Archive for November, 2024
Class Notes
Alumni News
Campus Currents
Donor Honor Roll
IMPACT: MMA Giving Report 2024
Dear Maine Maritime Academy Alumni and Friends,
We are proud to present to you the latest version of IMPACT, our giving report.
At Maine Maritime Academy, your generosity impacts our students on campus and around the world. Your support enriches and improves our diverse learning environments. Our expanding undergraduate, graduate, and professional academic programs and certifications, competitive sports teams, and exceptional waterfront benefit from your thoughtfulness.
Our alumni, parents, and friends are indispensable partners and ensure Maine Maritime Academy’s successes. This publication honors and thanks you, and the many ways you lift us up to new and exciting heights. In a recent address, Interim President Craig Johnson stated that MMA is a “school guided by maritime interests and poised to educate and prepare our students for the industry and international world of innovation, transportation, exploration, and science that awaits them.” Rest assured, the Academy is working hard to capitalize on our competitive advantage in the maritime and higher education landscape.
Within these pages, you will find a collection of giving clubs that clearly illustrate the many ways you and others have made lasting differences in the lives of our students, faculty, staff, and the community at large. Access to Alumni Class Giving and related lists can be found at https://mainemaritime.edu/giving/annual-giving-report/.
As you review the printed names and the philanthropic gifts, I hope you will fully appreciate how your support helps us advance our important priorities every day. We absolutely appreciate you and your unwavering support.
Although not highlighted in these lists, I would be remiss not to honor Maine Maritime Academy’s dedicated and tireless volunteers. In Castine and beyond, your efforts move us forward. You help make the Academy a better place. This demonstration of community engagement is invaluable. Thank you.
We look forward to our collective futures. Together we will create bright, promising, and compelling futures for our capable and deserving students. Again, thank you for all you have done and continue to do for Maine Maritime Academy.
Warm Regards,
Kate Noel
Vice President of Advancement and College Relations
Impact 2024: Donor Honor Roll
Giving Clubs
The Dirigo Society
($100,000 and above)
Mrs. Sheila M. Daniel
Mr. Jon Fortier
Mr. Michael McCallister
Ann H. Symington Foundation
Mr. and Mrs. Arthur K. Watson, Jr.
The Penobscot Society
($50,000-$99,999)
Boston Marine Society
Collins Family Fund
Mr. and Mrs. Richard A. Collins, Jr.
Ms. Marilyn J. Pedersen
Strategic Maintenance Solutions
The Castine Society
($25,000-$49,999)
Boston Port & Seamen’s Aid Society
Ms. Elizabeth Cushman
Mrs. Linda Gilbert
Mr. and Mrs. Luther M. Goff
Mr. and Mrs. Richard D. O’Leary
The O’Leary Foundation
Mr. and Mrs. Jason A. Oney
Mr. David M. Schneider
Mr. John A. Thurau
Woman’s Seamen’s Friend Society of Connecticut, Inc.
Elizabeth Noyce Society
($10,000-$24,999)
American Roll-On Roll-Off Carrier
Mr. John Brugger
Mrs. Edith Bullock
Capt. and Mrs. Larry D. Burrill
Cheniere Energy Inc.
Mr. Brendan Collins
Mr. and Mrs. Christopher H. Corbett
Mr. and Cmdr. William M. Croke
Eureka Lodge #84 A.F. & A.M.
ExxonMobil Foundation
Mrs. Margaret J. Fenderson
Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund
Flagship Management
Mr. and Mrs. Frederick J. Harris
Mr. and Mrs. Gerald W. Harris, Jr.
Capt. Sherri L. Hickman
Mr. William R. Hutchins
Kirby Corporation
Mr. and Mrs. Harry O. Kline, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Charles A. Lechman
Maine Community Foundation
Maine Army National Guard RRB
Marine Society at Salem
Mr. and Mrs. David J. McBride
Mr. and Mrs. Norman A. Meissner
MMA Alumni Association
Moran Towing Corporation
Mr. and Mrs. Guy E. Mossman
National Cargo Bureau
Mr. and Mrs. Wayne A. Norton
Orbis Sibro Inc.
Phillips 66 Company
Portland Marine Society
Mrs. Priscilla Smith
R&P Technologies
Mr. Charles Raymond
Capt. Jeffery S. Riedel
Mr. Paul E. Robie and Ms. Karen Young
Shell Oil Company
Shell Oil Company Foundation
Mr. Robert D. Somerville
Thornedge Foundation
Mr. Ace Trask
University Credit Union
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph E. Valliere
Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Viens
Attorney and Mrs. John S. Webb, Esq.
Mr. and Mrs. Richard C. Whittier
Wilmington Trust
President’s Partners
($5,000-$9,999)
American Bureau of Shipping
American Maritime Officers (AMO)
Anonymous
Mr. and Mrs. Morten Arntzen
Bath Iron Works
Camden National Bank
Bank of America Charitable Foundation
Mr. Roy Bleiberg
Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Casey
Central Maine Power Co
Chevron Shipping Company
Crowley Maritime Corporation
Mr. Nils Djusberg
Edison Chouest Offshore
Mr. and Mrs. Frank N. Famulari, Jr.
Ameriprise Financial
Capt. and Mrs. William S. Full II
The Hiller Companies, Inc.
Mr. James P. Hutton
Interlake Maritime Services
International Registries Inc./The Marshall Islands Registry
Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey E. Ivory
Mr. and Mrs. Timothy S. Jackson
Kirby Inland Marine
Mr. and Mrs. Norman R. LaJeunesse
Ms. S. Catherine Longley, J.D.
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas W. Lord
Capt. Edward J. Lynch
Capt. and Mrs. John T. Lyons
Maine State Credit Union
Mr. and Mrs. Robert E. Malaney
MMA Alumni Association Casco Bay Chapter
Pepsi Bottling Group, Inc.
Capt. Michael R. Perkins USCG
Houston Pilots
Ms. Natalie Riley
Mr. and Mrs. John N. Webster
James S. Weeks Revocable Trust
Mr. James S. Weeks
Capt. and Mrs. Paul Whitin
Admiral’s Club
($2,500-$4,999)
Anchor Watch
Bar Harbor Bank & Trust Co.
Process Barron
Mr. Marc D. Bizier
Mr. J. Michael Brennan
Ms. Carolyn Brodsky and Ms. Julie Hanna
Mr. and Mrs. Craig W. Burpee
Mr. and Mrs. Harold F. Burr
American Maritime Officers
Capt. and Mrs. Patrick J. Carney
Cianbro Corporation
Mr. Mark B. Panza and Mrs. Mary Claffey
Jewish Federation of Cleveland
Mr. Frederick C. Dey
Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin T. Dinsmore
Mrs. Ann Doe
Mr. Christopher W. Fay
First National Bank
Foss Maritime Company
GE Aerospace Foundation
Mr. and Mrs. William E. Haggett
Mr. and Mrs. Frederick J. Haley, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Wayne C. Hamilton
Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Koehler
Mr. and Mrs. Todd P. Lalumiere
Mr. and Mrs. William A. Loweth
Matson Navigation Company Inc.
Mr. and Mrs. Perry A. Mattson
McAllister Towing
Mr. John McCarthy
Mr. and Mrs. Kevin S. Muse
Capt. Curt G. Nehring
Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Q. Ogle
Ms. Jennifer Packard
Mr. Neil L. Parsons Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Jerald S. Paul
Portland Yacht Services
Mr. and Mrs. Steven A. Seiden
Ms. Lindsay M. Smith
Sprague Energy
St. Louis Community Foundation
Capt. Jeffrey Stenberg and Ms. Karen Landry
Seabulk Tankers
Mr. and Mrs. Miles U. Theeman
Mr. and Mrs. Richard A. Toothaker
Tote Services
Valve Solutions
Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program
Mr. and Mrs. Michael F. Vigue
RADM and Mrs. Mark R. Whitney USN
Mr. Graham R. Williams
Capt. and Mrs. David B. Witherill
World Fuel Services Americas, Inc.
York High School
Ralph A Leavitt Associates
($1,000-$2,499)
Mr. and Mrs. David R. Ahearn
Mr. and Mrs. Alic Albright
Cmdr. and Mrs. John B. Amendola PE
Mr. Mark E. Armstrong
Association of Maryland Pilots
Atlantic Technical Management
Capt. Richard A. Balzano
Mr. George P. Barnes
Mr. and Mrs. Raymond D. Barriault
Mr. Edward H. Benoit
Big Chicken Barn Books & Antiques
Ms. Therese Biggie
Boeing Company
Mr. Lawrence W. Brown
Ms. Martha Bullock
Mr. and Mrs. Edward E. Bulmer
Mr. and Mrs. Willard A. Burpee
Captain and Mrs. Larry Burrill Charitable Fund
Mr. Jeffrey Butland
Mr. and Mrs. Malcolm H. Campbell
Mr. Bruce A. Campbell
Mr. Bruce M. Chenell
Mr. and Mrs. Earle A. Cianchette
The Collins Companies, LLC
Mr. Garnet F. Colpitts
Capt. Martin E. Conroy
Core Group Resources
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph D. Cote
Ms. Susan Cox
Mr. and Mrs. Christian S. Croteau
Mr. John Crowley
Mr. and Mrs. Chad A. Cukierski
Mr. Michael P. Curtin
Col. and Mrs. Robert D. Curtis USMC
Mr. Dann L. Hayden and Mrs. Lisa Longstaff Hayde
Dean Walker Group
Mr. Edward H. Deroche
Mr. Guy H. Deutermann
Mr. David A. Dickey
Mr. Tucker W. Doane
Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation
Mr. and Mrs. Sean E. Doody
Mr. and Mrs. Bruce H. Doughty
Mr. and Mrs. Mark G. Duca
Capt. Leslie B. Eadie III
Dr. and Mrs. William B. Eisenhardt
Essential Power
ExxonMobil
Ms. Laurie E. Flood
Mr. and Mrs. Tony Fortin
Capt. and Mrs. Leroy J. Fournier USN (Ret.)
Mr. and Mrs. Wayne M. Fournier
Front Street Shipyard
Capt. and Mrs. Steven W. Garland
Girl Scouts of Maine, Troop 1648
Mr. Charles Goodrich III
Mr. and Mrs. Steven R. Goulet
Dr. and Mrs. Marc E. Gousse
Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company
Robert K. Griffith & Associates, Inc.
Capt. Kaveh Haghkerdar and Capt. Elizabeth McMullan
Mr. and Mrs. Mark A. Haines
RADM and Mrs. Warren C. Hamm, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Harman
Mr. Minh Harriman
Mr. and Mrs. Daniel J. Harrison
Mr. and Mrs. Charles V. Harrison, Jr.
Mr. Thomas Heaton
Mr. and Mrs. Rory T. Hersom
Hews Company, LLC
Mr. and Mrs. J. Patrick Hickey
Mr. and Mrs. Mark A. Higgins
Mr. John Holmes III
Holt Logistics
Mr. and Mrs. Richard C. Holt, Jr.
Hornbeck Offshore Services
Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Hughes
IDEXX Laboratories
Capt. and Mrs. John D. Ingram, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Eric W. Jacklin
Mr. Eric C. James
Mr. and Mrs. Brian S. Jones
Ms. Susanne Jones
Mr. and Mrs. Richard P. Judd
Mr. John King Esq
Capt. Jonathan F. KomLosy
Mr. Kirk W. Langford
Dr. and Mrs. Gary S. Lapham
Capt. Robert W. Lawlor
Mr. and Mrs. Richard H. Leighton
Mr. Ralph E. Leonard
Ralph and Anita Leonard Donor Advised Fund
Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey W. LePage
Mr. and Mrs. M. Shawn Longfellow
Mr. and Mrs. Peter A. Longley
Mr. John O. Lontine
Loweth-Alvord Foundation
Mr. Rick Luliucci
Capt. and Mrs. Thomas P. Macdonald
Maine Maritime Academy Parents Association
Mr. and Mrs. Chester T. Manuel
Ms. Lyla M. Mathieu
Mr. Maxwell J. Mattson
Reeves McEwing, LLP
Mr. and Mrs. Michael G. McIntyre
Capt. and Mrs. Christopher P. Mercer USN
Mr. and Mrs. Paul E. Mercer
Millennium Power Services
Capt. and Mrs. George R. Miller, Jr.
Moran Shipping Agencies, Inc.
Mr. and Mrs. Jim Morgan
Mr. and Mrs. Roland A. Morin
Capt. Wendy L. Morrison
Ms. Marilyn M. Murdock
Capt. and Mrs. John W. Murray
Mr. and Mrs. William Nalette
New Hampshire Charitable Foundation
NextEra Energy, Inc.
Northern Light Foundation
Mr. Peter Ortleb
Capt. and Mrs. Stefan J. Palmer
Mr. and Mrs. John Penny
Capt. George Perkins
Mr. and Mrs. Dana S. Petersen
Mr. and Mrs. David Petruccelli
Miss Elizabeth Pingree
Portland Volvo
Propeller Club of Boston
Propeller Club of Portsmouth
M. and Mrs. Douglas Read
Mr. and Mrs. Bruce A. Rogers
Cmdr. and Mrs. Edward G. Rosenberg
Mr. and Mrs. Timothy Samway
Mr. and Mrs. W. Tom Sawyer
Schwab Charitable
Sempra Employee Giving Network
Cmdr. and Mrs. Chad F. Shimunek
Mr. James Shirley III
Simplex Americas LLC
Mr. Gregory Smith
Mr. and Mrs. Samuel D. Soule
Capt. and Mrs. Robert M. Spear
Mr. Matthew Stein
Mr. Thomas Story
Attorney Andrew C. Strosahl and Ms. Jessica Cherry
Mr. Michael Sturtevant
Mr. and Mrs. James S. Teel
Dr. and Mrs. Wyllys Terry
Transocean
Mr. and Mrs. Matthew C. Trepp
Mr. and Mrs. Chester R. Tweedie
Valero Energy Corporation
Commodore and Mrs. Laurence V. Wade
Mr. and Mrs. William G. Waldron, Jr.
Wawenock Squadron, US Power Squadron
Mr. Jeremy Weirich
Mr. and Mrs. Patrick D. Welch
Capt. and Mrs. Laurence H. Whittaker
Mr. Keith Williamson
WIN Waste Innovations
Mr. and Mrs. Mark J. Winter, Esq.
Mr. and Mrs. Timothy C. Winters
Mr. and Mrs. Brett D. Witham, Esq.
Mr. Thomas Yale
1941 Club
($500-$999)
Mrs. Christine Abbate
Mr. Oscar Adams
Capt. and Mrs. John C. Allen
Mr. Immanuel Altmann
Mr. Frederick Amicangioli
Mr. and Mrs. John R. Anderson, Jr.
Ms. Jamie J. Anderson
Mr. and Mrs. Richard G. Armstrong
Ms. Barbara Atkins
Cmdr. and Mrs. John Balano
Mr. and Mrs. Christopher C. Bean
Mr. Charles Beers III
Mr. and Mrs. John R. Berube
Mr. and Mrs. Robert L. Bickford
Rear Admiral and Mrs. John W. Bitoff USN (Ret.)
Mr. and Mrs. Robert W. Blackmore
Mr. John Bontrager
Capt. William Brasier III
Mr. Charles Briggs
Mr. Gerald Briggs Jr.
Capt. and Mrs. Thomas F. Brown
Cdr. and Mrs. William H. Cahill
Mr. and Mrs. David W. Campbell
Mr. and Mrs. Sundance Campbell
Mr. Matthew Carlson
Mr. and Mrs. Mark E. Cartwright
Mr. and Mrs. Reed W. Cass
Charity Golf International
Chebeague Island Boat Yard
Mr. and Mrs. G. Robert Chenoweth
Mr. and Mrs. Michael A. Cianchette
Lt. and Mrs. Richard K. Clapp, Jr.
Mr. Stanley Clark
Mr. and Mrs. Ryan N. Collet
Capt. Bradford Collins
Mr. and Mrs. Samuel J. Collins
Mr. and Mrs. David A. Dicus
Capt. and Mrs. Scott M. Driscoll
Mr. and Mrs. James M. Dunbar
Mr. and Mrs. Michael S. Dupuis
Capt. David Dwyer
Mr. and Mrs. James M. Earley
East Coast Yacht Sales
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph W. Erskine
Capt. and Mrs. John F. Falvey, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Oliver Ferguson
Mrs. Ruth Fiske
Mr. and Mrs. Peter Flaherty
Mr. and Mrs. Brian R. Foucher
Mr. and Mrs. Eric F. Fournier
Mr. and Mrs. Michael R. Fulton
Mr. Robert Gaffney
Garnet Colpitts Plumbing, Heating & Electrical
Mr. and Mrs. Christopher J. Gill III
Mr. and Mrs. Golembeske
Capt. and Mrs. Robert F. Graham
Mr. and Mrs. Kevin J. Green
Capt. and Mrs. Manuel A. Hallier USN (Ret.)
Hamilton Marine, Inc.
Cmdr. and Mrs. Edward A. Harmes USCG (Ret.)
Mr. and Mrs. John K. Harrigan
Mr. and Mrs. Mark A. Harvey
Mr. and Mrs. Eric J. Haskell
Capt. and Mrs. Eric J. Hendrickson USN
Mr. and Mrs. John F. Higgins, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Daniel T. Hobart
Mr. David C. Holden
Harbor at Blue Point Homeowner’s Association
Mr. and Mrs. N. Anthony Jackson
Mr. and Mrs. Raymond E. Jackson, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Craig H. Johnson
Mr. and Mrs. Mark R. Johnson
Mr. and Mrs. Peter H. Johnson
Mr. and Mrs. Stephen M. Joseph
Mr. Eugene C. Fetteroll, Jr.
Mr. Andrew Keith
Mr. and Mrs. Roger L. Kennedy
AR Kennedy Customs
Cmdr. Kristopher D. Kirk
Mr. and Mrs. David R. Knapp
Mr. and Mrs. Russell F. Kniehl, Jr.
Ms. Andrea Knight
Mr. Stephen Kovacs
L3 Harris Foundation
Capt. and Mrs. David A. LaChapelle
Mr. Craig Leduc
Mr. and Mrs. David Letarte
Ms. Rose Leung
Ms. Susan Loomis
Mr. and Mrs. B. Edwin Lowell
Ms. Robin D. Mass and Capt. Christopher T. Moore
Mr. and Mrs. Lee E. McFalls
Capt. and Mrs. Everett A. McMunn
Mr. and Mrs. James J. Mellen
Mr. and Mrs. Marshall G. Merriam
Capt. and Mrs. John P. Metcalfe
Mr. and Mrs. Richard F. Miles, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Allie W. Milligan
Mr. and Mrs. Aaron B. Milstein
Ms. Susan Mitchell
Mobile Bar Pilots, LLC
Capt. Juan Molino
Mr. Christopher J. Moore
Mr. and Mrs. Robert K. Munchbach
Mr. David Nadeau
Mr. Eric Nagel
National Financial Services LLC
New Orleans-Baton Rouge Steamship Pilot Assoc
Mr. Brendan Newcomb
Mr. and Mrs. Peter Newton
Capt. and Mrs. Louis L. Normand, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth P. Oldham
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Olszowy
Mr. and Mrs. Marc R. Parenteau
Capt. Matthew Patnaude
Mr. and Mrs. Frank Pavalkis
Capt. and Mrs. Steven S. Pellegrino
Penobscot Fire Company
Mrs. Katherine Percenti and Mr. Mark Percenti
Mr. and Mrs. Ryan J. Pierce
Mrs. Andi St. Pierre
The Pilots’ Association for The Bay and River Delaware
Mr. Frank Porcellini Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Michael C. Rand
Dr. and Mrs. Peter W. Rand
Mr. and Mrs. Richard T. Reed
Mr. Clyde Ricker
Mr. and Mrs. Glenn S. Robinson
Mr. Edwin Roland III
Mr. and Mrs. Tyson R. Rowe
Mr. Peter J. Russel
The Salah Foundation
Ms. Alicia Sands
Dr. Barclay M. Shepard
Mr. Charles Sherman
Shipping Association of NY and NJ
Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Shore
Cmdr. David Singstoc
Mr. Frederick Slader
Mr. Adam Smith
Mr. and Mrs. Douglas S. Smith
Capt. Jason Smith
Mr. and Mrs. John A. Standley
Capt. and Mrs. Ralph E. Staples, Jr.
Mr. James Stasinos
Mr. Thomas Szafarek
Mr. Stephen Talon
Mr. and Mrs. Charles D. Tebbetts III
Cmdr. and Mrs. Alfred E. Therrien
Mr. and Mrs. Robert W. Tobin
Mr. John Lord and Ms. Joy Toncer
Mr. and Mrs. Christopher D. Torrey
Capt. Andrew Triandafilou
Dr. Elizabeth True
Mr. Eric Turchi
Mr. and Mrs. Barry G. Unnold, Sr.
Ms. Abigail Valliere
Mr. Peter Vander Hoek
Capt. Tina M. Vanderploeg
Capt. and Mrs. Charles W. Viebrock
Mr. Richard Wallace Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Mark R. Wallis
Mr. and Mrs. Douglas A. Ward
Capt. & Mrs. Ron A. Ward II
Dr. Buck Weaver
Jane D. Weiss Family Foundation, Inc.
Mr. and Mrs. John A. Wellington
Mr. and Mrs. Bradford S. Wellman
Bradford S. Wellman Charitable Fund
Mr. Mason Whitaker
Mr. and Mrs. Nathan G. Whitaker
Mr. and Mrs. Michael R. Willard
Mr. and Mrs. Bruce E. Woodman
Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey C. Wright
Mr. and Ms. Matthew York
Shelback Club
($250-$499)
Mr. Philip Adams Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Peter J. Adams
Mr. and Mrs. Ron Aerni
Capt. and Mrs. Michael J. Ames
Mr. and Mrs. Paul Amirault
Mr. and Mrs. Anderson
Mr. and Mrs. Stanley W. Arnold
Atlantic Coast Commodities, LLC
Lt. Cdr. and Mrs. Steven A. Ayigah
Mr. and Mrs. Craig E. Babbidge
Mr. and Mrs. Richard S. Babcock
Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan T. Bain
Lt. Cmdr. Martin Baker
Capt. and Mrs. Michael D. Ball
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Barnes
Capt. and Mrs. Robert S. Bartek
Mr. and Mrs. Donald J. Barton
Mr. and Mrs. Richard T. Belanger
Capt. and Mrs. Leroy E. Bennett
Ms. Jane Bestor
Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence P. Blethen
Capt. and Mrs. David M. Bobbe
Mr. and Mrs. Roger F. Boisse
Mr. Joe Bowman and Ms. Cheri Wilson
Mr. Peter Boyce
Capt. and Mrs. Irving E. Bracy
Mr. and Mrs. Michael T. Brown
Mr. Steve Burgarella
Cmdr. George Burns III
Mr. and Mrs. Sundance Campbell
Mr. Jon Carr and Mrs. Ellen Clinesmith
Mr. Matthew Cartwright
Mr. and Mrs. Howard F. Casey, Jr.
Capt. and Mrs. John C. Chapman
Ms. Mikayla Charters
Mr. and Mrs. Anthony J. Costigan
Mr. and Mrs. Mark A. Cote
Mr. and Mrs. James W. Cratty II
Mr. and Mrs. David J. Cultrera
Capt. and Mrs. Eric J. Dankewicz
Mr. and Mrs. Sheridan S. Davis
Mr. Derek Dawson
Mr. and Mrs. Brian E. Day
Mr. and Mrs. James M. Day
Mr. Arlen De Vos
Mr. and Mrs. Roland D. Dears
Mr. and Mrs. John DeRose III
Mr. Peter DeSarno
Mr. and Ms. John Ervin Dickenson
Capt. and Mrs. Bruce J. Dinsmore
Capt. and Mrs. Almer L. Dinsmore
Mrs. Mary Dionne
Capt. and Mrs. Ronald C. Dorsky
Mr. and Mrs. Timothy D. Downey
Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Droop
Mr. Alan Dugas
Ms. Ann M. Dundon and Capt. Prentice Strong
Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey G. Dunn
Mr. and Mrs. Gary A. Dustin
Mr. and Mrs. Mark R. Eisenhaur
Mr. and Mrs. Mark V. Eldridge
Energy Dynamics, LLC
Mr. and Mrs. Craig W. Ervin
Ms. Cassandra Everest
Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth G. Fahrbach
Mr. James Fairfield
Capt. and Mrs. David W. Farnham USN (Ret.)
Ms. Alayne Felix
Ms. Claire Felix
Ms. Jane Felix
Mr. John Fendl
Capt. and Mrs. Christopher M. Ferguson
Mr. and Mrs. Stacey A. Fitts
Capt. and Mrs. Michael J. Foster USN (Ret.)
Mr. and Mrs. Steven D. Foster
Mr. and Mrs. Michael J. Fournier
Mr. and Mrs. Mark Friel
Mr. Stephen Fuccillo
G.W. Full Marine Services
Mr. and Mrs. Joel M. Fuller
Ms. Ann Gail
Capt. and Mrs. Raymond Geissler
Mr. Richard Getz
Mr. and Mrs. Kevin P. Gildart
Mr. Peter Gillespie
Mr. Chip Girard
Mr. and Mrs. Ernold R. Goodwin
Mr. Robert Goodwin
Mr. and Mrs. Jerome M. Gotlieb PE
Mr. and Mrs. Kevin L. Gould
Mrs. Deborah Green
Mr. Nicholas Grimaldi
Mr. and Mrs. Stephen M. Gumpel
Mr. Jay Hackett
Mr. Thomas D. Hall and Dr. Karen Richter-Hall
Cmdr. and Mrs. Wilfred Hamilton Jr.
Mr. Charles Harriman
Mr. Matthew Haskell
Mr. and Mrs. Michael W. Hayes
Mr. and Mrs. Gerald D. Heath
Mr. and Mrs. James R. Hebert PE
Mr. Nathan Hellen
Capt. and Mrs. Derek D. Hill
Ms. Amanda Holewiak
Capt. and Mrs. Christopher D. Holt
Capt. David Hopkins
Eugene Hornsby
Mr. and Mrs. Royal E. Hoyt
Mr. and Mrs. Charles A. Iliff, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Richard S. Jagger
Ms. Grace Jennings
Mr. James Jennings Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Robert O. Jensen
Mr. John Jacobs
Mr. Kevin Johnson
Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Joy
Mr. and Mrs. Ashbel W. White Joyal
Dr. Kayley Rodriguez
Kelley Funeral Home
Mrs. Johanna C. Kerry
Mr. and Mrs. Stephen R. King
Mr. Lawrence V. Kiszka
Mr. and Mrs. John J. Krupski
Ms. Melissa Lail
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas J. Lanza
Mr. and Mrs. Norman F. Laskay
Capt. and Mrs. Timothy N. Leach
Mr. and Mrs. Greg Leach
Mr. and Mrs. Bertrand E. Lemieux
Mr. Joshua Lemmon
Dr. Kathryn Lemmon
Mr. John Lewis
Mr. and Mrs. Conrad T. L’Heureux
Mr. and Mrs. Dale W. Lindsey
Mr. and Mrs. Ian David Lipsky
Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Lorenz
Col. Christopher Löwe
LPL Financial
Capt. Scott Lund
Mr. and Mrs. Philip E. Lutes
Mr. and Mrs. Gordon B. MacArthur
Suzanne Macdonald Family Fund
Mr. William Mahoney
Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Martin
Ms. Samantha Mason
John I McCarthy
Cmdr. and Mrs. David McGee
Mr. and Mrs. Bernard W. McGowan, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Michael J. McGuckin
Capt. William McLean IV
Ms. Megan McLean
Capt. and Mrs. David W. Melin USN
Mr. and Mrs. Roger E. Mercaldi, Jr.
Mr. Robert Mingo Sr. and Ms. Dawn Moore
Dr. Brian Moore
Mr. and Mrs. Ronald F. Moore
Mr. William Morong
Munich RE America
Mr. and Mrs. Heath Nichols
Oasis Advisors
Ms. Melinda Ogden
Mr. Edwin Palmer
Mr. Kurt Passon
Mr. and Mrs. R. Michael Payton
Capt. Mark Pierce
Capt. and Mrs. Timothy F. Plummer
Mr. and Mrs. David A. Potter, Jr.
Ms. Kathryn Priedeman
Mr. and Mrs. Norman J. Rodriguez
Mr. and Mrs. Michael C. Rolnick
Mr. and Mrs. David A. Roy
Mr. and Mrs. Stephen J. Roy
Royal River Boat Repair, Inc.
Mr. and Mrs. David Russell
Mr. Douglas Russell
Mr. and Mrs. Ronald B. Russell
Mr. Michael Ryan
Capt. John Salvador Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Sampson
Mr. Craig Sarnecki
Mr. and Mrs. Tim Sarver
Mr. and Mrs. Andrew J. Scheuchzer
Mr. and Mrs. Harold R. Schuster
Mr. and Mrs. Alan D. Scott
Mr. and Mrs. Foster M. Shibles
Capt. and Mrs. Michael J. Siepert
Mr. and Mrs. Donald H. Silke
Dr. Amy L. Puleo Sison and Mr. Peter Sison
Mrs. Jane Smit
Mr. and Mrs. Brian A. Smith
Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Snow
Mr. and Mrs. Bruce A. Spencer
Mrs. Jessica Stahl
Mr. and Mrs. Stephen H. Steinberg
Mr. Brett Saltsman
Capt. and Mrs. David A. Sulin
Mr. and Mrs. Bruce D. Suppes
Mr. and Mrs. Henry R. Terry, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Anthony M. Theriault
Theriault Marine Consulting, LLC
Mr. Dale Thomas III
Mr. and Mrs. Richard W. Thompson
Ms. Ann Turkington
Mr. Ronald Vallee
Capt. and Mrs. David J. Wade
Mrs. Janet Waldron
Capt. and Mrs. David J. Ward
Mr. and Mrs. Stephen C. Washington
Mr. Harry Webster
Mr. Jaime Weir
Mr. William Weir
Mr. and Mrs. Arthur M. Weisser
Capt. and Mrs. Richard D. Wesley
Mr. and Mrs. Adam C. Wheeler
Capt. and Mrs. Eric D. Wilcox
Mr. and Mrs. Adam M. Wilson
Mr. Steven Wilson
Mr. and Mrs. Wallace W. Wrigley
Yachting Solutions
Yarmouth Boat Yard
Mr. and Mrs. Douglas J. Young
Mr. and Mrs. John P. Young
New Century Club
($100-$249)
A & J Fisheries, Inc.
Mr. and Mrs. Alan B. Abrams
Mr. and Mrs. Timothy M. Achorn
Mr. Joshua Adams
Cmdr. and Mrs. A. Lawrence Ahearn USNR
Mr. and Mrs. Carl S. Akin
Capt. John J. Hills and Ms. Carole Albee
Mr. and Mrs. Roland Aldridge
Mr. and Mrs. Gordon H. Allen
Ms. Tina Allen
Mr. and Mrs. Dudley C. Ames
Mr. Richard Anderson
Capt. and Ms. William H. Anderson III
Mr. and Mrs. Emilio Andoniades
Ms. Barbara Andrews
Mr. Scholfield Andrews III
Mr. Richard M. Anzelc
Mr. and Mrs. Robert E. Arsenault
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Colletti Marine Surveyors and Crane Inspection
Mr. Stephen Colletti
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Constellation Energy
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Capt. and Mrs. Mark A. Cote
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Mr. and Mrs. Frederick M. Couverette, Sr.
Mr. and Mrs. William D. Crawford
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Dr. Jillian Crutchfield
Mr. and Mrs. Kirt P. Currie
Mr. and Mrs. Scott A. Curtis
Mr. and Mrs. Terrence M. Daigle, Jr.
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Darling’s Ford | VW | Audi (Bangor)
Mr. and Mrs. Gregg M. Davis
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Ms. J. Annette Dixon and Mr. Philip J. Dussault
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Lt. and Mrs. Waldo M. Hatch
Mr. and Mrs. Steven W. Hawkes
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Brother and Mrs. Paul Hayward
Training Maine’s Workforce
Over the summer, Maine Maritime Academy hosted the inaugural Naval Shipyard Institute workforce development training program. The Naval Shipyard Institute, funded by the Navy, is an intensive skills training program taking place on the campuses of Maine Maritime Academy and Portsmouth Naval Shipyard over the course of 14 weeks. During the immersive program, students learn trade skills including structural welding, machining, and marine electrical. Following the successful completion of the program, students are eligible for employment at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard repairing, maintaining, and overhauling nuclear submarines.
The U.S. Navy’s Submarine Industrial Base Directorate expressed the intent to hire approximately 140,000 new employees in the skilled trades over the next 10 years to bolster its workforce to build and sustain the fleet. In an effort to build the capacity of the Submarine Industrial Base, the Navy requested $3.9 billion in federal funding for FY25. Admiral Lisa Franchetti, Chief of Naval Operations and member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, also identified additional funding for the Submarine Industrial Base as the top unfunded priority for FY25.
Students working; The “crew”; Press event
ORBIS, Inc., a veteran-owned engineering solutions company that provides services for the U.S. Navy and the Department of Defense, managed the Naval Shipyard Institute program in collaboration with the Academy. MMA faculty customized their courses to align with the Navy’s workforce needs. ORBIS’s Naval Shipyard Institute Director Chris Oelschlegel ’05 indicated that “Maine Maritime Academy has the ideal combination of high-quality training facilities and first-rate instructors for the Naval Shipyard Institute program to be successful.”
Maine Maritime Academy Interim President Craig Johnson said, “The Academy’s expertise in providing training in the skilled trades in addition to world-class lab facilities makes the collaboration with ORBIS a natural fit. We hope this is just the beginning of the Academy helping to contribute to the Navy’s mission of bolstering qualified, skilled labor for the Submarine and Maritime Industrial Base. Submarines play a crucial role in our nation’s defense and helping to train skilled workers for their maintenance is an important objective.”
Hands on work at its finest.
Trainees, ranging in age from 18 to 60, were provided room and board while participating in the Naval Shipyard Institute program. After successfully completing six weeks of training on the Maine Maritime Academy campus, students receive six hours of academic credit. According to welding student Lyndsey Levasseur, “This program is a fantastic opportunity to pursue a career doing something I enjoy while also contributing to my country.”
According to welding student Lyndsey Levasseur, “This program is a fantastic opportunity to pursue a career doing something I enjoy while also contributing to my country.”
On August 7, 2024, Maine Maritime Academy and ORBIS, Inc. hosted a showcase event on campus highlighting the progress of the Naval Shipyard Institute training program, offering a tour of the training cohorts, and allowing interaction with MMA Leadership and faculty. Representatives from the offices of Governor Mills, Senator Collins, Senator King, as well as officials from the U.S. Navy, Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, MMA’s Board of Trustees, and the Commissioner of the Maine Department of Labor were in attendance.
The Academy hopes to continue the partnership with the Navy to continue to develop the Submarine Industrial Base workforce in 2025 and beyond.█
HELLO!!Forever Chemicals in Phytoplankton
Dr. Carey Friedman, Associate Professor of Marine Science and Dr. LeAnn Whitney, Associate Professor of Oceanography, were recently awarded a $77,000 grant from the Maine Community Foundation in support of their research examining the relationship between PFAS in the marine environment and its presence in phytoplankton. Dr. Friedman and Dr. Whitney are conducting the research in collaboration with Dr. Jitka Becanova, Assistant Research Professor of Oceanography at the University of Rhode Island’s Graduate School of Oceanography.
Dr. Carey Friedman and Dr. LeAnn Whitney tour the Atlantic Coastal Environmental Sciences Division of the Environmental Protection Agency
Research Context
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of thousands of synthetic chemicals used in a wide range of consumer products including water and stain resistant fabrics, personal care and cleaning products, non-stick surfaces, and paint products. Exposure to PFAS over time is associated with multiple adverse health outcomes including certain types of cancer, reproductive and developmental issues, and reduced immune and vaccination response in children.
PFAS are known as “forever chemicals” because the strength of their carbon-fluorine molecular bonds inhibits their natural degradation in the environment. Moreover, PFAS can bioaccumulate within aquatic organisms resulting in concentrations increasing up the food chain. Ultimately, Friedman and Whitney’s research will contribute to our understanding of the concentration of PFAS in local marine waters and how much transfers into phytoplankton, microscopic and photosynthetic organisms that form the base of the marine food chain.
Dr. Carey Friedman and Dr. LeAnn Whitney spent the summer collecting water samples from the Penobscot Bay region.
There is a growing literature investigating the existence of PFAS in the environment, particularly freshwater, but PFAS contamination within the marine environment and its implications are not adequately understood, according to Friedman and Whitney. Friedman and Whitney are examining the relationship between concentrations of PFAS in coastal waters in relation to phytoplankton with implications for how the chemicals are able to move throughout the food chain and potentially accumulate in other organisms, some of which may be economically important for the state of Maine.
Research Methods
Using the waterfront resources at the Academy, Friedman and Whitney have sampled water and phytoplankton three times from each of nine test sites in Penobscot Bay and the Penobscot River this summer. The sites were chosen based on their proximity to effluent from wastewater treatment facilities and former mill sites that are currently used to release untreated landfill leachate directly into the water.
Friedman and Whitney are examining the relationship between concentrations of PFAS in coastal waters in relation to phytoplankton with implications for how the chemicals are able to move throughout the food chain.
Samples used to measure PFAS concentrations in the water were collected using two methods: direct sampling, which measures PFAS concentrations at the specific time of collection, and passive sampling, which measures average concentrations over time. The phytoplankton sample is collected by towing a net that concentrates particles suspended in the water column.
Taking samples from the Penobscot River with the Old Town mill in the background.
Once samples from Penobscot Bay and Penobscot River were collected in late June, they brought them to URI-GSO’s STEEP Center (funded by the Superfund Research Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences), in early August. Their collaborator, Dr. Jitka Becanova of STEEP and GSO, has been analyzing the samples for the concentrations of 33 individual PFAS chemicals using a liquid chromatograph tandem mass spectrometer (LC-MS/MS). The forthcoming results will be shared with the community in a series of presentations shortly thereafter.
While at the GSO campus, Whitney and Friedman were able to participate in the first stages of the sample analysis process, give a talk focused on career choices to graduate students, and get a tour of the nearby Atlantic Coastal Environmental Sciences Division of the Environmental Protection Agency.
Principal Investigators
Dr. Carey Friedman teaches courses related to chemistry, pollution, and sustainability in the Ocean Studies Department. Friedman’s research focuses on how toxic chemicals are introduced and travel through the environment. She holds a B.S. in Chemistry from Trinity College, an M.S. in Environmental Toxicology from Cornell University, and a Ph.D. in Oceanography from the University of Rhode Island. Additionally, Friedman was a Postdoctoral Fellow at MIT.
Dr. LeAnn Whitney teaches courses in ocean studies, biology, and marine science. Whitney is a marine phytoplankton ecologist whose research focuses on identifying the cellular mechanisms employed by phytoplankton to persist in nutrient-poor environments. Whitney holds a B.S. in Marine Science from the University of Maine (Orono) and a Ph.D. in Cell and Molecular Biology from the University of Rhode Island and was a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow and Research Scientist at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences.
Dr. Carey Friedman in the Penobscot River
Friedman and Whitney’s collaborator, Dr. Jitka Becanova, Assistant Research Professor of Oceanography at the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography, is an analytical chemist. Becanova’s research examines environmental contaminants, including PFAS, with the goal of reducing human exposure. She holds a Ph.D. in environmental chemistry from Masaryk University (Czech Republic).█
HELLO!!Continuing an Arctic Legacy
On a crisp May morning, the schooner Bowdoin began her return voyage to the Arctic, the region she was specifically built to explore 103 years ago. The Bowdoin is an American treasure, recognized as a National Historic Landmark, the official vessel of the State of Maine, and the flagship of Maine Maritime Academy. While Bowdoin is more than a century old, she is certainly not obsolete and remains a vital teaching tool, well-suited for exploration in the extreme maritime conditions of the Arctic, and timeless marvel of naval architecture.
The Schooner Bowdoin’s Background
The Bowdoin was built by Donald MacMillan, the son of a schooner captain lost at sea off the coast of Newfoundland when Donald was nine. MacMillan was captivated by ships, the ocean, and the Arctic from the time he was a young boy. He made his first trip to the Arctic in 1908, at the age of 33, on an expedition to the North Pole led by Arctic explorer Robert Peary.
In 1913, MacMillan led his own voyage to the Arctic in search of what Peary believed to be a landmass he called Crocker Land. Sponsored by the American Museum of Natural History, the American Geographical Society, and the University of Illinois, the journey was expected to last two years, but lasted four after their ship, the steamer Diana, struck ground attempting to avoid an iceberg. Successive vessels sent to aid MacMillan and his crew were unable to reach the party due to the extreme conditions.
Historic photos Courtesy of The Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum, Bowdoin College.
In the summer of 1917, a ship finally reached them. While MacMillan was pleased to be able to return home, he wrote that the “Great Northland [had] a relentless grip” on him and that he intended to return on his own, purpose-built vessel. MacMillan began thinking about the vessel’s design.
MacMillan insisted that the Bowdoin “should be… not one whit larger than is necessary the equipment and provisions of the personnel” to be able to “worm herself though narrow leads [and] take sharper corners.” Her 88-foot curved hull would be built of the “very best” white oak, a deck of white pine, and masts of Douglas fir. Bowdoin was designed with two sealed bulwarks in case she of catastrophic damage, she could still float.
MacMillan commissioned noted naval architect William Hand to design the schooner according to his specifications. The Bowdoin was built at Hodgdon Brothers Shipyard in East Boothbay, Maine, and launched on April 9, 1921; she crossed into the Arctic for the first time on August 23 of that year. She represents a timeless achievement of excellence in naval architecture with a specific purpose: the navigation of Arctic waters. MacMillan would sail Bowdoin to the Arctic 18 times from 1921 to 1954, when he was 80 years old.
Bowdoin was commissioned by the U.S. Navy for use during World War II, initially under the command of MacMillan, and later under Lt. Stuart Hotchkiss, to survey sites for airfields in Greenland used to refuel during transatlantic flights. To fool German submarines, MacMillan would shine a light into the mainsail to look like a fishing boat and sink floating mines with his shotgun.
After the War, the Bowdoin was sold back to MacMillan, until he sold the vessel to the Mystic Seaport Museum in 1959. She was left in a state of neglect and disrepair until the Schooner Bowdoin Association was formed to purchase and restore the vessel in 1968. Between 1979 and 1984, Bowdoin underwent a complete rebuild at Percy and Small Shipyard at Maine Maritime Museum.
Maine Maritime Academy took possession of the Bowdoin in 1988 and sailed her back to the Arctic in 1991 for the first time in 37 years with Andy Chase ’79 as Captain. She returned to the Arctic in 1994, skippered by Captain Elliot Rappaport and 2008, skippered by Captain Rick Miller. This year, the Bowdoin returned to the Arctic for the first time in 16 years under the leadership of Captain Alex Peacock.
Captain Peacock joined the Academy in December 2022 after four years in command of Spirit of Bermuda for the Bermuda Sloop Foundation, sailing the Caribbean, the Mid-Atlantic, and Canada with students. Spending time on vessels such as Lynx, Pride of Baltimore II, Charles W. Morgan, and Spirit of Bermuda, Peacock has been involved with projects including engine repowers, hull and rig restorations, USCG ABS inspections, ocean race preparation, and other aspects of commanding sailing vessels.
The 2024 Arctic Voyage
The Bowdoin set out from Boothbay Harbor, Maine, in honor of her 1921 launch, on May 29, 2024, crossing the Arctic Circle at 66°33’33 on June 19 and the 70th Parallel on June 29. The voyage of more than 4,500 miles lasted eight weeks and included a crew of six professional mariners and nine Maine Maritime Academy students.
Before departing Boothbay Harbor, 350 elementary students from the region came to visit Bowdoin and learn about the vessel, maritime skills and techniques, astronomy, and the geography of the North Atlantic, Labrador Sea, and Davis Strait from the crew. Among them were the great grandchildren of those who built the vessel at Hodgdon Brothers Shipyard.
Bowdoin navigating cold waters.
Shortly after setting out, the “reality of the North Atlantic started to set in,” according to Captain Peacock, “after consistent four-foot swells.” Peacock described a “fairly weak low that stalled ahead of us for a few days pumping easterlies our way, making Bowdoin work for Newfoundland.” For most of the way to Newfoundland, “we experienced heavy fog… a washing machine sea state of five to six feet and occasionally up to 9 feet with winds out of the east at 15-20kts,” Peacock indicated.
Captain Peacock set a course across a 1,000+ mile stretch of the Labrador Sea from abeam the old whaling outpost Hawke Harbour and neighboring Stony Island, Labrador, where Chase and crew erected a cairn in 1990. A “combination of navigating forecasted and observed areas of ice and wind angle” went into the decision of when and where to cross, according to Peacock. A route from “St. John’s to Nuuk would have taken us through a thicker area of icebergs due to an accumulation from the current moving them south.”
The Bowdoin arrived in Nuuk Port and Harbour at N64° 10’, W51° 44’ on June 15 and crossed into Arctic waters on June 19. The crew “participated in an ‘Order of the Blue Nose’ ceremony, a maritime tradition in which sailors who cross the Arctic Circle enter the realm of Boreas Rex, the King of the North, and must complete a series of challenges for induction,” according to graduate student crew member, Jorge Morales-Lopez. Continuing north, the Bowdoin arrived in Ilulissat, the Kalaallisut word for “icebergs,” on June 19.
Iceburg dead ahead.
The Arctic is a “landscape too surreal to comprehend,” according to Peacock, which he described as a deeply emotional experience for the entire crew. She rendezvoused with the cutter rigged Arctic Earth and her team, owner David Conover, Captain Magnus, Mate Julia, and Chase for nine days to explore “new fjords, calving glaciers, and abandoned settlements, even naming a couple of bays along the way,” Peacock indicated. The crew also weathered katabatic winds, capable of completely clearing a field of ice within a fjord, which he described as “astounding.”
The Bowdoin is equipped with a “crow’s nest” or “ice box,” which plays a critical role in the ability to navigate waters dangerously packed with icebergs. The crew communicates precise descriptions and instructions between the crow’s nest, crew on deck, and the crew member at the wheel. “Maneuvering in the ice, which looks like a wall from deck-level, she seems to know the way,” Captain Peacock described navigating the “bergy” waters, adding that it is as if “she has a soul.”
In describing the landscape, Moreles-Lopez claimed that “even the most stunning photos cannot fully capture the sheer beauty, remoteness, and rawness of these places.” Bowdoin’s last port stop in Greenland was Sisimiut, arriving on July 6, before setting course back toward Labrador. After brief stops in Battle Harbour and Mary’s Harbour, the crew set course for Castine, where they arrived to an enthusiastic crowd and media coverage.
A Unique Education
Arctic voyages on the Bowdoin are educational opportunities unique to Maine Maritime Academy. Students learn not only maritime skills, but teamwork, confidence, and leadership in an environment few vessels are able to navigate.
The student crew, under the supervision of Professor Kerry Whittaker, collected water samples throughout the voyage to conduct environmental research. According to Dr. Whittaker, the student crew “successfully conducted physical oceanographic surveys in Greenland waters using an instrument that records salinity, temperature, and depth data, and took seawater samples for future environmental DNA studies.” The student crew is also collaborating with the Ocean Genome Atlas Project by collecting water samples for ocean genomic research, which will complement their environmental DNA metabarcoding work.
“Maneuvering in the ice, which looks like a wall from deck-level, she seems to know the way,” Captain Peacock described navigating the “bergy” waters, adding that it is as if “she has a soul.”
“Recognition of [the Arctic’s] global environmental, economic, and political importance grows every year,” according to Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum Director Susan Kaplan, and “due to the dynamic nature of developments in the region, we must recruit a new generation of people with diverse arrays of skills to pursue northern-focused careers.” Kaplan added that the “opportunity to sail the Bowdoin through Arctic waters is a wonderful example of what experiential learning is all about.”
Bowdoin engineer, Tom Klodenski, who has a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Maine, noted that “as a training vessel with a small ratio of students to professional crew, motivated trainees get a chance to be matched to projects that align with their interests, perhaps in ways not possible in other programs.” Aboard the Bowdoin, he continued, the “unusual environment of a century old schooner working in remote areas combined with the inability to access the internet provides a space for students to learn new things about themselves, including self-reliance and confidence.”
The Arctic voyage crew.
Klodenski explained that “international interest in the Arctic is growing and the rate of environmental change there is increasing [and that] Bowdoin is the only US-flagged training vessel with programs dedicated to this part of the globe.” Bowdoin is capable, according to Klodenski, of “contributing to today’s relevant research, being the stage for important cross-cultural conversations, and represents the tip of the iceberg for students interested in a rewarding career in the Arctic maritime space.”
Rappaport said that “voyages to the Arctic permit students to be participants in an historic continuum while experiencing the very real educational challenges of high latitude navigation—now an expanding frontier of the modern industry as changes in climate open new routes and spur changes in resource development. These voyages provide a tremendous value added well above simply operating in nearby waters.”
Mackenzie Morin, a Coastal Marine & Environmental Science and Small Vessel Operations student at the Academy, said that “the skills we learned on this voyage are diverse and invaluable. We developed our seamanship under challenging conditions, posed scientific questions in remote environments, honed engineering competency while maintaining the vessel’s integrity, and gained business insight in coordinating logistics. These experiences have not only equipped us with the ability to navigate the Arctic seas, but also to overcome the demands of our respective careers in the future.”
Describing the voyage, Captain Peacock stated that “navigating the Arctic waters packed with icebergs and sea ice requires active observation, close communication among the crew, and precise maneuvering. I’m filled with pride at the impressive growth of the student crew over the eight weeks aboard the Bowdoin. They matured as individuals, came together as a group, and rose to the countless challenges with confidence.”
The Bowdoin’s Legacy
Continuing the Bowdoin’s legacy of Arctic exploration is a top institutional priority for the Academy. Returning to the Arctic for the first time in 16 years is an achievement that required years of preparation, dedication, and support from throughout the Maine Maritime community. The Academy intends to return to the Arctic on three-year cycles with the next voyage planned for 2027.
Kaplan suggests that sailing to the Arctic on a “historic, ice-adapted vessel that embodies MacMillan’s legacy of supported pioneering scientific, military, and humanitarian work in the North, reminds those onboard that one person’s innovations and vision can have far reaching impact, and that the study and stewardship of the region is an ongoing challenge.”
Bowdoin is an important asset to Maine Maritime Academy, its students, alumni, and friends. She is important to the Castine community, the State of Maine, and the country. She is also a vehicle for cultural exchange between Americans and the Inuit, a civilization that has lived on the fringes of the habitable environment using the same techniques of survival for centuries.
A picture says a thousand words.
The Bowdoin attracts a wide range of individuals to campus, well beyond the immediate MMA community, often on deck, and on the water, one of Castine’s and the campus of Maine Maritime Academy’s greatest assets. She inspires students to attend the Academy as well as those who only learn about her once they matriculate. Bowdoin is a vessel that captures many hearts and is a well-deserved source of pride for those throughout the Maine Maritime Academy community.
It is not uncommon for those whole sail Bowdoin extensively to believe she has a soul. Whether literally true or not, people have and will continue to dedicate their lives to the Bowdoin and, in so doing, become part of the vessel and her story. The Academy is the institutional steward of the Bowdoin, an important responsibility and great honor. It is our duty as members of the Maine Maritime community to safeguard the vessel and ensure its continued operation, particularly to the Arctic.█
HELLO!!Eight Bells
Return to the Gridiron
Return to the Gridiron
The Mariners football team will play a full NCAA schedule in 2025 as an affiliate member of the Conference of New England after playing in three varsity contests this season in a successful return to the gridiron for the first time since 2020.
HELLO!!Steady Sailing in a Time of Transition
Steady Sailing in a Time of Transition
Maine Maritime Academy has a history of weathering storms and change with ease. As an institution built out of necessity during World War II, we are no stranger to leadership in times of change. Today is no different as we remain steadfastly committed to achieving the Academy’s strategic goals in a year marked with opportunity and transformation. Our leadership team has set out to ensure that progress toward accomplishing our objectives is prioritized, while the quality of our students’ education is not compromised.
MMA President
Craig Johnson ’91
The Academy is currently engaged in the construction of the largest infrastructure project in the institution’s history: the new pier that will berth the NSMV III, T/S State of Maine V. Although MARAD has provided 90% of the financing for the $90m project, the Academy has overseen the planning, permitting (local, state, and federal), design, construction, and building processes, which began in July.
I am pleased with the progress of the waterfront renovation and the team we have assembled including the engineering firm GZA, our contractors Reed & Reed, and Colliers as owners’ representatives. The process of driving and rock socketing the 354 piles into the bedrock for the new pier, mooring dolphins, new east and west dock systems, and floating breakwater began in November and continues through Q3 of 2026. We recently had a successful visit by MARAD representatives who observed first-hand the extraordinary progress we have made in an astonishingly short period of time.
The new pier will drastically improve the waterfront campus infrastructure, which is among the Academy’s greatest strengths, as demand for mariners continues to increase globally. It is also necessary to accommodate the $320m NSMV III, financed by the federal government, which is expected to be finished in the summer of 2025.
We remain steadfastly committed to achieving the Academy’s strategic goals in a year marked with opportunity and transformation.
The NSMV III will revolutionize the Academy’s at-sea curricula, bringing the training for our mariners into the digital age to match the changes in our industry. With dedicated training spaces, a second bridge, two engine rooms, modern systems/equipment, and the capacity to accommodate more students, we are able to completely re-think our at-sea training programs. We thank Captain MacArthur, Chief Engineer Aaron Coy, and our faculty for their work preparing for the new vessel.
With an eye always toward growing our reach and evolving our business model, the Academy hosted a successful intensive training over the summer in collaboration with Orbis, Inc. and the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard called the Naval Shipyard Institute, a program funded by the US Navy to build the capacity of their Submarine Industrial Base. Students learned welding, machining, and marine electrical from curricula developed by MMA instructors in collaboration with the Navy according to their workforce priorities. To learn more about the Naval Shipyard Institute, please see the article on page 26. Maine Maritime Academy looks forward to building on its relationships with the Navy, the Maine Defense Industry Alliance, Orbis Inc., Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Bath Iron Works, and others to address the shortage in skilled industrial labor associated with the maritime sector.
Together with Bath Iron Works, we recently opened a 50,000 square foot building in Brunswick, Maine to support our Workforce Development Program. We currently offer associate degree programs and will add a bachelor’s option by the fall of 2025. MMA is now more than ever, a state and national strategic asset in the Maritime and Department of Defense communities. As such, I remain committed to continuing to make the case to the state that investing in the education of students at Maine Maritime Academy is in all our best interests.
This past October, I was asked to serve on the Board of the International Association of Maritime Universities (IAMU). This body is critical to the presence of the Academy on the world stage, and to advocating for the industry’s strength and continued growth. Our involvement with the international community is critical to making sure that Maine Maritime Academy is delivering a curriculum that is driven by continual collaboration with the global maritime industry.
Finally, I would like to congratulate the crew of the Bowdoin, led by Captain Alex Peacock, on a historic return to the Arctic for the first time in 16 years. The Bowdoin is the flagship of the Academy’s sailing fleet, and we are proud to continue her legacy of Arctic exploration.
Sincerely,
Craig Johnson ’91
Castine, Maine 04420All Rights Reserved © 2024
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