Castine Current
Ninety-Day Cruise Success for TSSOM
By CAPT. NATHAN GANDY, CoMMANDANT oF MIDSHIPMEN
TSSOM entering Portland Harbor. Photo by C Plourde Norton.
Mark Panza '74 visited the training ship during in Cobh,
Ireland to see the ship and meet up with family friend,
T
Austin Gamache '18 of Florida. Photo by M Panza.
S State of Maine carried 250 students
mas 2015 and sail south.
and 45 faculty, crew, and staff on an
The 2015 Summer Cruise itinerary
meter platform into one meter waves, group
extended cruise designed to meet
included two round-trips across the Atlantic
maneuvered in the one meter waves, and
new U.S. Coast Guard sea time and training
ocean with stopovers in Charleston, South
boarded the life raft in one meter waves; 2)
requirements. The ship departed Castine
Carolina; Cadiz, Spain; Portland, Maine; and
damage control training: trainees climbed
on May 5, 2015 and returned to its Castine
Cobh, Ireland. Each port presented TSSoM's
down through an escape scuttle into a flood-
homeport on July 27, 2015.
students, crew, and staff the chance to host
ing space and had to plug a hul breach, brace
The new Coast Guard requirements meant
receptions for alumni, parents, and friends,
a water-tight door, patch ruptured pipes, and
the first-year students remained aboard the
in Portland, Maine (2); Norfolk, Virginia;
perform other life-saving repairs in order to
ship for the ful 90 days while half the 3rd
and Charleston, South Carolina. During the
prevent water levels from overcoming them;
year students sailed for 45 days and the other
visit to Cobh, Ireland, every student, as wel
and 3) Free-fal lifeboat training: al trainees
half of the class sailed the other 45 days. To
as some staff, underwent special training
went through boarding procedures, safety
make their required 60 days of sea time, the
that consisted of three components: 1) ocean
harness attachment and checks, and were
3rd year students went on the shorter winter
survival with a storm situation: the group
aboard the lifeboat when it was launched into
cruise offered in January. Another 3-week
reviewed basic water survival techniques,
the harbor.
winter cruise wil depart Castine after Christ-
simulated an abandon ship dril from a seven
TSSOM CALLED UPON FOR RESCUE AT SEA
FormostoftheTSSoM2015Summer towardtheProdigal,tryingtoraiseHurley oftheWatch,assistedwithrescueprepara-
Cruise, the weather held steady and calm
on the radio." (John Clarke, "Al is Wel ,"
tions and led his fellow cadets through the
with only a few `rolling' and stormy days.
Downeast Magazine. August 2015, p.123).
procedure to get Captain Hurley from his
However, when the training ship was on her
Gabrielle Wel s '16, Midshipman officer of
smal sailboat and aboard the training ship
first return voyage across the Atlantic, Capt.
the Deck, was on the bridge assisting with
towering wel above the tossing craft. A
Les Eadie '76 received a request from the U.S.
the navigation, search, and communication
rope ladder and a "50-gallon drum" (Clarke,
Coast Guard to rescue the sailor of the 30-foot
both to the foundering sailboat Prodigal and
Downeast) were thrown to Hurley who
sailing vessel, Prodigal, which was taking on wa-
the USCG Rescue Coordination Center. She
stuffed some of his belongings in the drum
ter. Michael Hurley, a novelist from Charleston,
continued to try to contact Captain Hurley
and then slowly ascended the swinging rope
whose sloop was in serious trouble, was approx-
by radio without success. She told a reporter
ladder that cadets tried to stabilize as best as
imately 29 miles away from the training ship
from the Associated Press that no one was
possible in swelling seas.
and about 500 miles southeast of Halifax, Nova
sure "if he [Captain Hurley] was in his sail-
Captain Hurley spent two days aboard
Scotia. Hurley's boat was battered by recent
boat or in the water."
TSSoM as she made her way to Portland.
storms, and he was exhausted from constant
Ninety minutes after receiving the rescue
The training ship's next stop was Ireland,
bailing and lack of sleep.
request, TS State of Maine came into view
where, coincidental y, Hurley was original y
Captain Eadie "changed course and raced
of the "badly listing Prodigal" (Clarke,
headed, and where he and his wife renewed
14
MARINER / 2015 - ISSUE 3
Downeast). Wyatt LePage '16, Bosun Mate
their marriage vows later in the summer.

---