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Displaying items by tag: US Trainee Schoolship

#corkharbour- Following last year’s 75th anniversary of the Maine Maritime Academy, their flagship trainee schoolship returned to Cork Harbour as part of an annual cruise programme, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The 12,000 gross tonnage TS State of Maine had sailed from Alicante, Spain and is currently berthed at Cobh. The deepwater berth here is otherwise the scene of summertime cruiseships but is to where the trainee ship had previously called last year. 

The trainee cruise by the State of Maine this season includes ports on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. They are (though subject too change) Charleston in South Carolina, Tenerife, Spain, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Portland, ME, Edinburgh, Scotland and New York.

At 152m/500ft long the flagship heads MMA’s fleet of 60 vessels. In the case of this ship she is a converted oceanographic research vessel that served the US Navy having been launched as USNS Tanner from the Bethlehem Steel Corporation in Maryland in 1990. For the next three years she served in the US Military Sealift Command.

Acquired in 1997, the trainee ship is the college flagship of the Marine Transportation programme and the vessel’s homeport is Castine Harbour in Maine.

The vessel was renamed the Training Ship State of Maine, and was modified to increase the accommodation from 108 to 302 persons.

New lifesaving equipment and upgrades to existing equipment were accomplished as well as enhancements to the habitability requirements of the flagship. 

The academy was founded in 1941 and enrolls more than 900 students from 35 states and from several foreign countries.

Students in the college are awarded A.S., B.S., and M.S. degrees in 15 fields of study. The schoolship provides an opportunity for midshipmen to get hands on experience afloat.

Published in Cork Harbour
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#UStrainingShip - In this 75th anniversary of the Maine Maritime Academy, their flagship trainee schoolship which has been on a visit to Cobh, departed Cork Harbour this morning, writes Jehan Ashmore.

TS State of Maine is one MMA’s fleet of 60 vessels and the 52m/500-foot converted oceanographic research vessel built for the US Navy. Acquired in 1997, the vessel is the college flagship of the Marine Transportation program. The training ship's homeport is Castine Harbour in Maine.

The academy was founded in 1941 and enrolls more than 900 students from 35 states and from several foreign countries. Students in the college are awarded A.S., B.S., and M.S. degrees in 15 fields of study. The schoolship provides an opportunity for midshipmen to get hands on experience afloat.

Commissioned for the US Navy as the USNS Tanner, the vessel was built by Bethlehem Steel Corporation at its Sparrows Point Yard in Maryland in 1990. For the next three years she served in the US Military Sealift Command.

The Irish Continental Group (ICG) in April acquired fastferry, Westpac Express and as previously reported on Afloat.ie last month the craft was onward delivered to Sealift LLC. They in turn chartered the craft to the US MSC.

During the training ship's visit Cobh, was also berthed at the cruise terminal berth the local tug, Alex. Likewise of the schoolship, the tug of 397 gross tonnage has origins with the North American continent having been built in neighbouring Canada in 1995 and based out of Halifax.

Published in Cork Harbour

#USschoolship - Cobh which is synonymous with cruiseships is host to a US training schoolship with up to 300 students on board, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The 12,524 tonnes schoolship State of Maine is understood to have departed her homeport of Portland Me on 13 June. She is berthed at the Cobh's Deepwater Quay during an annual Summer Training Cruise for the Maine Maritime Academy.

State of Maine, is the flagship of the Academy and offer trainees a Vessel Operations and Technology (VOT) program that leads to a Bachelor of Science degree. The VOS curriculum is designed to prepare students for positions of responsibility as operators and managers of a variety of private and commercial vessels.

If qualified, students may sit for the U.S. Coast Guard examination for 500-ton or 1600-ton Near-Coastal Mate's License. Those who complete the curriculum can have careers aboard tugs and barges, ferries, passenger vessels, tall ships, and mega-yachts.

Prior to her current role, the 142m State of Maine had begun a career as the US Navy supply ship USS Tanner when launched by the Bethlehem Key Highway yard in Baltimore. 

The blue hulled vessel presents a distinctive profile given two large white angular superstructure blocks to accommodate quarters for her trainees.

For those wondering what is the next cruiseship due to berth at Cobh, this will be Azamara Journey on 6 July. The 30,000 tonnes cruiseship with up to 686 passengers is operated by Azamara Cruises.

Also scheduled to visit Cork Harbour that same day is Magellen, as previously reported the new flagship of Cruise & Maritime Voyages which is due to Ringaskiddy.

Published in Cork Harbour

Howth Yacht Club information

Howth Yacht Club is the largest members sailing club in Ireland, with over 1,700 members. The club welcomes inquiries about membership - see top of this page for contact details.

Howth Yacht Club (HYC) is 125 years old. It operates from its award-winning building overlooking Howth Harbour that houses office, bar, dining, and changing facilities. Apart from the Clubhouse, HYC has a 250-berth marina, two cranes and a boat storage area. In addition. its moorings in the harbour are serviced by launch.

The Club employs up to 31 staff during the summer and is the largest employer in Howth village and has a turnover of €2.2m.

HYC normally provides an annual programme of club racing on a year-round basis as well as hosting a full calendar of International, National and Regional competitive events. It operates a fleet of two large committee boats, 9 RIBs, 5 J80 Sportboats, a J24 and a variety of sailing dinghies that are available for members and training. The Club is also growing its commercial activities afloat using its QUEST sail and power boat training operation while ashore it hosts a wide range of functions each year, including conferences, weddings, parties and the like.

Howth Yacht Club originated as Howth Sailing Club in 1895. In 1968 Howth Sailing Club combined with Howth Motor Yacht Club, which had operated from the West Pier since 1935, to form Howth Yacht Club. The new clubhouse was opened in 1987 with further extensions carried out and more planned for the future including dredging and expanded marina facilities.

HYC caters for sailors of all ages and run sailing courses throughout the year as part of being an Irish Sailing accredited training facility with its own sailing school.

The club has a fully serviced marina with berthing for 250 yachts and HYC is delighted to be able to welcome visitors to this famous and scenic area of Dublin.

New applications for membership are always welcome

Howth Yacht Club FAQs

Howth Yacht Club is one of the most storied in Ireland — celebrating its 125th anniversary in 2020 — and has an active club sailing and racing scene to rival those of the Dun Laoghaire Waterfront Clubs on the other side of Dublin Bay.

Howth Yacht Club is based at the harbour of Howth, a suburban coastal village in north Co Dublin on the northern side of the Howth Head peninsula. The village is around 13km east-north-east of Dublin city centre and has a population of some 8,200.

Howth Yacht Club was founded as Howth Sailing Club in 1895. Howth Sailing Club later combined with Howth Motor Yacht Club, which had operated from the village’s West Pier since 1935, to form Howth Yacht Club.

The club organises and runs sailing events and courses for members and visitors all throughout the year and has very active keelboat and dinghy racing fleets. In addition, Howth Yacht Club prides itself as being a world-class international sailing event venue and hosts many National, European and World Championships as part of its busy annual sailing schedule.

As of November 2020, the Commodore of the Royal St George Yacht Club is Ian Byrne, with Paddy Judge as Vice-Commodore (Clubhouse and Administration). The club has two Rear-Commodores, Neil Murphy for Sailing and Sara Lacy for Junior Sailing, Training & Development.

Howth Yacht Club says it has one of the largest sailing memberships in Ireland and the UK; an exact number could not be confirmed as of November 2020.

Howth Yacht Club’s burgee is a vertical-banded pennant of red, white and red with a red anchor at its centre. The club’s ensign has a blue-grey field with the Irish tricolour in its top left corner and red anchor towards the bottom right corner.

The club organises and runs sailing events and courses for members and visitors all throughout the year and has very active keelboat and dinghy racing fleets. In addition, Howth Yacht Club prides itself as being a world-class international sailing event venue and hosts many National, European and World Championships as part of its busy annual sailing schedule.

Yes, Howth Yacht Club has an active junior section.

Yes, Howth Yacht Club hosts sailing and powerboat training for adults, juniors and corporate sailing under the Quest Howth brand.

Among its active keelboat and dinghy fleets, Howth Yacht Club is famous for being the home of the world’s oldest one-design racing keelboat class, the Howth Seventeen Footer. This still-thriving class of boat was designed by Walter Herbert Boyd in 1897 to be sailed in the local waters off Howth. The original five ‘gaff-rigged topsail’ boats that came to the harbour in the spring of 1898 are still raced hard from April until November every year along with the other 13 historical boats of this class.

Yes, Howth Yacht Club has a fleet of five J80 keelboats for charter by members for training, racing, organised events and day sailing.

The current modern clubhouse was the product of a design competition that was run in conjunction with the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland in 1983. The winning design by architects Vincent Fitzgerald and Reg Chandler was built and completed in March 1987. Further extensions have since been made to the building, grounds and its own secure 250-berth marina.

Yes, the Howth Yacht Club clubhouse offers a full bar and lounge, snug bar and coffee bar as well as a 180-seat dining room. Currently, the bar is closed due to Covid-19 restrictions. Catering remains available on weekends, take-home and delivery menus for Saturday night tapas and Sunday lunch.

The Howth Yacht Club office is open weekdays from 9am to 5pm. Contact the club for current restaurant opening hours at [email protected] or phone 01 832 0606.

Yes — when hosting sailing events, club racing, coaching and sailing courses, entertaining guests and running evening entertainment, tuition and talks, the club caters for all sorts of corporate, family and social occasions with a wide range of meeting, event and function rooms. For enquiries contact [email protected] or phone 01 832 2141.

Howth Yacht Club has various categories of membership, each affording the opportunity to avail of all the facilities at one of Ireland’s finest sailing clubs.

No — members can join active crews taking part in club keelboat and open sailing events, not to mention Pay & Sail J80 racing, charter sailing and more.

Fees range from €190 to €885 for ordinary members.
Memberships are renewed annually.

©Afloat 2020