Boat Deck

Vessel History

2017 TS Kennedy was activated to support hurricane relief in Texas, Florida, and Puerto Rico.

2012 TS Kennedy was activated to support FEMA in response to Hurricane Sandy.
2009 TS Enterprise was renamed to TS Kennedy to honor President John F. Kennedy and the Kennedy family.
2003 Converted as a training ship and renamed as TS Enterprise.
1991: SS Cape Bon activated for Desert Storm.
1985: MARAD acquired SS Velma Lykes for RRF and renamed to SS Cape Bon.
1979: SS Velma Lykes made history in 1979 when she became the first US flag vessel to call on the mainland Chinese port of Whampoa since the Chinese communist revolution.
1967: SS Velma Lykes was completed and launched at Avondale Shipyards, New Orleans. She was delivered to Lykes Brothers Steamship Co. for Far East operations.
1964: SS Velma Lykes was laid down as SS Velma Lykes, a Maritime Administration (MARAD) subsidized break bulk cargo C4 freighter type at Avondale Industries, New Orleans, LA.

Life Saving Equipment

Lifeboat 1, 2, 3, 4
Fast Rescue Boat

Officer Lounge
A0227 Laundry
A0236 Faculty Lounge

M0202 - A0230

Chief Mate
Chief Engineer
1st Engineer

Deck Plans

Welcome aboard the T.S.Kennedy! The cadets, crew, and I are thrilled that you are participating in the 2020 Follow the Voyage program. We are bound for many exciting ports of call. I know that there will be miles of learning ahead. Please watch for new entries to my Captain's Log. I welcome your comments and questions.

Most sincerely,
Captain Michael J. Campbell

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.

Lifeboat #2 and #4

Officer Lounge Midship

Fast Rescue Boat

Officer Lounge Aft

Officer Laundry Aft