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

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and He brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea ere hushed. Others went out on the sea in ships; they were merchants on the mighty waters. They saw the words of the Lord, his wonderful deeds in the deep. For he spoke and stirred up a tempest that lifted high the waves. They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths; In their peril their courage melted away. They reeled and staggered like drunken men; they were at their wits’ end. Then they cried out to the Lord in their xiv j «vi v giuu TTuvii -n i vrr vaun, and He guided thetSp|(their desired haven. -Psalm 107:23-30 Reading this Psalm’o eh-.makes me wonder if David wasn’t a KiHgsySmrfer himself, for each and every one of us,has'liyed tiie above words at least once during the CadeuSea' Year (just listen in on any sea story- sessron). - • According to the Academy, sea year is de- signed to expose us to the skills, knowledge, and professional attitudes required of a li- censed ship’s officer. It not only allows us to understand the importance between classroom study and practical ship operations, but also to realize the demands and benefits of a mari- time career. In addition, sea year is to help mold our professional and personal character in a real life environment not generally avail- able to the average college student. Sea year to us, however, takes on a slight different meaning. It is the time for us to get away from school before our brains explode from way too many credits. It is our time to try and make up for all the lost college party life that is generally available to the average col- lege student. The days at sea teach the engineers how to juryrig and use a bigger hammer; the deckies learn how to work stars backwards, thanks to Mr. Bowditch! Hands on often includes arms, feet, legs, and whatever else is necessary to get the job done and keep the ship on schedule. Coffee times teach us all we ever needed to know about Labor Relations and the art of swapping sea stories. The evenings include BBQ’s, with hopefully the First or Mate supplying the beer, followed by waiting for that one sunset with a perfect green flash and the chance for us to become professional photographers. These are the nights at sea which provide time for us to catch up on any movies which we may have missed since that first hot July day we walked through the gate (and a good share of movies that we never wanted to see). And all in the quest to avoid that dreaded sea project! I