PHOTOS COURTESY OF BETH SIMS

The Next Generation

MMA & Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Host Model Boat Competition

ON JANUARY 27, Maine Maritime Academy, in collaboration with Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, hosted a race of model vessels built by groups of 7th and 8th graders from Adams School and Penobscot Community School. The remote-controlled boats, based on the original design of the Arleigh Burke Class Destroyers and named for MMA alumnus David Philbrook ’82, are constructed of 3D printed components and propelled by a motor with electrical circuits assembled by the students.

Maine Maritime Academy partnered with Portsmouth Naval Shipyard’s STEM Outreach Program to engage area students to learn fundamentals associated with boat design and construction. Students were taught basic boat terminology, the introductory physics of flotation, methods of fabrication, and other boatbuilding concepts. After completing the coursework, students built their own model ships in stages echoing that of a real-world naval shipyard.

The Adams School and Penobscot Community School students successfully built six model boats during the program and tested them under the rigors of competition in the Bok Pool, which included a race, maneuverability tasks, and a game of capture the flag.

Miniature Pentagoet

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