All Blog!

Climb aboard the 540-foot TS Kennedy for Sea Term 2021! Thanks to cadet blogs, the Captain’s Log, photographs, videos, special features, and a unique hands-on curriculum, you will virtually travel with Massachusetts Maritime cadets. Each day, you’ll read about and watch the shipboard responsibilities of cadets majoring in Marine Engineering, Marine Transportation, and Facilities Engineering as they tackle challenging topics such as weather forecasting, celestial navigation, ocean currents, rust removal, engine maintenance, sewerage treatment, firefighting, and seawater desalination.

You’ll feel like you’re right beside the cadets as the ship conducts anchoring drills off the coast of Mayaguez, Puerto Rico or cruises down New York’s East River and passes the Statue Of Liberty. For the health and safety of the cadets and crew aboard the TS Kennedy, the ship will not be making any port stops during Sea Term 2021.

This non-stop adventure begins on Saturday, May 29th when the ship departs Buzzards Bay. The TS Kennedy is scheduled to return on Wednesday, June 23rd. There will be posts each day – even on weekends.

Thanks for being a part of Massachusetts Maritime Academy’s free, one-of-a-kind, K-12, STEM adventure on land and sea!

Meet 3/C Austin Wolfe (MENG)

Meet 3/C Austin Wolfe, a Marine Engineering major from Chester, Massachusetts. Austin attended Chester Elementary School and Gateway Regional High School. Hi mom shared, "At an early age we would bring Austin to local Hilltown's Lake where he would play all day long with his toy boats. Later on, Austin would vacation in Maine on Lake Sebago which is where he had his first sailing lesson. She continued, "Austin's older brother majored in Marine Engineering and Facility Engineering. He graduated from MMA in 2013, and is currently a chief engineer."

Sea Term Flashbacks: Communicating With Family & Friends In 1963, 1968, and 1972

Although it isn't the same as face-to-face communication, cadets on Sea Term 2021 have had the opportunity to send daily emails to family and friends and call them when the ship is close enough to land to get cell reception. This was not the case during Sea Term 1963, Sea Term 1968, and Sea Term 1972. Back then, communication required pen, paper, and stamps. Here's what cadets had to say about communication "way back when"... Sea Term 1963 “After ten days at sea, mail and words from home as well as the good old “green stuff” were the main concern of many. To the disappointment of middies, the mail expected wasn’t the mail received.” Sea Term 1968 “…and of course the weekly ritual…

Meet 3/C Camden Willet (MENG)

Text below Meet 3/C Camden Willet, a Marine Engineering major from Nantucket. Camden is a graduate of Nantucket High School.

TSK Video Archives: Engine Room Maneuvering (2017)

Let's travel back to 2017 and take a look inside the TS Kennedy's hot, noisy Engine Room. You may have to look at the video multiple times to take in everything that is happening.

Anchor Drills In Puerto Rico

The anchor is being lowered. The anchor stirs up the sand on the ocean floor. The anchor chain is cleaned as it is raised. Here is where the anchor chain is stored. Check out the size of one link of anchor chain when compared with a cell phone! Each link weighs 75 pounds. On Deck: The Marine Transportation side of anchoring drills is very different than the engineering side. The four divisions are divided into two teams, gold and blue. First the blue team began on Bridge, while the gold team was on the bow. The first step was getting the ship into the correct anchorage spot. They located the designated spot by using the Electronic Information Display System, the…

Meet 3/C Patrick Kiernan (MENG)

Meet 3/C Patrick Kiernan, a Marine Engineering major from Mattapoisett, Massachusetts. Pat graduated from Old Rochester Regional High School. Pat’s proud mom, Marybeth, spoke about her son, “Pat was on boats as a baby. When he was two, his family bought a motor cruiser that he spent every summer on. He has explored all of Buzzard's Bay and the islands. He has worked at a local boatyard since high school. He spends every summer on Buzzard's Bay. Pat comes from a long line of recreational mariners.” Pat is enjoying Sunday At Sea off of the coast of Puerto Rico.

Meet 4/C Parker Liam Moulton (MTRA)

Meet 4/C Parker Liam Moulton, a Marine Transportation major from Falmouth, Massachusetts. Parker attended North Falmouth Elementary, Morse Pond School, and Falmouth High School. Parker’s mom recalls, “Parker developed his love of the ocean at a very early age. He would fall asleep to the sound of the waves and the motion of the boat in an infant seat on Lake Champlain in Vermont and Cape Cod. As a toddler he started fishing and always wanted to be on the ocean. He would swim for hours in Falmouth beaches and started waxing and cleaning boats at the age of 8. He received his boating license when he was 12 years old. He saved money to purchase his first boat, a 1972 Glastron and…

Meet 3/C Austin Star (MTRA)

Meet 3/C Austin Star, a Marine Transportation major from Nantucket. As this photo shows, Austin has been in the Captain’s chair for many years. When asked how her son developed his love of the ocean, Austin’s mom replied, “Living year-round on Nantucket, it’s hard not to fall in love with the ocean. Everything that we do revolves around the water from how we travel revolves around the water from how we travel to how we get our everyday supplies. Austin grew up boating, fishing, and learning to respect the sea with his father, grandparents, and great-grandparents who are all on the island as well. MMA was his first and obvious choice for a college.” Austin’s family wishes, “Fair…

Sea Term Flashbacks: Staying Flexible When Things Went Wrong In 1958, 1868, and 1976

Even though there have been a few challenges on Sea Term 2021, they cannot begin to compare with what happened in 1958, 1959, 1968, and 1976. As Captain Campbell always reminds cadets, a career at sea requires patience and flexibility. Check out these cadet stories... Sea Term 1958 “The trip down the coast was cold, and rough seas plagued the forward progress of our ship. We reached Cape Hatteras without incident, but it was here the fun began. In the midst of howling gale, our engineers lost the plant, and for nine to ten hours we were lying helpless at the mercy of the waves. Many of the less indoctrinated Third Classmen that sure that this was the last they would see of…

Meet 4/C Seth Rowley (MTRA)

Relax. Don’t rush. Don’t force. Don’t stress. Let things happen, trust the process, and just try to enjoy the journey. – Lori Deschene This quote seems to be perfect for 4/C Seth Rowley, a Marine Transportation major from Gilmanton, New Hampshire who turned 25 on Departure Day, May 30th. He learned to drive a boat on Lake Winnipesaukee where we have a summer home. In 2015 his uncle offered him a job in Key West working on the Appledore schooner and there he found his passion. He worked on the Appledore in Key West, took the boat to Camden, Maine and worked there for a summer. Went back to Key West for the winter and then worked in Newport, Rhode Island on the Heritage, the…

Hello, Followers!

Climb aboard the TS Kennedy for Sea Term 2021! On behalf of the cadets and crew, I would like to welcome the many elementary school, middle school, and high school students participating in the Follow The Voyage Program. Throughout Sea Term 2021, be sure to log onto my Captain’s Log. I am looking forward to providing you with daily updates and answering as many of your questions as possible.

I am a 1987 graduate of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy. In December 2013, I was hired as Second Mate of the TS Kennedy. A year later, I became the Acting Chief Mate. At a Change Of Command Ceremony in August 2016, I became the Master of the TS Kennedy . My position merges my Chief Mate responsibilities with that of captaining the ship. As Chief Mate, I am in charge of implementing safety management for all personnel. I am also responsible for the planned maintenance of the ship’s interior and exterior spaces, including the machinery. It is a demanding job, but I couldn’t be happier.

When I am not on the TS Kennedy, I treasure my time at home with my wife and children in Narragansett, Rhode Island.

I welcome your comments and questions throughout our voyage. Please send them to me via ftv@maritime.edu.

Thanks again for being a part of Sea Term 2021!

Sincerely,
Captain Michael J. Campbell
Master, TS Kennedy

Nautical Terms

Aft - The back of a ship. If something is located aft, it is at the back of the ship. The aft is also known as the stern.

All Hands - Entire ship’s company, both officers and enlisted personnel.

Aweigh - The position of anchor as it is raised clear of the bottom.

Bow - The front of the ship is called the bow. Knowing the location of the bow is important for defining two of the other most common sailing terms; port (left of the bow) and starboard (right of the bow).

Bridge - A structure above the weather deck, extending the full width of the vessel, which houses a command center, itself called by association, the bridge.

Deck Hand, “Decky” - A person whose job involves aiding the deck supervisor in (un) mooring, anchoring, maintenance, and general evolutions on deck.

Forward - The front of a ship. If something is located forward, it is at the front of the ship. This is also known as the bow.

Knot - A unit of speed: 1 nautical mile (1.8520 km; 1.1508 mi) per hour. Originally speed was measured by paying out a line from the stern of a moving boat. The line had a knot every 47 feet 3 inches (14.40 m) and the number of knots passed out in 30 seconds gave the speed through the water in nautical miles per hour.

Port - Port is always the left-hand side of the boat when you are facing the bow. Because “right” and “left” can become confusing terms when used in the open waters, port is used to define the left-hand side of the ship as it relates to the bow, or front.

Rack - The term to describe a bed aboard a ship.

Starboard - Starboard is always the right-hand side of the boat when you are facing the bow. Because “right” and “left” can become confusing sailing terms when used out in the open waters, starboard is used to define the right-hand side of the boat as it relates to the bow, or front.

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