Cruises Onboard Training Vessel State of Maine

Training cruises onboard the T.S. State of Maine are scheduled annually for at least 60 days. Students in the MET, MEO, and MSE curricula are required to participate in these training cruises during the first and junior years. Successful completion of these training cruises, including a sea project for each cruise, is required for graduation. Four credit hours are awarded for each successfully completed cruise. Cruises aboard the T.S. State of Maine are designed to develop practical skills required of a third assistant engineer. These skills are developed through watch standing and experience in the operation and maintenance of the ship.

During each cruise, the cadets spend their time divided (roughly) equally between watchstanding, training, and maintenance.  Additionally, during their first (freshman) cruise, cadets will have their time split  between deck and engineering, in order to give them an appreciation of the interrelationships between these two key departments onboard ship.  The objective of these cruises is to acquaint cadets with not only the work routine they will encounter after graduation, but also to familiarize them with the more general aspects of the unforgiving environment of life at sea.