5