MMA Waterfront

Waterfront

The college fleet of 60 vessels includes the Training Ship State of Maine (TSSOM), a 500-foot converted oceanographic research vessel built for the Navy. The TSSOM is the flagship of the Marine Transportation program. The schooner Bowdoin, a National Historic Landmark and the Official Vessel of the State of Maine, has taken MMA students on voyages as far north as Labrador and Greenland. The tug Pentagoet is the central vessel to be used in the only on-campus tug and barge program in the nation. The Capt. Susan J. Clark, a 70-foot, twin screw, crew-boat style vessel serves as the primary navigation training vessel for the Thompson School of Marine Transportation. The vessel is equipped with a complete Furuno navigation package at each student station, including radar, ARPA, electronic chart, electronic compass, and fathometer. The research vessel Friendship, equipped with side-scan sonar, a remotely operated vehicle, and a wide array of modern oceanographic instrumentation, serves the Marine Science program. Dozens of small sailboats, including Colgate 26s, Mercuries, and 420s, for racing or recreational use, fill the Academy waterfront.

Waterfront facilities include:

  • Rodgers Hall: classrooms, the machine shop, and engineering laboratories, as well as classrooms and laboratories serving the Corning School of Ocean Studies
  • Andrews Hall: features a flow-through seawater system and aquaria for biological research, and engineering and marine transportation lab space
  • Payson Hall: engineering laboratories, classrooms, and boat repair and maintenance facilities

The Waterfront department’s mission is to maintain all waterfront equipment above maritime industry standards, while providing a high-quality experiential learning environment.